Support First Things by turning your adblocker off or by making a  donation. Thanks!

Clint Eastwood’s Law

In the course of his seven-decade career, Clint Eastwood has come to be identified with a single striking proposition. Appearing as a hard-bitten detective, a nondescript pilot, or an aging boxing coach, he advances the claim that upholding a system—legal, mechanical, moral—will . . . . Continue Reading »

Constructing Conservatism

Conservatives rightly recognize that the common good, and thus a coherent politics, requires a shared definition of virtue derived from a shared moral vision and set of values, which in turn must reflect the traditions and character of the nation and its culture. To support human flourishing, that . . . . Continue Reading »

Machine

The American modernist poet E. E. Cummings ended up as a somewhat lonely, politically conservative Unitarian. It happens. He wrote some glittering verses glorying in the natural world and its colored wonders, and would jot down religious thoughts here and there. “May i be i is the only prayer,” . . . . Continue Reading »

Fellow Travelers

Christianity is cropping up in unexpected places. This summer, Jordan Peterson chatted with Elon Musk. In his inimitable way, Peterson digressed into the long-dead religions of Mesopotamia, tying ancient wisdom to brain science. Musk responded with thoughtful comments about the meaning of life. The . . . . Continue Reading »

Guerrilla ­Culture War

About halfway through Frank ­Furedi’s The War Against the Past, the reader is presented with a selection of words deemed unacceptable by the Local Government Association of England in its Inclusive Language Guide. The words include mum, dad, homeless, second . . . . Continue Reading »

Hannah and Her Resisters

One of the greatest beneficiaries of Donald Trump’s 2016 election was Hannah Arendt—or at least, her literary estate. In the first year of Trump’s presidency, sales of ­Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism soared by 1,000 percent. New editions of Arendt’s works appeared, . . . . Continue Reading »

Letters

Thank you for hosting the post-Dobbs symposium (“Pro-Life Politics After Dobbs,” June/July) of observations and suggestions by individuals who have done so much already for the pro-life cause. As I understand their reflections, they mainly lament the lack of effective political . . . . Continue Reading »

Common Sense Tragedy

Every year, in a course I teach on American history, I make my students read J. Gresham Machen. If you want a taste of early-­twentieth-century Protestant ­fundamentalism—and have no patience for stereotypes of red-faced ­Bible thumpers ranting about monkey trials—you could do a lot . . . . Continue Reading »

You Better Believe It

Most of us assume that the core doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation are as settled for the evangelical churches as they have been for the mainstream of orthodox Christianity since the fourth century. But is this a safe assumption? On June 11, the evangelical theologian William Lane Craig . . . . Continue Reading »

The Way Forward After Dobbs

It has been two years since the Supreme Court decided Dobbs v. Jackson, overturning Roe v.Wade. It is worth taking stock of where the pro-life movement finds itself now. Over the past few months, children have been born, and some have celebrated their birthdays, . . . . Continue Reading »

Filter Tag Articles