Why coercive religious politics undermine Christianity and democracy

NASHVILLE (ABP) — Southern Baptists should get involved in the political process, and the SBC will assist them by developing a campaign and promoting it through a new website called ivotevalues.com, Richard Land told the SBC Executive Committee Feb. 16….

NASHVILLE (ABP) — New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, the lone holdout in a lengthy SBC attempt to gain stronger control over its entities, is under increasing pressure to change its charter to make the SBC the “sole member” of its…

STATESBORO, Ga. (ABP) — R. Quinn Pugh Sr., who served as executive director of the Baptist Convention of New York for 12 years before retiring in 1996, died Feb. 13 following heart surgery at a Savannah, Ga., hospital. He was…

COPPELL, Texas (ABP) — Valley Ranch Baptist Church seemingly had all the ingredients for expansion in a growing suburb of Dallas. Young families drove church growth. The congregation owned its land and facilities. More people were coming. Excitement and energy…

NASHVILLE (ABP) — As “a network of churches that circle the planet,” the Southern Baptist Convention must consider changing its name to “reflect who we are and what we are doing nationally and internationally,” SBC president Jack Graham told the…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — As thousands of same-sex couples rushed to get married in San Francisco over the Valentine's Day weekend, opponents tried to block the marriages in court. Two San Francisco courts postponed action Feb. 17 on lawsuits seeking to…

NASHVILLE (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee voted overwhelmingly Feb. 17 to withdraw SBC membership and funding from the Baptist World Alliance, the 99-year-old fellowship of 211 Baptist bodies worldwide. Despite pleas from Baptist leaders worldwide and some…

NASHVILLE (ABP) — While Mel Gibson's “The Passion of the Christ” will graphically show movie audiences the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, it's up to Christians to explain why Jesus went through the pain of the cross, Christian leaders…

ATLANTA (ABP) — Two long-serving Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missionaries to New York's diplomatic community are moving to North Carolina, and the organization has no plans to replace them. Ana and David D'Amico have served as missionaries at the United Nations…

STOWE, Vt. (ABP) — State Baptist newspaper editors, during their annual meeting Feb. 13, declined an offer from a foundation to fund an independent inquiry into the Southern Baptist Convention's reasons for defunding the Baptist World Alliance. Meeting in the…

BOSTON (ABP) — The Massachusetts legislature adjourned its historic constitutional convention Feb. 12 without reversing the state supreme court's recent legalization of gay marriage. With thousands of protesters gathered outside Feb. 11, legislators began debating legal measures that would limit…

NASHVILLE (ABP) — Despite pleas from their Baptist brethren worldwide, Southern Baptist Convention leaders show no sign of abandoning their plan to withdraw from the Baptist World Alliance. But that isn't stopping Florida retiree Bob Casey from trying to change…