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PAYNESVILLE, Minn. – The red wooden doors at Salem Historical Church have been tightly sealed and locked for most of the last half-century.

But on Saturday night, the doors were a portal to the past: Inside were twinkling holiday lights and a pine tree that stretched to the ceiling, its boughs draped in silver tinsel. A sugary aroma hung ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I am not opposed to Christians but I am opposed to the fact that they preach God’s love, the brotherhood of man, and we are people tied together by human bonds, while saying that only Christians make up the family of God. Isn’t this doublespeak? – B.F.

A: There is a great deal of ...Read more

DETROIT — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel released the fourth of seven reports Monday related to a years-long investigation into clergy sexual abuse within Michigan's Catholic dioceses.

The report indicated that the investigation into the Diocese of Lansing, which began in September 2018, found that 48 priests, three religious brothers,...Read more

Two spray-painted swastikas were found outside Minneapolis’ Temple Israel, the largest synagogue in Minnesota, on Monday morning.

The symbols were found spray-painted in red on a pillar and a door on the temple’s Emerson Avenue S. entrance, according to Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman. A report has been filed with police.

“It is heartbreaking to ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I’m “amazed” that the world accepts the song “Amazing Grace,” with its strong testimony of people being lost sinners and being saved by God’s amazing grace. Is this the personal testimony of John Newton, once a slave trader? – A.G.

A: In an English village, not far from Oxford and ...Read more

WILSON TOWNSHIP, Minn. – The last time the Catholic church here faced an existential threat was on New Year’s Eve 1935, when the church was set ablaze. Not even a trace of its sacred vessels was found in the debris.

The hardship of the Great Depression did little to deter the congregation. Within weeks, parishioners were rebuilding. Men of ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: My mother is legalistic and won’t allow me to watch certain shows because of the language. I hear bad language in school all the time but she doesn’t allow me to quit school. Why is it so wrong to put up with a little bad language to enjoy the entertainment? – L.W.

A: A story’s told of ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court voted Friday to hear a potentially far-reaching claim of religious freedom and decide whether church-sponsored charities, programs and businesses may refuse to pay state unemployment taxes for their employees.

All states exempt churches and church programs from the taxes if they "operate primarily for religious ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I am part of a televised Bible study and there are many things I question. Since I’m not a Bible scholar, I often defer to the one “teaching” the Bible. But often the instructors don’t back up their claims with Scripture. Isn’t that the purpose of a Bible study? Specifically here at ...Read more

People of faith are not more generous than non-religious people — except in one case, a new study found.

A study by researchers at Linköping University in Sweden found that religious people are more generous than non-religious people when they know the recipients’ religious beliefs — otherwise there is no difference.

The research ...Read more

Q: I have always enjoyed your God wink stories so I decided to share mine. When my daughter was very little, maybe 4, while in her room one morning she said out of the blue, “That’s when the angels come and get me and take me.”

I was a little concerned thinking, is this a sign from above letting me know she may be taken from ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: How can I have a desire to read the Bible? It’s hard for me to keep my mind on what I’m reading. Reading is not something I’m good at. Is this the only way to get God to walk with me? – R.B.

A: When a person is saved, it’s of utmost importance to have a desire to be nourished from God’s...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Who is God’s Son, Jesus? Is he coequal with God? – G.S.

A: Jesus is not “a” son of God but “the” Son of God. He is the eternal Son of God – the second Person of the Holy Trinity, God manifested in the flesh.

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ had no beginning. He was never created. ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I went to a tree decorating party and the hosts had selected Bible verses about various aspects of a tree. I had never heard anything like this. I never connected anything about a Christmas tree to the Bible. But one of the verses was about Jesus being a branch. I didn’t exactly grasp the ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: My mother told me that I am a Christian so there is no need to do anything else, just live to be kind to others and act as a Christian should. The church I am going to says otherwise and that I’m confused. I’ve been a member of the church a long time and was even baptized at this church; now I ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I have recently been challenged to actually read the Word of God. I’ve grown used to reading lots of Christian books that have taken the place of reading the Bible and I think this is an epidemic. I don’t think any great book about the Bible can be better than the Bible, right? – B.B.

A: Our ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Why will people be judged for the things they do when we can’t help that we are sinners? Even the Bible says we’re born that way. – J.S.

A: The great London preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon was once the guest of a man who made his virtues the chief topic of conversation; but his virtues were ...Read more

Many of the God winks you send me, dear readers, have to do with music. The songs of our life somehow act as signs that the life of our souls extends beyond the grave. Also many God winks are connected to sacred places – not only houses of worship but places where love and hope and joy were given and received. Here is a lovely and poignant God...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: My heart breaks to watch the horrors of what is happening in Israel and the Arab states. I hear both sides cry for peace, but they’ve had little. Would they even know how to recognize peace? – S.P.

A: Peace carries with it the idea of unity, completeness, rest, ease and security. In the Old ...Read more