In this paper, we present a new approach to the problem of revising ex
tended programs; we base this approach on the coherence theory initial
ly advocated by Gardenfors for belief revision. Our approach resolves
contradiction by removing only conflicting information, not the believ
ed source of it, and therefore, keeps information loss minimal. Furthe
rmore, since there is no need to search for problematic assumptions, a
s is done in the traditional assumption-removal approach, our approach
provides a skeptical revision semantics that is tractable. We define
the skeptical and credulous coherence semantics and show that both sem
antics can be characterized in terms of the fixpoint semantics of a re
vised program using a simple program-revision technique. These semanti
cs provide a suitable framework for knowledge and belief revision in t
he context of logic programs. Semantical properties and advantages of
the proposed revision semantics are also analyzed.