St. Ambrose’s Advent Hymn

by E. J. Hutchinson

Here is a new English verse translation of one of St. Ambrose's most popular compositions, which takes the Incarnation of the Son of God as its theme. Continue Reading »

13 Dec 2022

Advent Tunes

by The Editors

Here are some Advent tunes that will delight the ears and enhance the soul's joyful anticipation of Christ's coming. Continue Reading »

6 Dec 2022

Sacraments, Hymns, and Baptist Beginnings

by Mark Bauerlein

Michael Haykin joins the podcast to discuss his recent book, Amidst Us Our Beloved Stands: Recovering Sacrament in the Baptist Tradition. Continue Reading »

2 Jun 2022

Thou

by Anthony Esolen

One of the disappointing features of our controversies about biblical translations, the readings in the lectionary, the composition of our hymnals, sacred art in our churches, and gestures and actions in our liturgies, is that people in charge of things seem to be poorly versed in the humanities. . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Nov 2020

The Well-Fought Fight

by George Weigel

Like many other hymns, Ralph Vaughan Williams’s “For All the Saints” is an endangered species today. Continue Reading »

18 Dec 2019

An Anthem for Postliberals

by Peter J. Leithart

Chesterton's “O God of Earth and Altar” condemns the corruptions of money in a market that puts a vulgar price tag on the priceless. Continue Reading »

6 Dec 2019

Cleansed and Conformed to God’s Will

by George Weigel

That the Church needs cleansing is not much in doubt as Advent 2018 dawns. Continue Reading »

28 Nov 2018

Melodies for Advent

by Ramona Tausz

The members of the First Things staff offer a collection of Advent hymns and carols for the final days of this penitential season.  Continue Reading »

20 Dec 2017

Alone in the Garden?

by Richard J. Mouw

On Evangelical hymns: Can I really sing about a relationship with the Lord that is so joyous that no other person has ever experienced it? Doesn’t this go beyond the bounds of hyperbolic spiritual enthusiasm? Continue Reading »

1 Jul 2016

Songs of Exile

by Alexi Sargeant

Where has all the dark Christian music gone? It doesn’t take much listening to notice how blithe and breezy popular Christian music has become. At the data journalism site FiveThirtyEight, Leah Libresco has run the numbers and found that the lyrics of recent Christian hits skew towards life, . . . . Continue Reading »

7 Jun 2016