RealClearReligion Articles

My adoption story begins as most do: with a woman who finds herself pregnant but not ready to parent or able to bring a child into her family. My birth mother already had four children and made the noble choice to find an adoption attorney, who then connected her with a couple who couldn’t have biological children. The year my adoption took place was 1967, a period when closed adoptions were the norm. I grew up not knowing anything about my birth mother or father — and was even made fun of by some classmates in elementary school for being adopted. Fortunately, my adoptive parents...

America’s spiritual future is at risk. Recent studies conducted by Pew Research Center have concluded that in 2020, 64% of Americans, including children, were Christian. People who are religiously unaffiliated, sometimes called religious “nones,” accounted for 30% of the US population. Other religions accounted for 6%. If this rate continues, it is projected that by the year 2070, Christians will shrink to just above one-third (35%) while “nones” would rise to between 34 and 52% of the population. Additionally, for the first time in American history, young...

Thanksgiving is around the corner. That holiday is an annual reminder of our nation’s Christian roots, our godly heritage. Although Virginia rightfully proclaims that the first Thanksgiving was in Jamestown in 1619, not in Plymouth in 1621, the Plymouth one became the proto-type of our annual celebrations. President Lincoln was the first to declare Thanksgiving as an annual holiday. George Washington was the first president under the Constitution to declare a national day of Thanksgiving. However, Samuel Adams with the help of two other Continental...

Last week, an avowed socialist — Communist, really — won the mayoral seat of America’s number one city, NYC, the home of Wall Street and the largest Jewish population in the world outside Israel. Zohran Mamdani promised a lot of free stuff---although his supporters had to pay for their own drinks at his victory celebration. With the incredibly terrible track record of Communism, how could a free people vote in socialism? Easy. Through ignorance of history, promoted in our schools, our media, our songs, our culture, and sometimes even through the pulpit, primarily...

America, meet Nick Fuentes.  He’s a podcaster and provocateur with millions of followers — mostly young, single men who call themselves “Groypers.” He has expressed pedophilic preferences, declared his love for mass murderers like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, told women that their bodies were “his choice,” and proudly proclaimed that he’s raising an army of cultish followers loyal only to him. Most recently, Fuentes has been the subject of numerous media profiles, including from The New York...

“Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength  . . .” (Psalm 8:2) Our middle child, Paul, married a wonderful young woman, Krystyana, who we were so pleased to welcome into our family. After a couple of years of marriage, they had a baby girl, Jordyn, who will turn six years old later this year and is a never-ending source of fun and joy for my wife and me. We live only about an hour away from Paul and Krys, so we see Jordyn frequently. On several occasions we have had her for a weekend so her parents could have a bit of a vacation from...

As Americans commemorate Veteran’s Day, an important time to be grateful for the military, the sacrifices they make, the protection they provide and the freedom they secure, we cannot neglect the critical role of the man whose Feast Day coincides with this commemoration. St. Martin of Tours (France), the 4th Century Bishop and patron saint of soldiers is celebrated around the world on November 11th, the same day as Armistice Day, that was declared in 1918 to mark the end of World War I and in 1954 became Veterans Day in the U.S.  St. Martin was well known throughout Europe and...

This year, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is taking coaches and athletes through a study of God’s glory and asking them this simple question: “What are you chasing?” One of our key verses is John 1:14, which says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” God has revealed His glory to us in many ways, and John 1:14 speaks to the greatest manifestation of this: the incarnation of His Son, Jesus Christ. Look again at this remarkable...

An article in the Federalist caught my attention recently. It highlights some things in Alaska that are not required to be taught. Such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Christianity. In the Federalist, David Randall points out that political correctness not only infects the social studies standards in Alaska, but in many other states in the nation, such as Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Minnesota. This is endemic, he pens: “Education departments in every state are on radical autopilot when they make social studies standards.” In Alaska, the children are...

