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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I grew up in the 20th century receiving a good education, but I was the only Christian in the school and at times was ostracized because my faith impacted my lifestyle. While most of the kids attended religious services, there was little evidence that they lived for God. In today’s society, it ...Read more

During the winter holiday season of Christmas and Chanukah, I offered some thoughts on what Christians can learn from Chanukah and what Jews can learn from Christmas. Now, as the world and our spiritual rhythms awaken to spring, I offer again an interfaith offering of what Christians can learn from Passover...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: My wife and I were married after 9/11 and decided against having children. We felt it was unfair to bring children into such a troubled world that had no hope of getting better. There’s so much talk now about couples reigniting the idea of having children and living the good life, even being ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: My parents have lived a full and quiet life, outliving most of their family and friends. I’m troubled when I visit them because they keep talking about Heaven and look forward to it. I’m a religious person, but I’m not obsessed with going to Heaven because it means death. How can they be so ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: The present civilization seems frustrated by its own success. With the brilliance of technological advances, it seems we’ve achieved the ability to stay in constant motion and have knowledge on just about everything at our fingertips. The only wonder of “What is next?” strikes terror in most ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: With Israel so much in the news, it’s been interesting to see places and hear phrases that I’ve read in the Bible that never made much sense. A reporter showed a picture in front of the “eye of the needle,” and I was stunned to see a small opening in the wall of a cave. What was Jesus ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: There’s so much being said about the drug culture, putting all the blame on the dealers. Aren’t those who buy and use drugs also responsible for their decisions? – D.U.

A: Volumes could be written on the problem of drug addiction. The same is true for the millions of barbiturates swallowed ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Popular Mechanics recently covered a story claiming that humans will one day become a mixture of humanity and machines. I think there should be a stopgap on the progression of technology; we may annihilate ourselves. I think the young generations are the first to see such a terrible storm ...Read more

Q: As a born and bred and somewhat devout (liberal) Presbyterian, I want to respond to your question, "What do you give up for Lent?" Of course, as Protestants we were never taught to or expected to "give up" something. It has only been recently in my faith walk that we have been studying different ways to approach Lent.

We ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Some people are attracted to the Jesus of the Bible; others are repulsed by His claim to being holy. Why is this? – N.L.

A: Many people during Jesus’ earthly life saw in Him a quality of life they had never seen before, and they wanted to experience it for themselves. When they looked at Jesus,...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I’ve laughed at my grandma, who believed the world was headed for a cataclysmic end, something called the apocalypse. I loved her deeply, but couldn’t understand how an intelligent woman could believe such nonsense. But USA Today recently carried a headline: “Doomsday Clock is closer ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: When I see the extreme rebellion today on college campuses, on our city streets and even in the courts and churches, I wonder if God wishes he had created robots, like the United Kingdom did, naming them Adam and Eve. Where does all of this rebellion come from? – R.H.

A: Adam and Eve weren’t ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: America is now celebrating its 250 th birthday. I am watching a series on the early days of America’s beginning, and it’s astounding to hear the references to God and the repetition of Bible passages from the halls of Congress to the small towns scattered across the land, calling on God to bless...Read more

Q: For Lent, I decided to embrace Pope Leo’s suggestion that we should disarm our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgment. I am not Catholic; I am Italian Methodist, which, according to someone in the Diocese of Denver, is pretty much the same thing. Anyway, I know good papal advice when I hear it, so up until Sunday I was doing ...Read more

Q: Dear Rabbi Gellman, I just finished reading your article "What do you give up for Lent? As a Catholic person, my husband and I raised our children in the Catholic faith. And as we were raised we taught our children to "give up something for Lent. It was always candy and chocolate – they could break their fast on Sunday and have sweets. ...Read more

When Father Tom was alive I used to tease him about Lent which are the 40 days before Easter. When I was a kid in Milwaukee, I had Catholic friends who would beg me for my bologna sandwiches on Fridays because Friday Lenten meals for them were small and fishy. By the time Tommy and I were grown it seemed to me that meat meals had begun to sneak ...Read more

Q: Dear Rabbi Gellman, I enjoy your column and look forward to reading it every Sunday. Regarding Fr. Tom's message to Michael, I have to wonder why Fr. Tom visited Michael and not you? Sorry, no offense, but the skeptic in me wonders if Michael could have made it up. – (From P in Farmingdale, Long Island)

A: Yes, I thought about ...Read more

The Umma, which is the Arabic word for the worldwide community of 2 billion Muslims, will celebrate the sacred month of Ramadan beginning at sunset on Wednesday, Feb. 18. Coincidentally that day is also Ash Wednesday for Christians and the beginning of the Chinese lunar new year...Read more

We have been talking about ghosts recently and one of the most obvious big problems with this discussion is that many people are just not convinced that they are real. Showing folks that ghosts figure prominently in every single religion over thousands of years just does not convince them and I completely understand their skepticism.

What we ...Read more