Why coercive religious politics undermine Christianity and democracy

ELDORADO, Texas (ABP) — About five months after a bus crash claimed the lives of nine senior adults on a church-sponsored trip, members of First Baptist Church in Eldorado planned their first major out-of-town trip since the accident. The church…

(ABP) — If churches choose to charter a bus for long trips, they need to carefully examine the companies they hire, a representative of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration suggested. Before hiring any carrier, request the bus company's United…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — Just days after it gained final approval in Congress, President Bush signed a bill into law that will treat embryos and fetuses at any stage of pregnancy as equal victims of crimes against their mothers. Bush signed…

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — Attorneys for the Missouri Baptist Convention have filed a motion which, if granted, would renew the convention's legal battle with five of its affiliated entities. In a motion filed March 24, Michael Whitehead and Stanton…

DALLAS (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention's Annuity Board tries not to invest in so-called “sin” stocks, but there is no guarantee of purity in investing, said board president O.S. Hawkins. The board's screening policies prohibit investment in companies that…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — A group of India experts speaking on Capitol Hill March 31 had a message for American policy-makers: Supporting religious freedom on the Asian subcontinent is ultimately in the United States' best interest. India has been beset by…

NASHVILLE (ABP) — The state of Tennessee will no longer place at-risk children in the care of Tennessee Baptist Children's Homes, in part because the children's ministry requires residents to attend church. The state Department of Children's Services last year…

DALLAS (ABP) — Churches can help children and youth succeed by focusing more on relationships than programs and on strengths rather than problems, family ministry leader Eugene Roehlkepartain insisted. Roehlkepartain delivered a keynote address at Hand in Hand 2004, a…

DALLAS (ABP) –Christian social workers face an unprecedented opportunity to “shape the shift” that is transforming their profession, a leading social-work educator told participants in a national conference. Most professional social workers were trained in programs “that were allergic to…

MACON, Ga. (ABP) — Cecil Staton, president of Smyth & Helwys Publishing, announced March 29 he is seeking a seat in the Georgia state Senate. Staton will run as a Republican to represent the newly configured District 18 in central…

CARY, N.C. (ABP) — The deaths of four missionaries in Iraq March 15 has not deterred others headed to the country, the head of the International Mission Board said. Jerry Rankin, speaking March 25 during the funeral for slain missionaries…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — Massachusetts legislators gave initial approval March 29 to an amendment that bans gay marriage, but explicitly authorizes identical benefits for same-sex couples. However, the amendment cannot take effect until November 2006, at the earliest. So until then,…