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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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2.81 score
306
Discussions
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Total Votes
309
Articles

Discussions from First Things

Culture

Reviving Orestes Brownson

Who is worth remembering? Charles Darwin and Karl Marx, though so destructive to Christian thinking, are household names. But Orestes Brownson (1803–1876), America’s most profound Catholic thinker and a. The post Reviving Orestes Brownson appeared first on First Things

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Culture

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place with Wifi

As waiters glide across the room,espresso steams beside my bookon the small, round table.The low purl of conversations eddies around me, though most of usstare down at screens and dreamof. The post A Clean, Well-Lighted Place with Wifi appeared first on First Things

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Politics

Catholic Bishops’ Empty Moralizing

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops made an ill-considered intervention in the legal battle over birthright citizenship. After taking office in 2025, Donald Trump issued an executive order. The post Catholic Bishops’ Empty Moralizing appeared first on First Things

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Culture

Dorothy Day’s Complicated Cause for Sainthood

Twenty-six years ago, John Cardinal O’Connor launched Dorothy Day’s candidacy for sainthood: “It has long been my contention that Dorothy Day is a saint—not a ‘gingerbread’ saint or a. The post Dorothy Day’s Complicated Cause for Sainthood appeared first on First Things

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Politics

What the Wall Street Journal Didn’t Print

On March 21, the Wall Street Journal published a lengthy profile of the pope as its “Saturday Essay.” The subtitle—“Pope Leo XIV pushes back against President Trump. Can the. The post What the Wall Street Journal Didn’t Print appeared first on First Things

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Politics

When Rhetoric Becomes Reckless

Though it seemed to be an opening bid in a negotiation that, mercifully, ended in a provisional ceasefire, President Trump’s Truth Social post on Tuesday morning was a moment. The post When Rhetoric Becomes Reckless appeared first on First Things

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Geopolitics

The Sinew of Diplomacy

This review will appear in the May 2026 issue. Great Power Diplomacy: The Skill of Statecraft from Attila the Hun to Kissingerby a. wess mitchellprinceton university, 352 pages, $35. The post The Sinew of Diplomacy appeared first on First Things

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Culture

Dawn of a New Pre-Christian West

Across the Western world, especially in France, Britain, and the United States, we are seeing a remarkable surge of adult conversions to Christianity, particularly to the Catholic and Orthodox. The post Dawn of a New Pre-Christian West appeared first on First Things

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Geopolitics

Ethics of Rhetoric in Times of War

What we say matters. And the way we say it matters. This is especially true in times of war, when the moral stakes are high. Which is why I’m. The post Ethics of Rhetoric in Times of War appeared first on First Things

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Culture

Looking for the Real Catholic Church in New York City

Young Catholics are on the rise in New York City, according to the Washington Post, the New York Post, and social media influencers who sell the faith with an. The post Looking for the Real Catholic Church in New York City appeared first on First Things

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Culture

The Disappearance of Rational Control (ft. Harvey Mansfield)

In the ​latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Harvey C. Mansfield joins in to discuss his recent book, The Rise and Fall of. The post The Disappearance of Rational Control (ft. Harvey Mansfield) appeared first on First Things

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