Czechoslovakia

Refuge for the Persecuted

May God always protect the prosecuted and the countries that give them asylum.

America’s Eagle Bears Two Talons: John F. Kennedy

President Kennedy understood the need to counter America’s enemies without precipitating WWIII.

Passing the Baton
Passing the Baton

As the generation that grew up in and saw the collapse of the USSR, Generation X is uniquely positioned to lead the US as it drifts into the second Cold War.

Marksism: Memorial Day, Czech Anti-Hatred, Russian Orthodoxy & Just War

Providence editors Mark Tooley and Marc LiVecche discuss Abigail Lindner and Eric Patterson’s article on G.K. Chesterton and war memorials, Lubomir Ondrasek’s piece on Czech leader Vaclav Havel’s warning against hatred, and Lee Trepanier’s counsel for how Russian Orthodoxy, lacking the Just War tradition, can oppose injustice with church teaching on personhood.

Extending Love in Response to Hatred and Humiliation
Extending Love in Response to Hatred and Humiliation

“Truth and love must prevail over lies and hatred!” is how Václav Havel ended his speech to a crowd of freedom-longing people gathered in Prague on December 10, 1989. This statement was one of the slogans of the Velvet Revolution and embodied the overall spirit of this unparalleled historical event.

Choosing Courage at the Time of Cowardice, Opportunism, and Adversity - Václav Havel
Choosing Courage at the Time of Cowardice, Opportunism, and Adversity

The courage of Václav Havel was grounded in a sense of responsibility for promoting ideals and values that transcend material goods, confront human decadence, and endure beyond our earthly existence.

Living in Truth Amid Ideological Falsehood and Political Hypocrisy
Living in Truth Amid Ideological Falsehood and Political Hypocrisy

Living in truth was Václav Havel’s basic answer to the problem of falsehood, one of the defining characteristics of the ideology and regime that ruled Czechoslovakia until 1989.

Václav Havel: A Prophet to America
Václav Havel: A Prophet to America

The prophet Václav Havel wants Americans to know that there is an important connection between remembering God and living in freedom.

Freedom in America: Long Taken for Granted, Now in Need of Defending
Freedom in America: Long Taken for Granted, Now in Need of Defending

Someone like me who once lived in a totalitarian society finds it surprising and troubling that so many American churches have defined their mission as “to work for peace and justice in our world” but have neglected the defense of freedom as an essential part of their public ministry.