The February Issue

by B. D. McClay

The February issue of First Things has been live for a little bit now, but you might have missed it in all the website changes. But since the February issue is very good, that would be a shame. Continue Reading »

23 Jan 2014 0

Hearing the God of Job

by Carl R. Trueman

David F. Wells’ new book offers those of us who are Christians with a touch of pessimistic absurdism in our souls some provocative thoughts on the future of conservative Protestant Christianity. Continue Reading »

23 Jan 2014 0

The purpose of ecumenism

by Mathew Block

As recent remarks from the head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity make clear, not all is well when it comes to the ecumenical project. To make progress, we need to answer one simple question: What is the purpose of ecumenism? Continue Reading »

23 Jan 2014 0

Leo Strauss and Postmodern Conservatism

by Peter Lawler

One point of distinction of postmodern conservatism is its critical appreciation of the controversial work of Leo Strauss to knowing how to read and think. Continue Reading »

23 Jan 2014 0

First Links — 1.23.14

by Matthew Cantirino

Pagan piety, Buzzfeed bias, and more daily articles of interest. Continue Reading »

23 Jan 2014 0

Child Sacrifice, Ancient and Modern

by Collin Garbarino

We like to think that we’re quite close to the ancient world, that they were really just like us—the truth is, I’m afraid that they really weren’t. Or were they? Continue Reading »

23 Jan 2014 0

An Ethiopian “Catholic” Moment

by Dale M. Coulter

The installation of Hailemariam Desalegn as the prime minister in the fall of 2012 was a “Catholic” moment in the history of Ethiopia, which up to this point had been led by members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. This development may be insightful, not simply as an example of the rise of Protestantism in Ethiopia, but also as a mirror for a kind of political discourse that is both religious and committed to religious freedom. Continue Reading »

23 Jan 2014 0

Jeremy Irons Reads T. S. Eliot

by B. D. McClay

For three more days, courtesy of BBC 4, you can listen to the soothing voice of Jeremy Irons reading T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets. Continue Reading »

22 Jan 2014 0

Eight Lies in President Obama’s Roe Statement

by Matthew Schmitz

President Obama issued a statement today to mark the forty-first anniversary of Roe v. Wade. A mere paragraph long, it contains enough euphemism, evasion, and outright falsehood to serve simultaneously as a model of dissimulation and concision.1. “We” — The statement begins by . . . . Continue Reading »

22 Jan 2014 0

Note on Comments

by B. D. McClay

Hello, good readers of the First Things website. Here is a brief reminder (for those of you who know) and a guide (for those of you who do not). Continue Reading »

22 Jan 2014 0