Ruth Graham

Some Personal News: I'm writing a book! SONS OF GOD is about the young American men moving into more demanding forms of Christian faith and practice, and what that means for the country’s political and spiritual future. Truly excited about this reporting. Here we go!

"There’s a saying people like to attribute to Christian theology, which is ‘God will never give you more than you can handle.' It’s terrible theology." www.nytimes.com/live/2025/07...

A cappella hymns in the Roosevelt Room, the laying on of hands in the Oval: Elizabeth Dias and I reported from the White House this week on how the Trump administration is welcoming a very specific style of prayer, worship and power through his new faith office. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/u...

I went to Chicago to cover a papal conclave. No, not that one. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/u...

Waking up briefly on my deathbed, my loved ones crowded around to hear the words embedded deepest in my soul: “Looking good in your three-piece suit, you know I always knew you'd take the biz-ih-ness route”

Is this the first country song about Hans Urs von Balthasar’s concept of hopeful universalism

The folding phone sounds nice but as a writer what I really need is a phone that I can crumple up and throw into the trash can when I'm frustrated

I used to know within 5 seconds if a song on the radio was Christian. I can no longer tell, which I thiiiiiink says something more about contemporary music than my own degrading cultural radar

Saw these images circulating last week but did not anticipate the Jonathan Cahn angle: www.tmz.com/2026/09/08/d...

I reported on the escalating clash between the United Methodist Church and one of its largest and wealthiest congregations, Highland Park UMC in Dallas. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/06/u...

"I always called her my mentor and she hated that. She was like, ‘No, no, we’re learning from each other.’” New from Julie Bosman and me: www.nytimes.com/2026/09/04/u...

For Friday, a poem from the perspective of Lot's wife, via @lamaterial.com's newsletter: onbeing.org/poetry/of-co...

Hottest ticket of 2027: "Less than 24 hours after the church opened online ticketing on Sept. 1, more than a million people from around the world had reserved a slot to tour the temple." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/t...

Reporting last week about the complicated magic of the rural Appalachian church last week, the first person I reached out to — a long shot, I knew — was Wendell Berry. I was surprised and delighted to get to speak with his daughter, Mary. The story that ran Sunday: www.nytimes.com/2026/08/30/u...