The editor of the state Baptist newspaper will step down in July, in another sign of the continuing conservative shift within the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.

Tony Cartledge, 55, has accepted a position as associate professor of Old Testament at Campbell University Divinity School. He has served as editor of the Biblical Recorder, a biweekly newspaper covering the activities of Baptists statewide, since 1999.

In a story on the paper's Web site (www.biblicalrecorder.org), Cartledge said his efforts to include diverse points of view within the convention, which includes about 4,080 churches, were not always appreciated.

"I stand by my conviction that unity in diversity is better than uniformity in doctrine, but that has become the minority view and some have considered my efforts divisive," he wrote.

The Rev. Joe Babb, chairman of the Recorder's board of directors, said the 50,000 circulation paper will continue to maintain editorial independence. "As chairman of the board, I'm committed to that," said Babb, who lives in Buncombe County.

But in 2005, the Baptist State Convention replaced two of the newspaper's board members with candidates not recommended by Cartledge -- signaling it wanted a change in direction for the newspaper. The convention has increasingly taken a conservative bent, ostracizing churches that affiliate with more liberal Baptist groups and barring gay-friendly churches from membership.

A longtime pastor with a doctorate from Duke University, Cartledge led the moderate Woodhaven Baptist Church in Apex before becoming editor of the Recorder.