Eric Patterson

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.

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Rocky IV: The Quintessential Cold War Sports Movie at 40

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

For Whom was Harry Truman Responsible in August, 1945?

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

Our Cause is Just and Our Union is Perfect: Recognizing the 250th Anniversary of the Other Declaration

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

Americans Must Understand the CCP’s Ideologically Driven Mission 

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 Christianity & National Security 2024

Eric Patterson, president and CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, gave a lecture during Providence‘s Christianity & National…

Just Statecraft: A Proposal

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

MLK Understood the Threat of Communism

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.”

Christian Realism, Nationalism(s), and Religious Freedom

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

The Importance of International Religious Freedom Day

Each International Religious Freedom Day, we must recall the billions of people who are denied freedom of worship

Remembering Black Ribbon Day

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