Slate has published its list of the 60 Biggest Charitable Donors of this past year.
You know who’s missing? You don’t know their names. Neither do I. But I bet if you picked the average congregant from the average African-American storefront church, that person probably gives as much if not more in terms of percentage of income or net worth every year than most of the people on this list. But because the dollar figures are so small relative to the numbers listed here, the generosity of those churchgoers remains known only to God. (Which is probably as it should be.)
That is not to underestimate the great good that can be done with the huge numbers that make lists like these. But those sums shouldn’t be read as the sum total of the generosity ledger sheet in America . . .
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.
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