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First Things

@firstthingsmag

America’s most influential journal of religion & public life.

 New York City
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Joined March 2009
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As artificial intelligence reshapes society, the need for objective moral truths and clear ethical boundaries has never been greater. Read the piece at firstthings.com/contextualit…
A person rides in a convertible car surrounded by a crowd. The image is the cover for an article titled "Contextuality (with Apologies to Irving Berlin)" by George Weigel, featured in "First Things.

ALT A person rides in a convertible car surrounded by a crowd. The image is the cover for an article titled "Contextuality (with Apologies to Irving Berlin)" by George Weigel, featured in "First Things.

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In the ​latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Jason Bedrick joins in to discuss his recent book, The Phoenix Principles: Toward a Rebirth of American Education. To listen to the conversation, visit firstthings.com/the-rebirth-…
Cover of "First Things" titled "The Rebirth of National Education" with an image of an empty classroom featuring wooden desks and chairs.

ALT Cover of "First Things" titled "The Rebirth of National Education" with an image of an empty classroom featuring wooden desks and chairs.

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On Sunday, Trump seemed torn between heathen instinct and Christian conscience, as though he were re-enacting in Trumpian form the drama of Augustine’s "Confessions." To read the piece, visit firstthings.com/can-trump-fo…
The image shows the cover of First Things magazine featuring the headline "Can Trump Forgive?" by Dan Hitchens. Below the text, a person stands in front of a helicopter with visible partial text "United States of America.

ALT The image shows the cover of First Things magazine featuring the headline "Can Trump Forgive?" by Dan Hitchens. Below the text, a person stands in front of a helicopter with visible partial text "United States of America.

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Joyce Carol Oates’s attack on Flannery O’Connor’s Catholic faith reveals more about our age’s intolerance of conviction than it does about O’Connor herself. Read the piece at firstthings.com/oates-vs-oco…
A painting of a countryside scene featuring a house with trees and hills in the background, under a partly cloudy sky. The text reads "First Things" at the top and "Oates vs. O'Connor" with "Cassandra Nelson" at the bottom.

ALT A painting of a countryside scene featuring a house with trees and hills in the background, under a partly cloudy sky. The text reads "First Things" at the top and "Oates vs. O'Connor" with "Cassandra Nelson" at the bottom.

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At Calvin University’s Wisdom in the Age of AI conference, a room of about seventy Christian scholars was asked who keeps AI out of their writing. Only seven hands went up. Read the piece at firstthings.com/wisdom-in-th…
Cover of "First Things" magazine featuring the title "Wisdom in the Age of AI" by James S. Spiegel. The background is a detailed historical painting of a bustling, multi-level stone structure with small buildings and people.

ALT Cover of "First Things" magazine featuring the title "Wisdom in the Age of AI" by James S. Spiegel. The background is a detailed historical painting of a bustling, multi-level stone structure with small buildings and people.

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Randy Boyagoda’s “Lords of Serendipity” tears down the fantasy behind so much campus fiction. firstthings.com/the-campus-n…
Cover of "The Campus Novel to End All Campus Novels" by M. Ciftci, featuring a watercolor illustration of a modern campus with abstract buildings and trees under a light blue sky. Text "First Things" is at the top.

ALT Cover of "The Campus Novel to End All Campus Novels" by M. Ciftci, featuring a watercolor illustration of a modern campus with abstract buildings and trees under a light blue sky. Text "First Things" is at the top.

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Gio Pennacchietti joins the hosts to discuss liminality. What is it? Where did it come from? Why is it scary? What does it tell us about Gen Z and America? Listen to the conversation at firstthings.com/what-is-limi…
Red background with the text "FIRST THINGS" at the top followed by "What Is Liminality? (ft. Gio Pennacchietti)" in large font. Below, the text "SECRET THIRD THING" is above an image of an empty hallway with scattered furniture.

ALT Red background with the text "FIRST THINGS" at the top followed by "What Is Liminality? (ft. Gio Pennacchietti)" in large font. Below, the text "SECRET THIRD THING" is above an image of an empty hallway with scattered furniture.

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Pro-lifers stand ready to enter the AI debate and make the case for human dignity. Read the piece at firstthings.com/its-time-for…
A group of people stand behind a long banner during a rally, wearing brightly colored hats. The banner is not fully visible. The cover text reads, "It's Time for Pro-Lifers to Engage the AI Revolution" by Charles C. Camosy. The title "FIRST THINGS" is at the top.

ALT A group of people stand behind a long banner during a rally, wearing brightly colored hats. The banner is not fully visible. The cover text reads, "It's Time for Pro-Lifers to Engage the AI Revolution" by Charles C. Camosy. The title "FIRST THINGS" is at the top.

