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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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

Mark Tooley: Our first speaker is an old friend, Eric Patterson, who has had a very diverse career. He is…

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

Recommitting Ourselves to the Freedom of Captive Nations

In 1959, Congress designated the third week of July as Captive Nations Week for those suffering under Communism and authoritarianism around the world

Flag Day and Roll Call

On June 14, Washington, D.C. will host the annual Roll Call of Nations wreath-laying ceremony, commemorating those who have been the victims of totalitarian oppression. 

Watching “Leave the World Behind” & Unfairly Maligning Our Military

On Memorial Day, let’s celebrate our military as an institution Americans can still trust