Why coercive religious politics undermine Christianity and democracy

GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — Christians need to hear, understand, embrace and live God's call, program personalities reminded Baptist women during the 2006 Woman's Missionary Union celebration. “How can you hear God's call when those around you want you to mimic…

GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — Baptist seminary presidents Paige Patterson and Albert Mohler may have philosophical differences on the subject of divine election as interpreted by Calvinism, but those differences have small practical effect, an hour-long dialogue between the two revealed….

GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting on Tuesday voted down a proposal asking the Woman's Missionary Union to become an official entity of the SBC. The proposal's defeat allows WMU to retain its status as…

GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — Southern Baptist Convention messengers turned back a grassroots attempt to strengthen language in a report that encouraged the convention to elect leaders from churches that give generously to the denomination's budget, but they rebuffed an attempt…

GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — A tide of contracts, finances, logistics and security concerns swamped a sentimental appeal for the Southern Baptist Convention to change its 2008 meeting location to New Orleans. David Crosby, pastor of First Baptist Church in New…

GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — In a major upset, outsider Frank Page of South Carolina was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention over two candidates closely tied to the SBC's conservative power structure. Page, who described his election as a…

GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — The final days before the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, set for June 13-14 in Greensboro, N.C., featured last-minute announcements of new candidates for office and the addition of a high-profile official from President Bush's administration…

GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee voted June 12 to tighten qualifications for trustees of SBC entities, but narrowly rejected a recommendation that would encourage those trustees to be drawn from churches that support the denomination…

GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee voted Monday, June 12, to ask the Woman's Missionary Union to become an official entity of the SBC. The committee also wants WMU to reaffirm its “exclusive” commitment to the…