Why coercive religious politics undermine Christianity and democracy

DAYTON, Ohio (ABP) — In its recent annual meeting, the Alliance of Baptists adopted statements of concern about the politicization of gay marriage and the United States' relations with Cuba. The progressive group also elected a female chaplain from Baltimore…

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (ABP) — Almost 300 members of First Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, Tenn., set aside their plans on a recent Saturday to give eight hours ministering to their community — following the model of other congregations across the region….

RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Virginia Baptists will release to Averett University a portion of the funds they withheld last year in a dispute over biblical authority and homosexuality. But the remainder of the funds allocated in the current fiscal year…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — Perhaps only a problem as daunting as the 40-plus million Americans lacking health insurance could bring together officials from groups as diverse as the Southern Baptist Convention, the National Council of Churches, and the Islamic Society of…

ATLANTA (ABP) — A pair of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missionaries are making sure that Afghans, Iranians and other Persian-speaking peoples have well-trained Christian leaders ready to return to their home countries and spread the gospel. As a way to help…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge to a lower court's ruling that outlawed mealtime prayers at a state-run military college. The justices turned aside the appeal from Virginia officials April 26. Last year, a…

GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — Officials of the North Carolina Baptist State Convention say there's no way to know the potential impact of changing the convention's giving options to a single plan that forwards most of its national missions allocation to…

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — Attorneys for the Missouri Baptist Convention have appealed the dismissal of a lawsuit against five breakaway institutions — and convention messengers will be asked to authorize the use of Cooperative Program funds to pay for…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — The number of hungry people in the United States and the developing world is greater now than it was when international leaders set hunger-cutting goals in the mid-1990s, said a recently released report by Bread for the…

DALLAS (ABP) — Why would teenagers cut their bodies on purpose? Cutting — and other forms of self-mutilation — cause physical pain that teens can deal with, blocking out emotional hurt they feel unable to handle, says Dallas counselor Carrie…

DALLAS (ABP) — Self-mutilation is not the only type of obsessive-compulsive disorder affecting youth, counselor Carrie Beaird told youth ministers at a recent seminar. The disorders can be as varied as the people afflicted, but they share some common traits….

GROVE OAK, Ala. (ABP) — Ten years ago, a tornado left Regina Webb's body broken on the ground amid the scattered remnants of her home. She was paralyzed from the chest down. Last January she gave birth to triplets. The…