In the editorial with which the premiere issue began, First Things announced its arrival on the American scene—a mix of high principles, editorial prejudices, and an ongoing conversation about God.
“When in the course of human events . . . ” Thus Jefferson and his associates, evincing a “decent respect to the opinions of mankind,” began their explanation of what they were up to. To be sure, launching a new journal is not on a par with launching a new nation. Nor do we have any illusions that the whole of mankind will be paying attention to what we are up to here. But a decent respect for the opinion of those who do notice calls for a word of explanation.
