Eric Patterson, Ph.D., is President & CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in Washington, DC and scholar-at-large and past dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University. He is also a contributing editor for Providence. His expertise, informed by time at the US Department of State and in the military, is on just war thinking, the nexus of religion and national security, and Christian Realism. He is the author or editor of 22 books, including Just American Wars, Politics in a Religious World, and Ending Wars Well.
This autumn marks the 40th anniversary of Rocky IV, a film that captured the spirit of America’s struggle against communist materialism like no other
Eric PattersonSeptember 30, 2025
Though Truman had a responsibility to avoid harming Japanese civilians, he also had a responsibility for the lives of millions of Americans, Chinese, and others that would be lost if Japan had fought on
Eric PattersonAugust 8, 2025
Before there was the Declaration of Independence in 1776, there was the “Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms” in 1775, which set America on its eventual course for revolution
Eric PattersonJuly 4, 2025
American policymakers must understand that the CCP is truly, and not just superficially, committed to a communist ideology that necessitates overturning the US-led world order
Eric Patterson & Hunter YoonMay 5, 2025
Eric Patterson, president and CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, gave a lecture during Providence‘s Christianity & National…
Eric PattersonFebruary 15, 2025
Introducing “just statecraft,” a new term designed to provoke discussion on the nature of responsible national leadership with reference to principles of just war and just peace
Eric PattersonFebruary 10, 2025
In a 1953 sermon entitled, “Communism’s Challenge to Christianity,” MLK argued that the struggle between Marxist forces and the free world was “one of the most important issues of our day.”
Eric PattersonJanuary 20, 2025
Christian Realism is far preferable to Christian Nationalism for emphasizing individual liberty and rightful patriotism without idolizing the state, an ideology, a party, or a demagogue
Eric PattersonDecember 12, 2024
Each International Religious Freedom Day, we must recall the billions of people who are denied freedom of worship
Eric PattersonOctober 27, 2024
Today, August 23rd, is Black Ribbon day, in remembrance of injustice and to call for our vigilance against similar patterns of state terrorism and ethno-religious oppression
Eric Patterson & Karl AltauAugust 23, 2024