ArcaMax

NEW YORK — Yeshiva reformers are taking Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York legislative leaders to court over a contentious deal that waters down state oversight of ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools, the reformers’ attorney announced Thursday.

The amendment, wedged into the state budget during a final stretch of negotiations, put the kibosh on a New...Read more

The first American pope, Pope Leo XIV, expressed “concern” for his homeland during his first interview in the job he was appointed to in May.

In an extensive interview published by religious site Crux on Thursday, the pontiff avoided getting involved in partisan U.S. politics while making clear he will talk about issues involving “human ...Read more

Q: What if you have no family and few friends? And you're ill and in pain and only death will end it? And you'd rather leave what money you have to various charities then use it up paying for care that may prolong life but won't cure or even reduce pain, but keep one around increasingly unable to do self-care, etc.? – (From S)

A: ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: How is it that people are coming to accept that evil people can attack and kill people going to church? The culture has gone mad. 99It’s an outrage. Why doesn’t God just remove all the evil people from Earth? He certainly has the power, right? – M.C.

A: Evil is everywhere, and we can find ...Read more

As a former Division I football player and Team USA bobsledder who has gone on to become a state lawmaker in Oklahoma, I’ve seen it myself — coaches imposing their religious beliefs on players. This can involve pressuring players to engage in prayer or religious discussion, under threat of being sidelined.

Faith should be a personal choice....Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I don’t like working in the entertainment industry because so much of it is godless, but I make good money, and I have to support my family. I’ve been warned that I will likely succumb to the godless influences instead of me influencing them for God. I’m not sure that is possible. Does God ...Read more

When Cardinal Robert Prevost of south suburban Dolton became Pope Leo XIV in May, excited Chicagoans could hardly believe the first American pope in church history was homegrown — and a White Sox fan at that.

Conservative Catholics across the country could hardly believe it, either. The powerful Catholic right had campaigned for a ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: How can Christians really become Christlike when we are confronted at every turn with evil and godlessness? – C.L.

A: It is God’s will for His followers to become more like Christ. He came to show us the way, but it can only happen as we submit every area of our lives to His authority. The ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Social media has done more to influence people for the bad. Few people think before they post, and rarely do people think about how hurtful and insensitive their words are to others. Why is this? – E.P.

A: One day, the owner of a club was with members discussing golf. Someone turned to him and ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: My closest friend, who is a minister, told me that I shouldn’t worry about little sins I commit along the way because I’m already a Christian. My Bible study leader says that the Bible tells us to examine ourselves and repent for things we do that don’t please God. Which is it? – E.O.

A: ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I am running for city council and have been advised to join a church because it will help me gain votes, and a church may even help fight for the rights of the people. Aren’t these wrong reasons to join a church? – N.V.

A: Many politicians join churches prior to elections; this is not unusual. ...Read more

On 9/11 I was the president of the New York Board of Rabbis, and because of my position I was asked to deliver one of the speeches at the 9/11 memorial service at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 24, 2001. I offer it up this year once again as a memorial to the dead and remembered ones but ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I try so hard to read the Bible every day. I’ve tried all kinds of programs and schedules, but when I sit to read, my mind wanders or I fall asleep. Does this make me a lazy Christian? – B.R.

A: Satan is the great discourager. He doesn’t want us to read or memorize Scripture because it is the...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — A Nazarene ministry in St. Paul‘s working-class East Side. An aging Lutheran congregation in Roseville. A nondenominational megachurch in Maple Grove.

Three vastly different churches are on the leading edge of a Minnesota experiment in treating chronic homelessness by building tiny home villages — known as Sacred Settlements...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I was a chaperone for spring break and was appalled at the teenage girls who wore skimpy bathing suits with their crosses hanging from long chains. I’m hardly a prude, but I didn’t miss the opportunity to ask why they wear a cross and what it means. They said the cross was a symbol of freedom. I...Read more