Why coercive religious politics undermine Christianity and democracy

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (ABP) — All Mike Stewart was trying to do, he says, was prevent an unethical, non-denominational pastor from “stealing” a tiny, struggling Southern Baptist church — and its $3 million property. What the director of missions of a…

GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — As the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention rapidly approaches, the field of officer candidates is rapidly widening — most recently with a fourth candidate for the second vice-presidential post. Mark Edlund, the executive director…

NEW YORK (ABP) — True love often doesn't wait — and it frequently has difficulty with the “true” part, too, according to a new study. Harvard University scholar Janet Rosenbaum, in an article published in the June issue of the…

POLK, Wis. (ABP) — Tom Hignite has a mission: To save two-dimensional movie animation from possible demise. And with help from some ex-Disney and Warner Brothers animators, he thinks he can do it. Hignite, a homebuilder by trade, has created…

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (ABP) — In what may be the final act of the drama that has been Roy Moore's political life, the so-called “Ten Commandments Judge” went down to resounding defeat June 6 in his race for Alabama's Republican gubernatorial…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — For the second time in as many election years, the Senate has killed a proposal to amend the Constitution to deny marriage to same-sex couples. That won't stop the House from taking up the same proposal, though,…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — As the Senate again geared up for an election-year vote on a gay-marriage ban June 5, religious leaders both praised and condemned President Bush for his renewed support. Bush, responding to pressure from conservative leaders who questioned…

GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — Kelly Burris, pastor of Kempsville Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, Va., has announced he will accept a nomination for first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention. According to Baptist Press, Terry Fox will nominate Burris…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — A Tennessee pastor will join what already promises to be a contentious election for the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention when the denomination holds its annual meeting June 13-14 in Greensboro, N.C. Jerry Sutton, the…

DES MOINES, Iowa (ABP) — In what could be a major setback for government's ability to fund religious charities, a federal judge has ruled against an Iowa program designed to rehabilitate prisoners through Christianity. U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt of…

PINGDU, CHINA (ABP) — A vibrant congregation founded by Lottie Moon, the famous missionary to China, has moved out of the crumbling temple it used as a meeting place, thanks to a church located thousands of miles away. The partnership…