The Tragedy and Scandal of Cardinal Law

by Philip Lawler

The death of Cardinal Bernard Law prompts us to ask an old question: Why do good people do bad things?  Continue Reading »

21 Dec 2017 0

Carols and the Christmas Paradox

by Veery Huleatt

The old Christmas carols, by delighting in humble details, capture the paradox of the season: God’s power made incarnate in the womb of a lowly girl. Continue Reading »

21 Dec 2017 0

The Best of Both Sides

by Mark Bauerlein

First Things aims to bring the best of both sides into our pages: the press’s nose for news, plus the scholar’s patient analysis of present realities. Continue Reading »

20 Dec 2017 0

The Roy Moore Postmortem

by John Murdock

When Doug Jones defeated Roy Moore, the pro-life cause took a bullet but dodged a grenade.  Continue Reading »

20 Dec 2017 0

The Sexual Crisis is a Crisis of Character

by Paul C. Vitz

The field of psychology, which once taught us not to value character, is beginning to praise virtues as necessary for the good life. Continue Reading »

20 Dec 2017 0

The Crèche and the Gap

by George Weigel

“Mind the gap”—the ubiquitous instruction found on the London Underground—is also an accurate description of the drama of the Christian life. Continue Reading »

20 Dec 2017 0

Toward Reality-Based Conservatism

by R. R. Reno

Preserving the achievements of our increasingly global system of democratic capitalism requires us to take a long, hard look at its defects.  Continue Reading »

19 Dec 2017 0

The Possibility of a Catholic Social Order

by P. J. Smith

An interview with Peter Kwasniewski, a professor at Wyoming Catholic College and author of A Reader in Catholic Social Teaching. Continue Reading »

18 Dec 2017 0

Missing the Fight on Christmas Day

by Roy Peachey

An Oxford student receives a second education when he spends Christmas at a night shelter for homeless men.  Continue Reading »

18 Dec 2017 0

Our Witness to Freedom

by R. R. Reno

In this environment—one of decadence, paralysis, and blind armies clashing by night—First Things matters more than ever. Continue Reading »

16 Dec 2017 0