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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 from First Things

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

United States
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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

United States
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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

Global
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Politics

The Smoke Clears in Budapest

On Sunday night, after a heated and chaotic election campaign, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party lost in a landslide after sixteen years in power. The. The post The Smoke Clears in Budapest appeared first on First Things

Hungary
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Culture

In Defense of Cultural Christianity

More than two centuries ago, Søren Kierkegaard attacked the established church of his native Denmark. He denounced it for encouraging outward “Christian” behavior rather than authentic belief. People identified. The post In Defense of Cultural Christianity appeared first on First Things

United States
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Politics

New York Is Bullying Nuns Who Care for the Dying

New York governor Kathy Hochul recently made headlines for decriminalizing assisted suicide, claiming as motivation her compassion for the terminally ill. Now her state’s public health agency has targeted. The post New York Is Bullying Nuns Who Care for the Dying appeared first on First Things

United States
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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

United States
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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

United States
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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

United States
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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

United States
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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

United States
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