Christian Coalition clash

Washington, D.C.

The president-elect of the Christian Coalition resigned last week, after clashing with the board over his plans to expand the group's agenda beyond same-sex marriage and abortion. The Rev. Joel Hunter, pastor of a 7,000-person congregation in Longwood, Fla., was elected president of the group in June. He said that while moral issues such as abortion were vital, the Christian Coalition should also take on poverty and global warming. But board chairwoman Roberta Combs told Hunter those other issues "won't speak to our base, so we just won't go there." The Christian Coalition, once a leading force on the religious right, has fallen on hard times. Several state chapters have disbanded, and its annual budget has fallen from $26 million to $5 million.