On this spoiler-filled episode of the First Things Podcast:
Associate editor Julia Yost talks with assistant editor Alexi Sargeant about Silence—the 1966 novel by Shusako Endo, newly adapted as a film by Martin Scorsese. Is the film better than the book? Will it win all the Oscars? Will it convert you to Death of God Theology?
Then, Leah Libresco Sargeant joins for a discussion of Sherlock, the BBC’s update of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Great Detective, returning now for its fourth season. Is the series better or worse now than when it began? Is an iPhone cooler than a pocketwatch? Is Sherlock an addict, or isn’t he? What’s up with the fandom? And what do we want to see in the season finale?
The episode is embedded below. For your long-term convenience, follow us on SoundCloud or subscribe via iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…