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

Chicago’s 500th Murder

From First Thoughts

This is horribly sad. NBC is reporting that Chicago has just recorded its 500th murder in the year 2012. Rahm Emanuel, the mayor, says this is “an unfortunate and tragic milestone.” That, I submit, is an understatement. Why is the country not in an uproar? Why is Chicago not in an . . . . Continue Reading »

What Is Marriage? — the Book

From First Thoughts

Sherif Girgis, Ryan Anderson, and I recently had an op ed piece in the  Wall Street Journal  defendng the idea of marriage as a conjugal union.  Here’s a link . The piece is a kind of precis of our new book  What is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense  (Encounter . . . . Continue Reading »

No Mere Marriage of Convenience: The Unity of Economic and Social Conservatism

From Web Exclusives

On November 6, Democrats and liberals had a good election night; Republicans and conservatives had a bad one. These things happen. It’s certainly true that the Republican Party and its candidates made some serious mistakes and could have done a number of things better than they did; but it would be tragic”and foolish”for the Party or the conservative movement to abandon its principles… . Continue Reading »

Be Citizens, Not Partisans

From First Thoughts

I posted the following comment on my Facebook page.  It’s generated an interesting discussion among my friends, including my wonderful former student, and Notre Dame Law School grad, Michael Fragoso (who does not quite see eye to eye with me on this one): Conservative Friends: I know . . . . Continue Reading »

Britain’s New Religious Genius

From First Thoughts

Last night I had the joy of getting together with my esteemed friend Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, who was at Princeton to give a lecture based on his new book on religion and science. His talk was characteristically brilliant. Religion is ubiquitous in human society, but religious geniuses are . . . . Continue Reading »

Dang Wabbit!

From First Thoughts

Rick Garnett at Mirror of Justice has chosen the right word to describe Adam Gopnik’s comments on abortion: confused. What is striking (and mildly amusing) is that those comments are so poorly informed and intellectually unsophisticated. Now, I’m guessing here, but I suspect that . . . . Continue Reading »

The Catholic Left’s Unfair Attack on Paul Ryan

From Web Exclusives

When my fellow conservatives and Republicans were beating up on President Obama for his “you didn’t build that” remark, representing him as having claimed that business owners didn’t build their own businesses, the government did it, I spoke out in defense of the President. I argued that his artless words should not be seized upon to exaggerate or distort his views on the respective contributions of government and business owners to the success of businesses… . Continue Reading »