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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: My oldest daughter died of cancer after several years of pain and heartache. She was unable to raise her children and had to depend on others to do so. Her testimony was remarkable, and though I raised her to love and serve the Lord, I’m struggling to follow my own advice; that we should give ...Read more

Q: Dear Rabbi Gellman, although I don't always agree with your theology, I do find you extremely sincere, as well as charmingly entertaining and patient with the questions people expect you to answer.

I had the pleasure of meeting you and Monsignor Hartman at the Governor's Prayer Breakfast a few years back while escorting a young ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: My father was a taskmaster — a good man, a hardworking man — but he literally worked himself to death. Growing up, it didn’t matter how hard I worked; to my father it was never enough. While we live in a society where the work ethic is not as important to the younger generations, is it the ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I am a certified electrician. Does the Bible say anything about vocations and whether one job is more important than another? My friends tell me that working at a church is the most important work we can do; yet when people’s electricity fails them, electricians seem to be in great demand! – L.W...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: There have been so many celebrities die young by their own will: overdosing, committing suicide, drinking themselves to death, etc. People have to be quite desperate to walk such destructive pathways. It’s hard to understand because they have achieved wealth, fame, and power. Why are they so self-...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: There’s a website that predicts the future claiming that it’s based on cultural trends, environmental changes, and advances in technology. People make no apologies for going to this site for its prophetic sourcing, yet they mock the Bible based on God’s truth that has stood the test of time. ...Read more

BALTIMORE — A clap of thunder sounded across Baltimore on a rainy Saturday morning in 2020. The lockdown associated with the early days of the COVID pandemic was in place and the city seemed eerily quiet until the fire sirens began to wail.

During that early spring squall, a bolt of lightning struck an East Baltimore church. Soon the steeple ...Read more

MIAMI — At New Generation Missionary Baptist Church in Opa-locka, a new class has gained popularity with younger congregants — and it’s not your typical Bible study or Sunday school.

Since last year, the church has been teaching classes about African American history using a program created by leaders from Faith in Florida, a coalition of...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: There’s a Bible verse that says we should pray for those who persecute us. This is troubling to me. What person can really do that? – P.E.

A: Persecution brings terrible pain, but those who persecute us are to be the objects of our prayers. God Himself is the power that makes prayer work. ...Read more

The Alabama Constitution provides that "no religion shall be established by law" and that "the civil rights, privileges, and capacities of any citizen shall not be in any manner affected by his religious principles." Those prohibitions were forcefully reinforced in a 1998 Religious Freedom Amendment. Like similar provisions of the First ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Why does the Bible say that no one is good, “no not one”? – N.G.

A: The word good in the language of Scripture literally means “to be like God,” because He alone is the One who is perfectly good. It is one thing to have high ethical standards but quite another for the Holy Spirit...Read more

ATLANTA — A bill that would expand religious rights passed the Georgia Senate on Thursday over objections that it could lead to discrimination against gay people.

The Senate voted along party lines, 33-19, to approve the religious rights legislation, which would limit the government’s ability to enforce laws that conflict with religious ...Read more

Americans have grown less religious over the past couple of decades, and attendance at religious services is down across the country. Of course, some parts of the country are a lot less religious than others. New survey data shows Seattle is one of those places.

A clear majority of adults in the Seattle area — around 64% — never attend ...Read more

Q: Dear Rabbi Gellman, I read your weekly column in Newsday “faithfully”. I learn so much from you. I am a practicing Roman Catholic and I have many wonderful Jewish friends. My DNA shows that I am 2 percent Ashkenazi (European) Jewish. I am proud of that, especially since I have traveled to Dachau, Prague, Amsterdam, and Budapest. I ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I’ve been told that government was ordained by God but it seems that government and kingdoms have both failed. I thought America had it figured out, but our governing bodies are imploding as well. There’s chaos everywhere. What hope is left if we can’t depend on proper oversight of the people?...Read more

Times are hard on the campus of Notre Dame.

Not the famous University of Notre Dame, home to Fighting Irish football and more than 13,000 students — little Notre Dame College, a less prestigious Roman Catholic school in the Midwest.

Over the past decade, the 102-year-old private college with about 1,400 students, located in South Euclid, ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Why are churches so inclined to bury the old hymns of the church and take up new chants that don’t move the heart to compassion? When I go to church, I want to experience church, not a rock concert with strobe lights and smoke. My teenagers say that I am old fashioned and can’t move with the ...Read more

A Catholic advocacy group called on Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown to halt investigations into child sex abuse in the Archdiocese of Washington and the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, in a letter Tuesday.

Bill Donahue, president of the national Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, wrote that it was “exasperating” that ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Touring parts of Greece recently my husband and I were stunned to learn that many people there still worship the ancient gods. We visited the Parthenon and were disappointed that there was no indication of where the Apostle Paul actually gave his address to the people of Athens. Isn’t this what ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: The problems in the Middle East – particularly Israel – are treacherous and unsettling, but it does cause me to consider why Jesus came to Earth to bring peace when it seems in vain. Did he come as a martyr or to sit on David’s throne? – B.L.

A: Jesus came to Earth for the purpose of ...Read more