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First Things

First Things

Magazine | United States | Right
www.firstthings.com/

Journal of religion and public life featuring leading scholars on faith, culture, and public policy.

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Discussions
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Articles

Discussions from First Things

Culture

Life Lessons from a Basketball Coach (ft. Rob Jenkins)

In the ​latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Rob Jenkins joins in to discuss his recent memoir, Shooting After Practice: A JUCO Odyssey. The post Life Lessons from a Basketball Coach (ft. Rob Jenkins) appeared first on First Things

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Culture

The Church of David Bowie

David Bowie and the Search for Life, Death and Godby peter ormerodbloomsbury, 256 pages, $28 Thirty-four years ago today, David Bowie knelt on the stage at Wembley Stadium in. The post The Church of David Bowie appeared first on First Things

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Politics

Trump, Leo, and the Death of Integralism

There is a Yiddish witticism, Der Mensch tracht, un Gott lacht (“Man plans, and God laughs”), and recent events suggest the divine has a particularly puckish sense of humor. The post Trump, Leo, and the Death of Integralism appeared first on First Things

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Politics

The Almost-Greatness of Donald Trump and Leo XIV

Reading—for obvious reasons—Henri Daniel-Rops’s The Church in the Dark Ages, I have been repeatedly struck by the truism that moments of institutional crisis demand genuinely great leaders. Movements, forces, trends. The post The Almost-Greatness of Donald Trump and Leo XIV appeared first on First Things

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Culture

A Gracious and Modest Punch to the Gut

For Instanceby rhina p. espaillatwiseblood books, 126 pages, $18 Dominican-American poet and translator Rhina Espaillat, at ninety-four, has spent decades examining life and then, graciously and modestly, punching us. The post A Gracious and Modest Punch to the Gut appeared first on First Things

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Geopolitics

An American Pope at a Time of War

When it comes to papal matters in Rhode Island, I am often interviewed on the local news. Thus, I get my “fifteen minutes of fame” whenever a pope dies. The post An American Pope at a Time of War appeared first on First Things

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Culture

The Return of the Mainline? (ft. Brad East)

In this episode, Brad East joins R. R. Reno on The Editor’s Desk to talk about his recent review, “Mainlining Nostalgia” from the April 2026 issue of the magazine. The post The Return of the Mainline? (ft. Brad East) appeared first on First Things

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Politics

The USCCB’s Just War Error

Just war is again being discussed in the public square by policymakers and prelates alike. Recently, the chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine, Bishop James Massa, made a. The post The USCCB’s Just War Error appeared first on First Things

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Politics

Two Visions of Religious Liberty

As the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Americans are reflecting again on the principles that shaped their political order. The declaration famously appeals. The post Two Visions of Religious Liberty appeared first on First Things

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Culture

Art Criticism for Art’s Sake (ft. Michael Clune)

In the ​latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Michael Clune joins in to discuss his recent novel, Pan. The conversation is embedded below. The post Art Criticism for Art’s Sake (ft. Michael Clune) appeared first on First Things

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Culture

An Open Letter to Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, S.J.

Your Eminence: In an article recently published by a major German Catholic website, you suggested that the question of whether the Church can ordain women has not been definitively. The post An Open Letter to Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, S.J. appeared first on First Things

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