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Ruth Graham

@ruthgraham.bsky.social
23K followers 537 following 620 posts

National correspondent at The New York Times covering religion, faith and values. ~Texas~. Ruth.Graham@nytimes.com

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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"Because van Gogh had been a preacher before becoming an artist, Kröller-Müller regarded him as a man who had found a connection to faith through his art." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/a...
nytimes.com
When the World Saw van Gogh as ‘a Madman,’ She Saw His Genius
Helene Kröller-Müller assembled the world’s second-largest collection of van Gogh paintings. Now, for the first time in decades, they are on show together in a Dutch forest.
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
My dispatch from St. Louis, where Archbishop Fulton Sheen, whose TV audience once rivaled Milton Berle and "I Love Lucy," moved one step closer to sainthood yesterday. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/u...
nytimes.com
‘America’s Bishop’ Was Beatified. 50,000 Catholics Showed Up. (Gift Article)
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, who was the country’s most visible Roman Catholic clergyman of the 20th century, is one step closer to sainthood after a ceremony in St. Louis.
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I'm sure I'm forgetting plenty because that's how TV goes for me, but here's my stab at my top 10.
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
You really have to read this to believe it. Jon Malesic finds convincing evidence of an AI author finding real success in a genre one might hope would be resistant to slop: spiritual essays in small, serious Christian magazines. (At least 1 was a cover story!) jonmalesic.substack.com/p/how-i-unco...
jonmalesic.substack.com
How I uncovered a prolific AI author in religious magazines
Can we preserve the connection between personal writing and human experience in the Slop Age?
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I love the minds of People
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Justin Karcher @justinkarcher.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I got a new poem published in @oneart.bsky.social. Go Bills
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Moby Dick @mobydickatsea.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
all their eyes gleaming in that pale phosphorescence, like a far away constellation of stars
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The most popular undergrad history course at Yale is "The Catholic Intellectual Tradition." firstthings.com/the-allure-o...
firstthings.com
The Allure of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition - First Things
During the fall semester of 2013, I began to teach a new course here at Yale: The Catholic Intellectual Tradition. Even though the course had no track record (and...
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
why does this corporate email sound like a celebrity divorce announcement
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
"The hearing in his most recent attempt at parole, in 2024, was cut short after it emerged that he had appeared on a podcast, 'The Lighter Side of Serial Killers.'" www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/o...
nytimes.com
Charles Manson’s ‘Right-Hand Man’ Has Died
An ardent follower of the cult leader, he was convicted on two counts of murder in 1972 and spent the rest of his life in prison.
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whet moser @whetmoser.com · 14/09/2026
tired: lean in wired:
an antique book titled "power through repose" by annie payson call
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Is this the first country song about Hans Urs von Balthasar’s concept of hopeful universalism
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Nathan Edwards @grackle.space · 22/09/2025
dudes rock
Tumblr post from every-lemon 
Sep 8

so my spouse is part of a weirdly intense but mostly benign men's workout group that meets at like, 5:30am outside every day, even in winter. they do a lot of burpees and lugging cinder blocks up hills and stuff.
they take turns leading the workouts and tomorrow is his turn. I asked what he was planning. he handed me a sheet of William Carlos William poems from a large stack he'd printed.
I said "what" and he explained, helpfully, "it's a William Carlos William themed workout." I asked what inspired it and he said "l've been planning this for months."
Follow up tumblr post 
every-lemon
Sep 9
it was a smash hit.
a dozen guys showed up (more than usual). spouse brought a red wheelbarrow and they took turns bringing cinder blocks up the hill with it. then they broke up in teams and did a relay with an "icebox" (cooler filled with 40lbs of ice). at the end he opened the cooler to reveal it was full of beach plum lacroix and all the guys cheered. they drank sparkling water as he read 'approach of winter' out loud.
he was home by 6:30am.
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Vince Mancini @vincemancini.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Frank took us on a real roller coaster here
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Dr. Peter Paul Rubens @peterpaulrubens.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The unfettered pleasures of Pieter Bruegel's marvelous Children's Games of 1560: an entire town taken over by children at play. Today is Bruegel's day.
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
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
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Liam Adams @liamsadams.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
“Die AfD ist nachweislich nationalistisch und völkisch eingestellt. Für dieses völkische Gedankengut ist weder in noch außerhalb von Gotteshäusern...” Bishop Heiner Wilmer, Germany’s top Catholic official, rebukes the AfD in a major speech tonight after Sunday’s election.
