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R.R. Reno is editor of First Things.

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The Christmas Conspiracy

From Web Exclusives

Sometimes Christmas can seem a long way off, even when it’s close. So it was for me when I went to a funeral last Saturday at St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Fifth Avenue. The music was beautiful”a requiem setting by Gabriel Fauré. And the church was warmly populated. That happens when you die in your fifties, a season of life when the living still outnumber the dead… . Continue Reading »

Faith Invisible

From First Thoughts

With year’s end drawing near the editors of the Wall Street Journal ‘s weekend review section asked fifty “friends” to tell us their favorite books of 2012 . We hear from TV personalities, businessmen, writers, politicians, a college president, two baseball managers, three . . . . Continue Reading »

Martinis and Taxes

From Web Exclusives

How do we deal with unsustainable spending and borrowing? The formula is simple: less spending”or more accurately less rapid increases in spending”and more revenue. But can we generate more revenue without suppressing economic growth, which is after all what will allow us to pay for government over the long term? … Continue Reading »

More on Sex, Marriage, and Politics

From First Thoughts

David Blankenhorn and I have had a useful exchange. In his last posting he questioned my argument that judging homosexual acts wrong isn’t akin to the racist view that skin color makes someone inferior : I’m sure that Rusty Reno knows as well as anyone that almost no gay people . . . . Continue Reading »

A 2012 Ranking of Graduate Programs in Theology

From Web Exclusives

Where’s the best place to do graduate study in theology? I’ve done some rankings in the past, first in 2006 and then again in 2009. A longer ranking with a more developed rationale appeared in the pages of First Things in 2010. Some friends prodded me recently: have I changed my mind? Yes and No. My criteria are as follows … Continue Reading »

Marriage, Sex, and Politics

From First Thoughts

A few days ago I wrote a sharply worded attack on Ken Mehlman’s argument that supporting gay marriage is the properly “conservative” position. David Blankenhorn offered some thoughtful reflections about what’s at stake for me (and others). He raises a key question. Can those of us who . . . . Continue Reading »

Rubio’s Creation Controversy

From First Thoughts

Marco Rubio was caught off guard during an interview by Michael Hainey for GQ. He was asked how old he thinks the earth is. His response: I’m not a scientist, man. I can tell you what recorded history says, I can tell you what the Bible says, but I think that’s a dispute amongst . . . . Continue Reading »