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The mythical intermingles with the natural in that most glorious game, baseball. To read the piece visit firstthings.com/nostos-in-th…
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On this episode of the First Things Podcast, the editors discuss the blue wave in the midterm elections, the 39th Annual Erasmus Lecture, and Bob Dylan’s audience with Pope Leo XIV. To listen to the conversation, visit firstthings.com/tangled-up-i…
A podcast cover titled "Tangled Up In Blue" for the "First Things Podcast." It features three individuals: one in business attire, another in a dark suit with an American flag pin, and the last in a black jacket and hood.

ALT A podcast cover titled "Tangled Up In Blue" for the "First Things Podcast." It features three individuals: one in business attire, another in a dark suit with an American flag pin, and the last in a black jacket and hood.

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Republicans can’t win with pro-life voters alone, but they also can’t win without them. Read the piece at firstthings.com/the-pro-life…
The image shows the cover of "First Things" magazine featuring the headline "The Pro-Life Movement's Midterm Reckoning" by Jonathon Van Maren. Below the headline, there are two voting booths with American flags and the word "VOTE" displayed on them. The background is dark red.

ALT The image shows the cover of "First Things" magazine featuring the headline "The Pro-Life Movement's Midterm Reckoning" by Jonathon Van Maren. Below the headline, there are two voting booths with American flags and the word "VOTE" displayed on them. The background is dark red.

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Nathaniel A. Sanders reflects on the growing number of students entering the Catholic Church at Harvard and other universities, exploring the spiritual and cultural factors behind this unexpected revival. firstthings.com/harvards-qui…
Harvard’s Quiet Catholic Revival - First Things

Harvard’s Quiet Catholic Revival - First Things

It is entirely reasonable that rising conversion among young people to the Catholic Church has happened outside of her most prominent universities. Apart from a select few whose students...

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R. R. Reno examines the midterm elections as a sign of voters’ growing frustration with America’s political establishment and its failure to deliver meaningful change. Reflecting on the shortcomings of the Trump administration and the unfulfilled promises of MAGA, the piece considers the prospect of a new era of regime change and the challenge facing conservatives to articulate a transformative political vision of their own. To read the piece, visit firstthings.com/voters-want-…
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Algis Valiunas revisits Francis Bacon’s vision of scientific progress as a means of extending divine mercy and relieving human suffering. Tracing the legacy of Bacon’s ambitions into modernity, the piece examines the moral dangers of human efforts to overcome the limits of the created world, especially when the pursuit of compassion and human betterment comes at the expense of divine authority. To read the piece, visit firstthings.com/francis-baco…
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George Weigel reflects on Jimmy Lai’s imprisonment in Hong Kong and the remarkable faith with which he and his family endure suffering. Drawing on the early Christian understanding of “white martyrdom,” Weigel considers the Lai family’s witness through sacrifice, steadfastness, and prayer, and calls for solidarity with them as they face the hardships of Lai’s continued imprisonment and his daughter’s illness. To read the piece, visit firstthings.com/white-martyr…
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Stephen Daisley examines the decline of Catholicism in Glasgow, where falling Mass attendance and a shortage of priests have prompted plans to close half the archdiocese’s parishes. The piece explores the cultural and spiritual causes of this decline, arguing that the future of Catholicism depends on renewed devotion, faithful families, and a deeper commitment to the life of the Church. To read the piece, visit firstthings.com/the-death-of…
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Dale M. Coulter examines the dispute between Highland Park Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church’s Horizon Texas Conference, highlighting the growing tensions between denominational authority and the independence of powerful megachurches. Drawing on the church’s efforts to secure its property and autonomy amid the UMC’s recent schisms, the article explores the changing landscape of American Protestantism and warns bishops against underestimating the influence of large congregations in an increasingly postdenominational age. To read the piece, visit firstthings.com/a-cautionary…
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In the ​latest installment of Conversations, Paul Carrese joins Mark Bauerlein to discuss his recent book, "Teaching America." To listen to the conversation, visit firstthings.com/civics-educa…
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Robert Royal surveys the global persecution of Christians, drawing on a new report from Aid to the Church in Need to document violence and repression across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. From Islamist militants to communist regimes and authoritarian governments, the piece details the widespread threats facing Christian communities and the need for greater public attention and action in defense of religious freedom. To read the piece, visit firstthings.com/todays-globa…
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Mark Bauerlein surveys five books that illuminate the lives, ideas, and convictions of influential figures. From Hannah Arendt’s sustaining friendships and Paul Gottfried’s independent cultural criticism to Charlie Kirk’s public legacy, Fulton Sheen’s reflections on love, and David Sawatzki’s testimony of faith under oppression, these works show how biography and personal witness can offer moral insight into the times we inhabit. To read the piece, visit firstthings.com/earnest-live…
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