Foreign Policy & International Relations

Medium •

If Trump Closes a Door, China Will Open a Window

The abrupt closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is one of the most consequential foreign policy moves of Donald Trump’s second term. For decades, USAID has been a cornerstone of American influence abroad, providing food assistance, disaster relief, public health funding, and economic development programs. Now, its operations have ground to a halt, leaving critical projects unfinished and global partners scrambling. The immediate consequences are dire — millions will b...
ERLC •

What the coronavirus reveals about the deeper disease of China’s government

The world is once again gripped in apprehension and fear as a new and previously unknown virus has emerged from China. Much like SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in 2003, the coronavirus seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Unlike SARS, however, the coronavirus is spreading with greater speed and lethality. China was much criticized in 2003 for failing to react in time and failing to take SARS seriously; 17 years later, they appear determined not to repeat those same mistakes with the coro
ERLC •

Why evangelicals must speak up about anti-Semitism : 3 things to understand about the Jewish people

Recently, there have been a string of violent attacks against the Jewish community in America. 2019 saw an almost unprecedented increase in hostility toward American Jewry; from a vandalized synagogue in Beverly Hills and a desecrated cemetery in Nebraska, to a series of knife attacks and shootings in New York and New Jersey. In New York alone, in one week, there were nine acts of violence against Jewish people. Long known as one of the few places where it is OK to be a Jew, America is becoming
Providence •

The Burden of Leadership

A common myth in antiquity is that of Sisyphus. He makes an appearance in classic works by Homer, Ovid, and Plato and in modern poetry by Albert Camus. Sisyphus was the king of Corinth in ancient Greece and was known as much for his achievements as the avarice which followed. Like many who suffer the blessing of success, he attempted to prolong the same by cheating death. While he prevailed in eluding death, he was cursed with an eternal burden. It was the fate of Sisyphus to lift a great stone
Providence •

The Reality of Peace

This article about peace first appeared in the Winter 2019 issue of Providence’s print edition. To read the original in a PDF format, click here. To receive future issues as soon as they’re published, subscribe here. Much of the human experience is consumed in the pursuit of peace. It is a universal human longing. The peace we pursue is not merely the quiet enjoyment of life’s little pleasures, but the restoration of the real life we were created to enjoy. Something in this world is not right.
Providence •

Trump, Kim, and the Challenge of Peace

This week the eyes of the world were again focused on a meeting between the leaders of the United States and North Korea, as President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un convened in Vietnam. This summit is the second such meeting of the two leaders since Donald Trump assumed office in 2017. Both meetings have been described as groundbreaking and momentous by both supporters and opponents of Trump’s foreign policy agenda. While the meetings themselves were rightly described as uni
Providence •

Human Rights in the Balance: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 70 Years On

Seventy years ago today, the United Nations General Assembly in Paris adopted Resolution 217 A. Drafted by eight men and one woman, representing nine countries on five continents, the resolution is more commonly referred to as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). It was a watershed document produced by a war-weary world and aimed to recognize “the inherent dignity” and “equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family” as the “foundation of freedom, justice and peace
Providence •

Only a Matter of Time: Trump on Trade and the Temptation to Disrupt

There can be little doubt that President Donald Trump has appeal. From his electoral victory to his roaring rallies and his social media following, it is an objective fact that a sizable portion of the US population (if even only a minority) finds him appealing. This appeal is often ineffable to his followers and a source of constant frustration to his enemies. His tendency to buck the status quo is often cited by his supporters as a virtue and by his opponents as a vice. Regardless of where one
Providence •

Could Christians Care Less: Are We Indifferent to the Cries of the Faithful?

Across the Western world in the vanishing pews of Europe and the bustling mega-churches of America, there is an epidemic. Its widespread effects can be found among mainline Protestants and charismatic evangelicals, Roman Catholics and Southern Baptists. No one group among the wider Western church seems immune. That epidemic is indifference. More than any other period in the last two thousand years, Christians across the globe are facing persecution. From Africa to the Middle East, India to Sout

Podcasts and Interviews

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Providence •

ProvCast Ep. 40: History, the Holocaust, and the German Problem — A Conversation with Samuel Goldman

Managing Editor Drew Griffin sits down with GWU Professor Samuel Goldman to discuss his piece in Modern Age on Finis Germania, Rolf Peter Seiferle, and the particular difficulty that the Holocaust poses for modern German Identity. Drew Griffin is the managing editor of Providence. Sam Goldman is associate professor of political science at George Washington University.
Providence •

The Rise of China in Latin America — A ProvCast Conversation with Eric Farnsworth

Drew Griffin was managing editor for Providence. He holds a BA in political science from the University of Arkansas and a MDiv in biblical and theological studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a veteran of over a dozen political campaigns and is a featured writer and speaker on the intersection of faith and culture. For three years he served as director of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary extension center in NYC and was a professor of Theology at the New York Sch
Providence •

ProvCast Ep. 38: Remember Syria? The Crisis That Simply Will Not Go Away

Drew Griffin was managing editor for Providence. He holds a BA in political science from the University of Arkansas and a MDiv in biblical and theological studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a veteran of over a dozen political campaigns and is a featured writer and speaker on the intersection of faith and culture. For three years he served as director of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary extension center in NYC and was a professor of Theology at the New York Sch
Providence •

Ep. 48: Religious Persecution against Christians Globally

Drew Griffin was managing editor for Providence. He holds a BA in political science from the University of Arkansas and a MDiv in biblical and theological studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a veteran of over a dozen political campaigns and is a featured writer and speaker on the intersection of faith and culture. For three years he served as director of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary extension center in NYC and was a professor of Theology at the New York Sch