Public Life
A selection of recent articles on this topic
The Virtue of Solidarity
Earlier this month, I participated in the First Things Intellectual Retreat on Solidarity. The retreat—seminars, lectures, and panels…
OnlyFans and the Sexual Revolution
A few years ago I read a fascinating report from a journalist who had attended an “Adult Entertainment…
The Impossible Goal of “COVID Zero”
In 1901, Australia’s six colonies united in a single Commonwealth, marking the emergence of a new country…
A Church in Mission or a Church in Meetings?
On the Solemnity of Christ the King in 2013, Pope Francis completed the work of the 2012…
Don’t Rejoice in the Collapse of Cultural Christianity
Cultural Christianity in America is dying. The signs are everywhere: Blue laws have disappeared, pornography pervades our…
An American Epic
The latest installment of an ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein. Mark Edmundson joins the podcast to…
The Church is a Free Speech Movement
As soon as it begins, the apostolic mission in Jerusalem meets opposition. It’s no wonder. The apostles…
A Cult of Elites
The latest installment of an ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein. Bruce Abramson joins the podcast…
The Plot Thickens
Fifty-plus years ago, when the vogue for “narratology” was at its peak, Roland Barthes published a book…
Reclaiming, Not Despairing
The latest installment of an ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein. First Things editor R. R. Reno…
The 2021 Summer Reading List
Liberation from lockdowns and quarantines ought not be liberation from serious reading, opportunities for which being one…
Facing the Real
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I came to appreciate even more the outdoor education I received at Wyoming…
Benedict and the Tempest of History
When Joseph Ratzinger was drafted into the Nazi armed forces, his commanding officer asked him what he…
A Solid Foundation
I came to First Things seven years ago, before Michael Brown, Trump on the escalator, the “deplorables,” Jussie,…
Female Texts
A Ghost in the Throat by doireann ni ghriofa biblioasis, 224 pages, $24.53 THIS IS A FEMALE…