RealClearReligion Articles

Since the time of Hippocrates (460–370 B.C.), the Father of Medicine, physicians have traditionally subscribed to doing no harm and prescribed what is in the best interest of their individual patients; in other words, putting patients first. This concept is known as individual-based ethics or patient-oriented medical ethics. Today’s bioethics movement, as actively being practiced in Canada, the Netherland, and many other Western countries, and some states in the U.S. on the other hand, subscribes to population-based ethics, in which physicians become obligated to make decisions...

As more Gen Z men explore religion and alternative career paths, while their peers increasingly embrace socialism and communism, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker — May 1st — takes on a new relevance. This convergence of trends presents a timely opportunity for the Church to re-emphasize Joseph, the foster father of Jesus Christ, as a model for young men seeking stability and purpose amid shifting cultural currents. In an April Gallup survey, 42% of American young men say religion is “very important” — which is not only an increase from 28% in 2022-23, but also...

I was scrolling through Apple News before bed when I saw the headline. My body registered it before my mind did: disbelief, then denial. I read the first paragraph and couldn’t read another word. I put my phone down. But I couldn’t let it go. I opened the article again and read every word. Then came the numbingly familiar cycle: betrayal, anger and that weary thought (not another one). One of my favorite Christian authors, whose books shaped my faith as a young believer and guided me for decades, a man I thought was above reproach, had confessed to a years-long affair after 55...

America needs the Bible more than ever. Thankfully, at the Museum of the Bible last week, they had various leaders read through the whole book. Even the president participated. Two months before it happened, I wrote about it, calling it “An Ambitious Bible Reading Plan.” AmericaReadsTheBible.com explains their vision: “In honor of the 250th birthday of the United States, America Reads the Bible serves as a spiritual celebration of our nation’s founding ideals and a call to rediscover the truth that still anchors us today.” Just as in...

A new film opened this month that moved me in ways I did not fully anticipate — and I did not come to it unprepared. I have spent years researching, lecturing, and writing about America’s Christian founding, building the case document by document that the moral framework of this Republic was not incidental to its founding but foundational to it. So when I sat in that theater, I experienced it not as surprise but as recognition — the feeling of watching a storm gather on a horizon you have studied for years. That is what great historical storytelling does. It does not merely...

Are we done bullying nuns yet? Apparently not, as evidenced by a new lawsuit in New York. And it’s not actually “we”; it’s left-wing ideologues doing the bullying. Fresh off spending more than a decade trying to make the Little Sisters of the Poor — an order of nuns that run nursing homes for the destitute poor — pay for things like abortion pills in their healthcare plans, they have turned their attention to a different order of nuns that care for the most vulnerable. This time they’ve trained their eye on the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, New...

Pope Leo XIV said something last month that needs to be heard, examined, and answered honestly. Not politically, but biblically. The first American pope in history stood before tens of thousands in St. Peter's Square and declared that Jesus "does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war." He called for an end to the conflict in Iran. He warned against the weaponization of God's name to justify military campaigns. He cried out for peace. On several of those points, he is right. Completely and without qualification. Let me start there. When political leaders reach for Scripture to...

Catholicism’s rise in America is a reaction to, and a rejection of, the Left’s relativism. Today, self-styled “progressives” are in the vanguard of America’s Left and at the core of progressives’ agenda is a vacuous relativism.  Both ends of America’s political press, the New York Times and Washington Times, recently ran features on Catholicism’s rise in America. Data from 140 of America’s 175 Catholic dioceses showed the number of converts to Catholicism jumped 38% during the last Easter weekend: 139% in...

For more than a century, America’s response to homelessness was rooted in faith. Churches, rescue missions, Catholic Charities, and the Salvation Army fed the hungry, sheltered the vulnerable, and most importantly, walked alongside them toward restoration. They innately understood a fundamental truth: Homelessness is a human transformation challenge requiring recovery, accountability, and the restoration of purpose. Over the past decade, however, policymakers were increasingly steered toward a different conclusion. A one-size-fits-all approach was supposed to end homelessness and...

I was cleaning up the yard on a recent Saturday afternoon. For too long, sticks — snapped during months of rough New England wintry weather — littered the backyard. But that nice early spring day, the time came to roll up my sleeves and avoid being a neighborhood blight. As I bent and burned debris in my fire pit, I listened to the rosary. Though the Joyful Mysteries were prayed, my mind and heart were weighed down by a lack of self-confidence — both in my work and as a soon-to-be husband to my wonderful fiancée. Questions pressed in: How will I provide for our...

