When internationally known Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong returns to his hometown, Charlotte, next week to speak at Myers Park Baptist Church, he'll once again prove he can make fundamentalists and atheists alike crazy.

Here's what the audience is likely to hear:

Yes, God exists, but God is not a separate deity who intervenes in our lives. » read more

WASHINGTON — Female voters in 2008 are looking harder at what traditionally have been considered women's issues — abortion, pay equity, health care — and where John McCain and Barack Obama stand on those issues, not surprisingly, reflects their political philosophies.

McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, are running as anti-abortion, pro-family, anti-tax conservatives who oppose same-sex marriage.

Obama and his running mate, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, vow to preserve abortion rights, end pay discrimination and improve women's access to health insurance and health care. » read more

WASHINGTON — Even as the country heads into an era of tighter budgets, John McCain and Barack Obama are united on giving more help to the nation's veterans and overhauling the agency that cares for them.

McCain, one of the nation's most celebrated veterans, and Obama, who never served in uniform but became an advocate for veterans issues soon after entering the U.S. Senate, generally agree that the Department of Veterans Affairs does some things well and other things quite poorly.

And while veterans issues have come into the limelight only briefly during this election, the two campaigns have sparred over how best to improve access to the VA's health-care system. » read more

WASHINGTON — Whether the next president is Barack Obama or John McCain, this much is assured: Each man is offering a health-care overhaul that, if successfully implemented, might hasten the end of Americans getting health insurance through their employers.

For more than 60 years, most working Americans have gotten health insurance through their employers. The practice dates back to World War II, when federally imposed wage caps led employers to compete for workers through benefits such as health care. The system is unique to the U.S. among developed countries. Last year, employers provided health coverage to more than 162 million Americans.

Neither candidate overtly proposes to end employer-provided health care. Yet each candidate is promising a significant move away from it. » read more

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. — As the presidential campaign enters its final week, John McCain and Barack Obama each argue that his tax plan is better to help the ever-suffering small businessman.

Tax experts, however, suggest that the candidates' blueprints for helping small business are virtually identical for all but 2 percent to 3 percent of the highest-income small businesses. For them, McCain's plan is more generous.

The issue has been a campaign centerpiece since the emergence earlier this month of "Joe the Plumber," an Ohio voter who'd benefit under Obama's plan but favored McCain's because it preserves the current tax brackets. » read more