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenburg Church, igniting the Protestant Reformation. Luther was not trying to start a political or a spiritual revolution but attempting to begin a conversation about the theological problem of indulgences.  The sale of indulgences in the Roman Catholic Church originated, not as a spiritual matter, but as a civil one. In the Middle Ages, the church was the state, so it not only enforced theological, but civil, standards. Indulgences, then, were first instituted for criminals to pay for offenses against the...

Homelessness has been a daunting problem in the state of California — and in many other states — for decades. Economic hardship and rising housing costs are just two factors that contribute to this crisis.  I am grateful that state leaders — like those in Sacramento who recently proposed the creation of the Sacramento Area Housing and Homelessness Agency — are seeking lasting solutions that give people experiencing homelessness hope and an opportunity for healing.  While these efforts are essential for progress, the truth is that politics and policy alone...

I stood just a few feet from President Trump’s team as thunderous applause and standing ovations erupted again and again during his speech to the Knesset. It was a historic moment, and as Trump spoke, word spread that all the hostages had been released.  From Jerusalem, the President then traveled directly to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to meet with Muslim leaders and the nations of the world. Astonishingly, they united behind his peace plan. There is no question — the war in Gaza is over.  But now comes a different kind of battle, namely, the battle for hearts and...

On October 19, 1781, in a battlefield not too far from Jamestown, America won its independence. The framers of this country said this was by the grace of God. We too should acknowledge the help of God, upon whom our rights are predicated, as the founders spelled out in the Declaration of Independence. In the victory at Yorktown, Virginia, British General Cornwallis surrendered to America’s Commander-in-Chief, George Washington. Two hundred years later, reflecting on this virtually impossible (humanly speaking) achievement. President Ronald Reagan declared: “That...

The passing of Russell M. Nelson at 101 marks the loss of one of America’s most consequential religious leaders — not merely for the 17 million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints he led, but for all who cherish religious freedom, civil dialogue, and the possibility of unity across profound differences. Neither of us are members of President Nelson’s Church. But over the last decade of working beside its members on some of our most contentious national issues, we have come to deeply appreciate a commitment to the common good that President...

At the beginning of October, in the immediate wake of President Russell M. Nelson’s passing, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the “Mormon Church”) held its biannual General Conference: a global gathering where church leaders address members. Two senior leaders focused on “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” a 1995 document has stirred controversy and debate for three decades. While its stance on gender and marriage often dominates discussion (and much of the scholarship), the proclamation’s roots in the 1990s family...

My wife and I had the privilege of attending the memorial service for Dr. James Clayton Dobson, Jr., in the greater Denver area this past Saturday. (He had died August 21.) The audience got to hear just a taste of Dobson’s incredible impact and of his humble, thoughtful, and Christian character. Dobson was a best-selling author with multiple titles of books to help bolster the family. He earned his doctorate in child psychology at UCLA. In his work, he discovered the power of radio and utilized this incredible tool to reach a vast audience. At the height of his broadcast ministry, he...

Last month, as Jews around the world began our observance of the High Holy Days — the most sacred time of the year — we were once again reminded that Jewish life, though flourishing and resilient, exists under constant threat. On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, Hamas released a video of Alon Ohel, one of the 48 hostages still held in captivity. According to his parents, who watched the horrific footage, Alon was frail, frightened, and had lost sight in his right eye. This video, and the many others like it, captures the terror endured every day since October 7,...

Certain religious groups can easily be identified by their distinct attire. However, several decades ago, a cultural shift occurred within some traditionally conservative evangelical groups. In an effort to move away from rigid legalism and place a higher value on faith, strict dress codes were relaxed, and church members were allowed to wear more contemporary clothes in line with fashion trends among the public. As a result, many Christ followers can no longer be identified by the type of clothing they wear and can effectively blend in with society. In his book, “Quest for Piety and...

While history suggests that religious zeal often follows and quickly fades after tragedies like Charlie Kirk’s assassination, prophetic visions from more than four hundred years ago shine a light on the current situation and offer hope for a sustained faith revival. Through a 16th-17th century Ecuadorian nun, Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres, the Virgin Mary — under the title Our Lady of Good Success — reputedly foretold with staggering precision the ominous religious landscape in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. However, an immense loss of faith and practice — a...