ArcaMax

Christmas and Passover are the most interfaith friendly holidays in the calendar of sacred time. Passover is about freedom for all people and Christmas is about hope for all people. Although there are of course sectarian meanings in each holy day they both reach out their message to all who are in need of salvation ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: How is it possible to become a friend of God who is holy, omnipotent, all-wise, and all-loving? I’ve been following a podcast about befriending Jesus, but it makes me a little nervous to hear all the propaganda that sounds like he can be our buddy and pal. I grew up in a church that taught ...Read more

Sen. Ted Budd offered an unusually blunt stance on a former lawmaker and fellow North Carolina Republican after allegations surfaced that Budd was blocking the Senate confirmation hearing of former Rep. Mark Walker to oversee international religious freedom.

Budd told McClatchy in an exclusive interview Wednesday that he’s not blocking ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: My life has come to an abrupt stop. Until a very bad fall at 60 years old, I was never home because I traveled the world, visiting a different church every Sunday, sometimes driving two hours or more, which allowed me to meet lots of different people and have all kinds of experiences. I often ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Sen. Thom Tillis said Tuesday he believes that the Senate needs to move on from the nomination of former Rep. Mark Walker for ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

Tillis’ comments to McClatchy come as Walker and his allies have put pressure on senators through social media and news outlets to get his ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Leaders of a secretive religious group in Southern California's Inland Empire region have been charged with murder in two separate cases — the disappearance of longtime member Emilio Ghanem in Redlands and the 2010 death of 4-year-old Timothy Thomas in Colton.

Ghanem vanished in May 2023, just weeks after he decided to part ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: A friend of mine (whom I’ve discovered wasn’t a friend at all) swindled me into investing a little money (I don’t have much) on a website about predicting trends on. I lost my meager savings and can’t blame anyone but myself. Does the Bible ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Growing up on Bible stories about Daniel in the lion’s den, Noah’s ark and the animals, and the sea rolling back its mighty waters as Israel crossed on dry ground are indelible in my mind, but I realize that these are likely illustrations more than true stories. If I could see something this ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: My friends have six children and love them. However, both husband and wife are high up in academia and pour all their time into their work, not their family. They excuse it by saying they fear death because there may not be enough money to take care of their children [if the parents die young]. They...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland proposed a new $242 million settlement with hundreds of parishioners who claim they were sexually abused for years at the hands of local clergy, a plan that drew immediate pushback from the victims’ attorneys, who say it doesn’t go far enough.

The proposal, filed Thursday in U.S. ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I’m an elementary school teacher and find that when Christmas approaches, children ask some interesting questions about Jesus. Many of them don’t come from stable homes and often don’t have the security of asking questions. Not that I have all the answers, but I want to answer the children as ...Read more

Father Tom Hartman and I created an annual winter custom that sharpened our interfaith instincts. Tommy wrote the Hanukkah column, and I wrote the Christmas column. Since his passing in 2016 I have tried in my way to preserve the essential interfaith impulse that created the God Squad by looking inward at our own holiday ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I’m living in a new city, with a new job and new neighbors. When people invite me to their church, I ask them what they believe. When I visit the church, I learn that I’ve been duped, because it’s more of a cult than a church, but the window dressing they presented made me feel good about ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Where does a person begin reading the Bible? It is such a huge book and covers so much history and biographical material, but most of all, I’ve heard many people say that it contains the secrets for living an abundant life. As a new Christian, where do I begin? – N.R.

A: For the Christian, ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I’ve been reading a lot about Charlie Kirk encouraging marriage and starting families. Elon Musk challenges Americans to have more children because our population is declining. This will sound terrible, but I can’t justify bringing children into the world in the present state it is in – evil ...Read more

NORFOLK, Va. — The Masjid Ash-Shura mosque on Colley Avenue in Norfolk was vandalized between Sunday night and Monday morning with a series of black crosses spray-painted along the side of the building, but a group of volunteers quickly came together to help clean it off.

Police are in possession of a video that shows one man, at some point ...Read more