RealClearReligion Articles
The Transcendent Absence
The resurrection, that cardinal promise upon which Christianity stakes its claim to ultimate meaning, betrays what may constitute the Gospel's most radical theological insight, for when Mark's narrative concludes with women fleeing an empty tomb in wordless terror, offering neither the posthumous appearances that would vindicate faith nor the triumphant reversal that would justify suffering, what emerges from this narrative rupture transcends simple failure: the preservation of a divine love that manifests through absolute withdrawal rather than supernatural intervention, creating within its...
More Than Meets the Eye
The world is more than meets the eye — and so is the Eucharist. Both invite us to wonder and expand our understanding of reality. Yet beyond allegorical similarity, they are metaphysically and intrinsically linked, drawing us into deeper communion and love with God and Creation.
Our senses have limitations. Most would agree with that statement. As Plato argued in The Allegory of the Cave millennia ago, even our perception of reality may not always align with the truth.
Nevertheless, humanity has ceaselessly sought to study, analyze, and comprehend the natural world. And with each...
The Siren Song of Socialism
Picture a seven-year-old girl living under communism in the 1980s. Her dad brings her to a local grocery store in the Ukraine, their home, in the old Soviet Union. He tells her to look around at the store and memorize the scene. This was described to me in a radio interview a few years ago by Marina Medvin, a successful D.C. area attorney and writer for Townhall and Forbes. She was that little girl.
Marina’s father told her, “Make a photograph of this in your mind.” She does. The walls are bare. There are some shelves, but the only food item is on a shelf...
Exodus Decoded
Exodus Decoded, a 2006 History Channel documentary, provides tantalizing and tangible evidence through various disciplines of knowledge confirming that the story of Exodus occurred much as the Bible described it. Separate disciplines — archaeology, anthropology, geology, climatology, and ancient history — provide investigative journalist Simcha Jacobovici with the necessary disparate pieces in weaving the Biblical tapestry, threads that have heretofore been elusive to the historical investigators in completing the enigmatic tapestry of ancient history.
The Hebrew patriarch Jacob...
Let Go and Know that He is God
*Editor's Note: This is taken from “A Minute of Hope: 100 Intentional Prayers for Times of Challenge and Change” by Cristina Baker. Copyright © 2025 by Cristina Baker. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson.
Did you know that the original Hebrew root of “be still” doesn’t mean “be quiet”? It means “let go.”
Let go and know that He is God. There is freedom in a surrendered heart, and through it, God will move in your life in a mighty way and do what only He can do.
I remember a moment in my life where it seemed like the...
The Left’s War on Crisis Pregnancy Centers
In an era that prides itself on “choice,” some choices are apparently more equal than others — at least in the eyes of liberal state governments. Across the country, a coordinated and aggressive assault is underway against crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) — the very institutions that offer women critical resources and information to make informed decisions about unexpected pregnancies. From Vermont to California, Washington State to New Jersey and even right here in Colorado, progressive lawmakers and state attorney generals are weaponizing government power to silence,...
Is College Worth It Today?
Is college worth all the expense and trouble these days? I used to think it was. But look at all the changes for the worse.
So much of what passes for a college education these days is indoctrination in political correctness.
A recent study reported in Newsweek found that one in four Gen Z college graduates regret attending university — all the trouble, all the expense, all the debt. Pew Research Center says Gen Z are those born from 1997 through 2012.
Writing for Newsweek, Suzanne Blake observes: “As artificial intelligence transforms the workplace and student debt balloons, a...
Brain Health Is the Missing Link in America’s Healthcare Crisis
America’s healthcare system is broken. We are the most medicated, overweight, addicted, and depressed society in history — and it’s getting worse. Suicide rates are rising. Chronic illness is exploding. Our kids are anxious, distracted and disconnected.
What’s missing from the national conversation? One word: brain.
Our healthcare system is obsessed with symptoms, but it rarely asks the most important question: Is your brain healthy? That question changes everything. Brain health is the foundation of mental health, physical health, decisions, relationships and success....
The Council of Nicaea and the Great Complication
In the sixteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus of Nazareth asks his disciples “whom do you say that I am?” Almost 300 years later, the West answered at Nicaea that Christ is none other than God begotten of God — “God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God…of one being with the Father.” After that, nothing could ever be the same again. There could be no dimension of human life and activity immune to the ramifications of that confession.
Without going so far as to say that the Council of Nicaea spoke the final word on how we reconcile...
The ‘Naked’ Truth Why Christ Chose to Die For Us
A reflection by Melito of Sardis — a 2nd century bishop and early Church father — on Jesus Christ’s crucifixion offers a shocking revelation Christians often forget: that our Lord, on Good Friday, was “made unrecognizable by his naked body” and “not even allowed a garment to keep him from view.”
As unappealing and undignified as this may sound to our sensibilities, Christ was crucified naked, fully exposed to the elements and onlookers. But his nakedness on the cross not only reflects historical reality, but has intrinsic Biblical...
Grand Duchess Elizabeth: The Light that Overcame the Darkness of Bolshevism
Some souls shine like stars in life — and blaze even more brightly in death, defying the darkness that abhors their light and seeks to extinguish it. And yet the stars, steadfast in their courses, shine on — and the darkness cannot overcome them.
Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna — “Ella” to those who knew her — was one such soul. Once hailed as the most beautiful woman in Europe, she was born a princess of Hesse-Darmstadt and married into the Romanov dynasty at its zenith. But her most extraordinary acts came not in the splendor of court life, but in its...
As Christians, Retirement Shouldn’t Be the Finish Line
In our daily lives, what we do is governed at least in part by goals: Sales or productivity goals, daily goals, project goals, financial goals and career goals. You could probably add to the list. But have you ever thought in terms of life goals, the ultimate goal for your life?
Recently, I viewed a brief video in which a pastor described a meeting with a businessman in his congregation. The businessman planned to leave the church because the pastor had offended him with something said in his sermon. The pastor asked about what had seemed so offensive.
The businessman recalled the pastor had...
Can Christians Make Moral Judgments About Public Behavior? Yes — And They Must
After hearing that Ozzy Osbourne had died — though it turns out reports of his death were, at least for now, greatly exaggerated — I posted a statement I believed to be utterly uncontroversial for any Christian: Unless he placed his faith in Christ, he is not at peace or at rest.
The reaction was, shall we say, instructive.
First came the Satanists, who responded with a level of online eloquence that cannot be quoted in this publication. Their basic message, once the profanity is removed, was: “How dare you say that. This is why we hate religion.” Now, this was...
The Present Father: How to Show Up For Your Kids
Homer Simpson.
George Bluth, Sr.
Michael Corleone.
Darth Vader.
Pop culture is full of examples of dads who, let’s just say, could use a bit of help in the fatherhood department. While it’s easy to laugh at their doh!-level missteps, too many kids could testify that the reality of an unavailable father is no joke.
Being an involved, present father is essential for kids’ well-being and development: “positive father engagement is associated with … higher ratings of self-control and better stress tolerance.” Though far from easy, especially in light of...
Dismantling Judeo-Christian Values, One Case at a Time?
Did the founders of America intend for God to be banished from the public arena?
The idea occurs so regularly in modern times that we tend to think it’s what the founders wanted. For example, recently, a law allowing the posting of the Ten Commandments in Louisiana schools has been blocked as unconstitutional (for the moment) by a court.
Yet one early American politician had the temerity to write and do the following:
1807. He wrote that “the councils of the General Government in their decisions…[were drawn from] the…precepts of the...
Leadership Shouldn’t Be a Grind. Instead, Do This…
I really enjoy golfing, though I’m not very good at it. But even if I were a fantastic golfer, I wouldn’t want to do it professionally. Most of my friends think I’m crazy. “How could you not want to get paid lots of money to play golf on beautiful courses around the world?”
My answer is simple. It would be a grind.
The thought of playing eighteen holes a day, six days a week, and spending additional time at the driving range and the putting green, would get old for me very quickly. The fact is, though I enjoy golfing, I...
The Epstein List and the Certainty of Secret Sins Revealed
People across the political spectrum were outraged this week when President Donald Trump dismissed the importance of the Epstein List. During his campaign, President Trump said, “Yeah, I’d do the Epstein thing. I’d have no problem with it.” Many people voted for President Trump, at least in part, because he promised to release the list. Earlier this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed on Fox News that she was in possession of the Epstein List and was reviewing it. However, this past week when a reporter asked Ms. Bondi about the list, Mr. Trump intervened, shaming...
America’s Patriotism Gap
It’s no news flash that younger Americans today generally tend to be less patriotic than previous generations. But the “patriotism gap” is growing rapidly — and perhaps most concerning is the fact that the gap is most drastic among younger Americans.
Writing for HotAir.com, Ed Morrissey notes: “Pride in America has sunk to its lowest standing ever, mainly led by a collapse among Democrats.”
Indeed, Gallup polls write: “A record-low 58% of U.S. adults say they are ‘extremely’ (41%) or ‘very’ (17%) proud to be an American,...
Voltaire, Catastrophes, and the Problem of Job
On All Saints’ Day, 1755, the city of Lisbon shook, burned, and flooded. A powerful earthquake devastated the capital of Catholic Portugal while worshipers filled churches. Thousands died. Fires raged. The sea swallowed others whole. Across Europe, the tremors were not only geological — they were philosophical.
This tragedy became a turning point for the Enlightenment. Voltaire, the sharp-tongued French writer and critic of organized religion, saw in the Lisbon disaster a clear rebuke to the dominant theology of his day: Leibnizian optimism — the belief that this is...
When Truth Falls: Why The Crisis of Integrity in Public Life?
Recently, Michael Tait — former lead singer of the Newsboys — publicly confessed to a pattern of self-destruction. He stated, “Recent reports of my reckless and destructive behavior, including drug and alcohol abuse and sexual activity are sadly, largely true.” Not long ago, a well-known and respected pastor publicly confessed to grievous sin: betrayal, deception, and moral failure.
Sadly, these stories are not unique. From pulpits to platforms, we’ve watched trusted leaders — pastors, mentors, politicians, media personalities — collapse under the...