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
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
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Saw these images circulating last week but did not anticipate the Jonathan Cahn angle: www.tmz.com/2026/09/08/d...
tmz.com
Duct-Taped American Airlines Passenger's Meltdown Triggered by 2-Hour Religious Convo
The American Airlines passenger who became a human duct-tape roll after going berserk on a flight was allegedly triggered by a chat with a rabbi over religion, TMZ has confirmed.
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NANCY COMICS BY ERNIE BUSHMILLER @nancycomics.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Nancy By Ernie Bushmiller Monday, September 07,1953
P1- NANCY AND SLUGGO ARE WALKING DOWNTOWN 
SLUGGO: I HAVE AN IDEA, NANCY 
P2- THEY WALK BEHIND A WOODEN FENCE 
SLUGGO: LET’S STAND BEHIND THIS FENCE 
NANCY: WHY?
P3- SLUGGO: THIS IS LABOR DAY ---
LET'S GIVE THE BOSS AN EASY STRIP TO DRAW
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
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...
nytimes.com
Why the United Methodist Church Is Suing a Thriving Texas Congregation (Gift Article)
The fight reflects a larger American phenomenon: Churchgoers increasingly want decisions to be made at the local level, not by a national denomination.
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
"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...
nytimes.com
Gloria Steinem Stayed Positive, Even as the Manosphere Took Hold (Gift Article)
The feminist icon thought many women would carry on her legacy. But at an unsteady time for feminism, how will the movement carry on?
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
For Friday, a poem from the perspective of Lot's wife, via @lamaterial.com's newsletter: onbeing.org/poetry/of-co...
onbeing.org
“Of Course She Looked Back”
A poem by Natalie Diaz.
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
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...
nytimes.com
In Utah, a Latter-day Saints Temple Opens Its Doors to Nonmembers
A public open house in 2027 will grant nonmembers of the Latter-day Saints rare access to the interior of the iconic Salt Lake Temple.
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Emily Belz @emilybelz.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
This piece by @ruthgraham.bsky.social is v good, tying a lot of threads of American culture together www.nytimes.com/2026/08/30/u...
nytimes.com
Dolly Parton and the ‘Pretty Darn Good’ Southern Church
For many Americans, Ms. Parton represented an idealized style of faith: one centered in small rural congregations that prize community over ideology.
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
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...
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
sad for the lil' businesses I googled one single time and now follow me around the internet like something is going to happen if they just hang around me long enough
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Read this weekend and cannot recommend this highly enough. It's long, read it in the magazine if you can: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
newyorker.com
The Children a Scientist Took Home
Carleton Gajdusek won the Nobel Prize for his work on a disease in Papua New Guinea. But his biggest experiment was on the children he took back to the U.S.
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
It's Sunday morning! Me and @emilyscochrane.bsky.social reporting on Dolly Parton and the "pretty darn good" small church: www.nytimes.com/2026/08/30/u...
nytimes.com
Dolly Parton Was Shaped by a Small Rural Church. They’re Fading Away.
For many Americans, Ms. Parton represented an idealized style of faith: one centered in small rural congregations that prize community over ideology.
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Aryeh @aryehcw.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Props to this guy for getting a pretty good joke into the paper of record www.nytimes.com/2026/08/28/n...
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
was hoping this would involve a time-traveling bullet
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Ryan Boyd @ryanboyd.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
From the twisted mind of John Milton . . .
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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 27/08/2026
A week after Trump's inauguration, faith groups began suing over his immigration policies. They never stopped. In fact, so many faith groups, denominations, and clergy have filed suits (22 so far) that we teamed up with @lawrightsreligion.bsky.social to track them. religionnews.com/2026/08/27/r...
religionnews.com
Religion & Immigration Litigation Tracker
(RNS) The Religion and Immigration Litigation Tracker follows federal lawsuits involving religious groups, individual faith leaders, and the second Trump administration over the administration's immig...
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I'm very touched by this prize-winning essay by a high-school student reflecting on my story about the Artemis mission. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/26/l...
nytimes.com
On Happiness, Politics, Language and the Universe: The Week 10 Winners of Our Summer Reading Contest
As our contest comes to a close, we honor a video and three essays, and hear reflections on this year’s submissions from our judges.
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
“I couldn’t sleep after reading the article. I thought this is a Christian sister who shares our faith and is paying a massive price for this belief." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/25/w...
nytimes.com
Christian Convert Who Fled Iran and Was Ousted From U.S. Finds a New Home
Artemis Ghasemzadeh, who had escaped religious persecution, was deported to Panama under Trump’s immigration crackdown. Now, Canada has given her asylum.
