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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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Articles

Discussions from First Things

Culture

How Science Killed Materialism

At the beginning of the twentieth century, materialists could feel triumphant. The four preceding centuries had yielded a rich harvest of scientific discoveries that fortified the materialist worldview, drawing. The post How Science Killed Materialism appeared first on First Things

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Culture

When Envy Turns Apocalyptic

Peter Thiel’s recently leaked lectures on the Antichrist—recorded secretly and published last year by The Guardian—reveal a worldview aligned with the apocalyptic anthropology of René Girard, the late theorist of. The post When Envy Turns Apocalyptic appeared first on First Things

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Culture

A Tragi-Comic Masterpiece

When my younger brother, Rick, and I were boys in Pomona, California, our mother and grandmother would tell us now and then about their life in Shanghai in the. The post A Tragi-Comic Masterpiece appeared first on First Things

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Geopolitics

Is Churchill America’s Hero? (ft. Sean McMeekin)

In this episode, Sean McMeekin joins R. R. Reno on The Editor’s Desk to talk about his recent essay, “Goodbye to the Postwar Consensus” from the April 2026 issue. The post Is Churchill America’s Hero? (ft. Sean McMeekin) appeared first on First Things

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Politics

The Trans War Is Not Over

Prior to the November 2024 election, transgender issues loomed large for many parents, who feared the erosion of parental rights regarding their children’s “gender identity.” The phrase “They are. The post The Trans War Is Not Over appeared first on First Things

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Education

The Word Became Flesh and Picked Up a Hammer

A year and a half ago, the College of St. Joseph the Worker, a new Catholic trade college in Steubenville, Ohio, opened its doors to its first students. Our. The post The Word Became Flesh and Picked Up a Hammer appeared first on First Things

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Culture

The Savannah Enlightenment

In 1716, a remarkable commoner by the name of James Oglethorpe took a leave of absence from Corpus Christi College, Oxford. His most notable accomplishment to date—admittedly, he was. The post The Savannah Enlightenment appeared first on First Things

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Geopolitics

Does Just War Doctrine Require Moral Certainty?

Pope Leo XIV has made it clear that the U.S. war on Iran does not, in his judgment, meet the criteria of just war doctrine. Timothy Broglio, archbishop for. The post Does Just War Doctrine Require Moral Certainty? appeared first on First Things

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Culture

“Ecclesiacide,” Then and Now

Pardon the Latin-rooted neologism, but if “patricide” works for murdering your father and “regicide” for taking out a king, why not “ecclesiacide” for trying to kill an entire Church. The post “Ecclesiacide,” Then and Now appeared first on First Things

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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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