Why coercive religious politics undermine Christianity and democracy

(ABP) — Flag-burning radical Muslims represent mainstream American Islam about as accurately as cross-burning Ku Klux Klansmen represent Baptists, a Baptist theologian said. “Most American Muslims are not sympathetic to radical Islam, and they are not interested in being identified…

(ABP) — Muslims treat the Quran as their Bible, and they see Muhammad the way Christians view Jesus Christ, right? Wrong, Muslim leaders insist; in fact, it's just the opposite. Muslims see the Quran as God's final revelation, roughly comparable…

(ABP) — Everything changed on 9/11– at least for American Muslims. But whether the change has been for the better or the worse depends on personal perspective and individual experience. The Muslim community in Waco, Texas, meets in a nondescript…

(ABP) — For American Christians who don't know a Shiite from a Sunni, or an Alawi from a Wahhabi, divisions within Islam can be daunting to decipher. Here's a simple Who's Who of a few major groups — either religious…

(ABP) — Muslims and Christians worship the same God. Allah and the Father of Jesus are nothing alike. Jihad means an inner struggle to obey God's will. Jihad means waging war on infidels. Muslims support human rights. Muslims practice oppression…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) — Cindy Dawson, a former missionary with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, has been elected coordinator of Global Women. She takes over an organization that is struggling to overcome a generational divide. Global Women, based in Birmingham, Ala.,…

In the Sept. 1 ABP story, “Patterson's defense of sermon censorship contradicts his own actions, critics say,” please replace the sixth paragraph with the following: But three years ago, Patterson — who had recently moved from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary…

ATLANTA (ABP) — Sowing Seeds of Hope, a community and economic development organization affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, has received a $338,000 federal grant for the creation of a self-help housing initiative in depressed Perry County, Ala. The CBF…

ARLINGTON, Texas (ABP) — Paige Patterson, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's largest seminary, censored a recent chapel sermon by a seminary trustee because it criticized a “sister” SBC institution. Yet in 2003 Patterson himself circulated a lengthy report by…

FLINT, Mich. (ABP) — On Aug. 29, Woodside Church became the first American Baptist congregation in Michigan to be disaffiliated by its local “sister churches” because of its stance on homosexuality. The North Area Baptist Association, a 10-county group of…

ATLANTA (ABP) — One year after Hurricane Katrina, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship continues work on a number of recovery projects in the Gulf region — even as relief workers responded to damage caused by Tropical Storm Ernesto on the Atlantic…