It had been over three hours by now. Three hours with the crown of thorns pressed into His head. Three hours with the nails piercing His hands and His feet. Three hours with His raw and bleeding back pressed against a rough, wooden cross. Three hours of anguish and suffering. Now, though, at about three in the afternoon, it was coming to an end. Those who stood within shouting distance of the cross heard the first scream: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” They thought He was calling for divine intervention, a miracle of salvation from God to deliver Him from imminent...

This week Christians around the world of all strands celebrate what we consider some of the most significant events in world history — the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ on behalf of the salvation for those who believe in the Lord. There are many historical reasons to believe in these events, which I’ve addressed in previous columns, such as this and this.  Meanwhile, as a student of American history, I find it fascinating that, for the most part, the vast majority of our nation’s settlers and founding fathers also believed it.  Here are some...

My wife and I are in the process of building a home. As we looked at pictures of the framed walls and concrete floors, we dreamed of how we would furnish the home. How should we orient the couch? Where should we hang the painting we love? I asked AI to generate images of what the unfinished rooms would look like when completed, and my wife made one request: French country style. In mere moments, we could see the soft colors and warm textures of our future living room.  I have used AI to help refine emails, conduct research, or even create a strategy for my fantasy baseball draft. As a...

For many people across the U.S., Easter Sunday means pastel-colored clothes, jelly beans, Cadbury eggs, or marshmallow Peeps. But Easter is far more than a cultural tradition or seasonal celebration. It is a declaration that should actually shape the way we live and has the power to transform lives: He is risen!  That truth, echoed by believers all around the world every Easter Sunday, is the foundation of a faith that calls us not to a life of comfort, but to a life of commitment.  Too often, we treat Christianity as a system designed to make life easier, provide emotional...

Editor’s note: The following commentary is an excerpt from remarks presented before the Presidential Religious Liberty Commission on March 16, 2026, with minor edits made only for readability.I serve as executive director of the Downtown Hope Center in Anchorage, Alaska. Our ministry serves people experiencing homelessness and hardship in our community. Every day, we serve more than 700 people a warm, nutritious lunch. During the day, the Hope Center serves everyone who seeks our services. We offer meals, showers, laundry service, and assistance to rebuild broken lives. We also offer...

When clean water is unavailable, the effects reach far beyond thirst. The consequences touch every part of daily life.  I often think of women like Dafne who, until recently, lived in a village without access to safe water. Her day began long before sunrise. At four in the morning, she would rise from a woven mat on the dirt floor of her small home, wrap her baby in a shawl, and walk with a large empty jar toward a watering hole on the outskirts of her community. Along the path, other women would join her, all hurrying to collect water before the day’s responsibilities...

Recent polling brings to mind ancient scripture: Wealth and religion remain far apart. Alas, it has always been thus. However, it is not the latter that excludes the former, but the other way around. Earlier this month, Gallup released polling showing: “The percentage of Americans who say religion is “very important” in their lives has leveled off below 50% in recent years, including 47% in 2025. The reading has been gradually declining from 58% in 2012 and was as high as 70% to 75% in the 1950s and 1960s.” This sad, low level of belief is even worse in the...

After two boys, I so badly wanted a daughter. The boys were two years apart. Too close, I thought. Maybe we should wait two and a half years before having another child. That would take us to September 1989.  My mom's birthday is the 19th of September, so that would be the perfect day. We had my family over for my mom's birthday in September 1988, so I announced that for my mom's NEXT birthday I would have a baby girl.  Three months later, we had the shock of my sister Lynne passing away unexpectedly. You can imagine what our family went through, I won't go into that, but I didn't...

Here’s a trivia question…Who christened the Titanic? I’ll answer that question later. Interest in the Titanic never seems to abate. My wife and I got to visit an interactive, high-tech exhibit on the Titanic, which included a few artifacts brought up from the bottom of the sea, such as Captain Smith’s binoculars. The website for the exhibit notes: “Titanic: An Immersive Voyage in Florida is an extraordinary expedition that takes you deep into the history of the Titanic. Immersive video animations, and 3D projections allow you...