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

Stealing Pears

Iniquity, O Lord, can be delicious:always in season, always tender, sweet,blushing, and aromatic. Not capriciousit always hangs low, begging us to eat.One night, I stripped a neighbor’s tree of pears—not grade A pears, but seconds grown for swine—taking them not because the fruit was . . . . Continue Reading »

A Distinction without Discipline

If Crosby’s reform were enacted, priests would have to judge the souls of their flock. The remarried would be divided into those whose lives have a Dostoevskian tragic resonance, and those who are merely “common adulteresses.” This cruel charade would collapse before it began. Continue Reading »

Devotio Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino once said, “Movies are my religion and God is my patron,” and yet, his movies can hardly be considered religious. Tarantino’s cinematic universe is characterized by unmitigated violence, terror, and a prolific theme of human self-destruction.

Internet Confessional

Bless me, Father, for I have sinned; it has been one day since my last confession.Three times I participated in an argument about trigger warnings. Each time I swore it was my last.Once I replied “lol i’m not mad, it’s just funny to me” Father, I was super mad.I read an article about whether . . . . Continue Reading »

Sex after Sin

I’m still thinking about why Genesis connects sexual desire and procreation only after the first disobedience. Both are mentioned before, but not explicitly connected.There is no question that both belong to the goodness of creation. The divine blessing of procreation (“Be fruitful and . . . . Continue Reading »

Filter Tag Articles