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PRRI @prri.org · 26/08/2026
We're excited to introduce the 2026-2027 PRRI Public Fellows cohort! 🎉 Meet 9 scholars conducting innovative research that explores religion's intersection with pluralism and democracy, immigration and American society, and LGBTQ rights and gender politics.
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
An undercover DHS agent attended a meeting of ICE protesters at a Lutheran church in Feb. "The agent captured the license plates of people there and then compiled dossiers including their names, addresses and information about their families and jobs." www.kosu.org/news/2026-08...
kosu.org
Churches, libraries and breweries: Inside DHS' covert surveillance operation
DHS allegedly went undercover at community meetings, subpoenaed the financial records of labor unions, and created dossiers on people at a church gathering, according to court filings.
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Bradford Pearson @bradfordpearson.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Whenever I’m down I watch this video of Dolly Parton joining Kenny Rogers during their joint 1985 tour. The crowd pop when she comes onstage mid-song is unlike anything I’ve ever heard.
m.youtube.com
We Got Tonight - Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers live 1985
YouTube video by dollyabba
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Adult baptisms in France: 2015-2022: ~4,000 a year 2023: 5,463 2024: 7,135 2025: 10,384 www.ncronline.org/vatican/vati...
ncronline.org
What will Pope Leo tell France's surging Catholic converts?
The pontiff's comments to people preparing for baptism will suggest where he wants to lead the next generation of Catholics and shape their spirituality.
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
"I feel like it’s my way of telling the world that God loves gay. That you’re allowed to be gay and love God ... I just think I haven’t seen that much that shows church and God in a good light." www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
newyorker.com
Meg Stalter Commits to the Bit
The “Hacks” actress and comedian on her red-carpet-outfit stunts, her star turn in “Oh, Mary!,” and why she believes that God loves gays.
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I Travel Like Sound Dog @chadstanton.blacksky.app · 21/08/2026
“Pastor Joubert Adrien left Haiti because his life was in danger, served Christ and his congregation faithfully and his arrest shows how far ICE will stoop to incite panic among people who came here peacefully, came here legally and offered nothing but good to our community,” Ruby said.”
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
I finally saw The Odyssey and I have a religion question: in Nolan's version, do the gods exist? There's clearly supernatural stuff happening, but Athena seems like basically a projection, we never see Zeus, and the idea that O has angered Poseidon reads as the sailors' superstition.
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Jason Kirk @jasonkirk.fyi · 20/08/2026
Antiquing find
Juggalo Jesus painting
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
“There is material poverty, and there is spiritual, intellectual and cultural poverty. ... But explaining that in a place like this is difficult." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/16/w...
nytimes.com
With Priests Scarce in Rural Italy, an African Pastor Is Filling the Void
Immigrants have long eased labor shortages on farms and factories in Italy. But churches also need foreign-born priests, like the Rev. Vincent Souly of the Ivory Coast.
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Everywhere the people are asking, "What has happened to Josh?"
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
New from me and the NYT's Texas team, reporting across the state: www.nytimes.com/2026/08/17/u...
nytimes.com
Islamophobia’s Rise in Texas: ‘I Won’t Rest Until Every Muslim Is Gone’
Muslim communities have been growing for decades, particularly around Dallas. Now, conservatives want to roll up the welcome mat.
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
One thing I've learned traveling this big beautiful country of ours is that 95% of midsize cities have an adequate new-ish restaurant downtown called "Revival"
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
"I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to duplicate myself." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/u...
nytimes.com
When His Church Goes Dark, They Talk to His Digital Twin
To meet the growing needs of his congregation, Justin Lester created an A.I. duplicate of himself. Every day he sees more people using it.
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Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
"I don’t know if it changes my desire to drink their coffee, but it definitely complicates things." forward.com/fast-forward...
forward.com
A Jerusalem cafe became a symbol of secular defiance — until Israelis learned it was run by Jews for Jesus
Hapoel Jerusalem retracted its offer to give Cafe Basimta free advertising
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Rich Raho @richraho.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
A nun who was taken into immigration custody after being arrested while walking to Mass in her habit last month in Texas pleaded Thursday for people to have the chance to be heard before being taken into custody, saying she was speaking out to help others. abcnews.com/US/wireStory...
abcnews.com
Nun who was detained by ICE while walking to Mass in Texas says many are in her situation
A nun who was taken into immigration custody after being arrested while walking to Mass in her habit last month in South Texas says she wants to speak out to help others
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