Aug/Sept 2026
America’s Most Influential Journal of Religion and Public Life
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Letters—August/September 2026
My first thought on “Boomer–Zoomer Housing War” by Carmel Richardson was the title; my second thought after…
Left to Our Own Devices
Hiding in most of our pockets is a shiny black mirror with a logo on the back…
The Founders and the Common Good
The dominant public philosophy among American elites is modern liberalism, often referred to merely as “liberalism.” Two…
The Pope and the Antichrist
I recently lectured in Rome on the topic of the Antichrist. The Antichrist interests me for several reasons,…
Where America Is
The United States of America dates her birth in accord with a foundational document, the Declaration of…
Holding Things Together
So many streets around me are ugly. I do a lot of walking and jogging. I notice…
Ban the Books
Walk into a bookstore anywhere in the country. Chances are that, somewhere toward the front, you’ll see…
The Scandal of Jewish Belief
The Gospel of Matthew ends with this promise of Jesus to his disciples: “Behold, I am with…
The Sudden Death of the African Church
Total civilizational collapse is unusual. In the West, continuity exists between the Roman past and our contemporary…
Anti-Wokeness: An Obituary
During Barack Obama’s presidency, several political movements arose that were to define America long after he had…
To Live Fittingly
Why do the humanities face such a hostile climate? In part it’s because academics have excluded ordinary,…
Mad as Hell
In a simpler time, the internet was full of cats. Flooding message boards and YouTube with images…
Breaking the Mind
Philosopher James K. A. Smith suffered through a period of profound depression. He found solace and insight…
The Enemy Within
The Information State is one of the most important books of the twenty-first century. In a virtuoso…
Judaism Outside History
Jews familiar with Franz Rosenzweig (1886–1929) probably know him first as a hero, only then as a…
Briefly Noted
Modest is hottest, or so we’ve been told. In her first book, Anna Kalinowska rejects this school…
Putting World War II Behind Us
In “The End of the Age of Hitler” (November 2024), Alec Ryrie observes that, as secularism advanced…
Zemmour’s Challenging Voice
On June 10, First Things was delighted to host Éric Zemmour for an evening at our office.…
While We’re At It
In my meditation on the legacy of World War II above, I conclude with an observation about…
The Seduction of Simulation
Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on technology and the human person, Magnifica Humanitas, offers a measured assessment of…
Asters
The asters bloom amid late-summer heat,Low-lying stars that will not linger longAnd bend their sprays beneath the…
Early Arrival
Last year we laid squares of sodDown in our bare yard. At first,Pale, slender spears grew tall…
Centaur
The Etruscan centaur holds up his right hand,not palm outward as if to stop chariot trafficor solemnly…
A Celtic Skull in the Museum at La Tène
Two-thousand years and more untouched I burnedIn soil’s slow fire. On the beachAbove, ringed by thin, withered…
