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First Things

First Things is an American journal of religion and public life published ten times a year by the Institute on Religion and Public Life, an interreligious organization dedicated to strengthening religious communities and amplifying faith-informed perspectives in civic discourse.^[1]^[2] Founded in March 1990 by Richard John Neuhaus, a Lutheran minister who converted to Catholicism and became a priest, the journal aims to advance a religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society, countering secular ideologies that marginalize religious voices.^[1]^[3] Under Neuhaus's editorship until his death in 2009, First Things established itself as a leading forum for orthodox Christian intellectuals, fostering ecumenical efforts such as Evangelicals and Catholics Together and hosting events like the Erasmus Lecture to explore theology, liturgy, morality, and church-state relations.^[1]^[4] Subsequent editor R. R. Reno has continued this tradition, emphasizing submission to religious authority amid cultural shifts, while the publication critiques modern bioethics, nationalism, and political ideologies from a faith-based viewpoint.^[5]^[6] The journal has garnered influence among religious conservatives and leaders, with a circulation of nearly thirty thousand subscribers, though it has faced internal debates over its editorial direction, including tensions between neoconservative roots and emerging nationalist sentiments.^[2]^[7] Its commitment to prioritizing religion in public life distinguishes it as a counterweight to secular progressivism, prioritizing empirical fidelity to doctrinal truths over accommodationist trends in academia and media.^[1]^[8]

Founding and Early History

Establishment of the Institute and Journal

The Institute on Religion and Public Life was founded in 1989 by Richard John Neuhaus, a Lutheran pastor who later became a Catholic priest, as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing a public philosophy informed by religious convictions on matters of culture, politics, and society.^[1] The institute sought to challenge the marginalization of faith in public deliberation, emphasizing religion's role in sustaining democratic freedoms and countering secular ideologies that neglected transcendent moral foundations.^[9] First Things, the institute's primary publication, launched its inaugural issue in March 1990 as a bimonthly print journal issued ten times per year, targeting an audience of religious believers, scholars, intellectuals, clergy, and policymakers engaged in public life.^[1] The journal provided a forum for rigorous debate on the interplay of religion and contemporary issues, prioritizing primary questions of ultimate truth over secondary policy disputes.^[9] Neuhaus articulated the enterprise's core motivation in the founding editorial "Putting First Things First," arguing that biblical religion must guide public philosophy to avert cultural nihilism and relativism, while relativizing politics rather than allowing secular monism to subordinate faith.^[9] This vision integrated post-Vatican II Catholic insights—such as Augustine's distinction between the City of God and the City of Man—with neoconservative critiques of liberalism, aiming to restore religion's rightful influence in democratic governance without conflating spiritual and temporal authority.^[9]

Initial Focus and Launch (1990)

The inaugural issue of First Things appeared in March 1990, edited by Richard John Neuhaus, who outlined in the founding editorial “Putting First Things First” a dedication to fostering a public philosophy grounded in religious conviction amid encroaching secularism.^[1] This launch positioned the bimonthly print journal as a forum for rigorous debate on how Judeo-Christian traditions could inform civil discourse, particularly in response to cultural upheavals like the expansion of legalized abortion following Roe v. Wade and challenges to religious institutions' autonomy.^[1] Early issues spotlighted moral absolutes, including opposition to abortion as a violation of human dignity and defenses of religious liberty against state encroachments, while examining the distinct yet complementary roles of Judaism, Catholicism, and Protestantism in sustaining American exceptionalism rooted in biblical ethics.^[10] For example, the debut number included Protestant reflections on Catholicism's doctrinal authority as essential for countering liberal Protestant accommodation to modernity.^[10] Neuhaus, drawing from his Lutheran background and recent conversion to Catholicism, curated content that critiqued theological liberalism's erosion of orthodoxy, prioritizing first-order questions of truth over partisan expediency.^[11] A pivotal early initiative was the May 1994 publication of the “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” statement, drafted by Neuhaus alongside evangelical leader Charles Colson after consultations beginning in 1992, which affirmed shared commitments to scriptural authority, the sanctity of life, and resistance to relativism as a basis for joint witness in public square.^[12] This ecumenical effort bridged historic divides between evangelicals and Catholics, urging collaboration on issues like abortion and family integrity without compromising confessional distinctives, thereby countering fragmented religious responses to 1990s cultural fragmentation. Initially print-only, First Things cultivated readership through dense, essay-driven analysis appealing to intellectuals rather than mass audiences, steadily gaining traction among conservative clergy, scholars, and policymakers by the mid-1990s via substantive engagement over sensationalism.^[13]

Editorial Leadership and Evolution

Richard John Neuhaus Era (1990–2009)

Under Richard John Neuhaus's editorship from its founding in 1990 until his death on January 8, 2009, First Things established itself as a leading forum for orthodox religious perspectives in American public discourse, emphasizing the integration of faith-based reasoning into debates on law, culture, and politics.^[14] ^[15] Neuhaus, a former Lutheran pastor who converted to Catholicism and was ordained a priest in 1991, shaped the journal's commitment to defending traditional moral norms against secular encroachments, drawing on Judeo-Christian principles to argue that religion provides essential grounding for democratic self-government.^[4] The publication prioritized incisive essays that challenged the privatization of faith, positioning it as a counterweight to what Neuhaus termed the "naked public square"—a domain stripped of transcendent moral reference points.^[16] A hallmark of the era was the journal's unyielding advocacy for the pro-life cause, rooted in the conviction that unborn human life possesses inherent dignity warranting legal protection, coupled with pointed critiques of judicial decisions that Neuhaus and contributors viewed as overriding democratic processes on abortion and related issues. This culminated in the November 1996 symposium "The End of Democracy? The Judicial Usurpation of Politics," which featured essays by scholars like Robert H. Bork arguing that unelected judges had effectively supplanted legislative authority in imposing moral relativism on areas such as euthanasia, homosexuality, and school prayer, thereby eroding popular sovereignty.^[17] ^[18] The symposium provoked widespread controversy, with detractors accusing it of undermining democratic legitimacy, yet it underscored First Things' role in highlighting how court rulings, such as Roe v. Wade (1973), had entrenched policies at odds with majority religious convictions without electoral accountability.^[19] The journal expanded its scope to bioethics and church-state relations, addressing emerging challenges like embryonic stem cell research and end-of-life protocols through religiously informed analyses that prioritized human dignity over utilitarian calculations. Articles critiqued the commodification of life in biotechnological advances, warning that procedural bioethics often masked deeper ethical evasions.^[20] On church-state matters, First Things advocated a balanced separation that permitted religious arguments in policy without establishing any faith, rejecting both fundamentalist theocracy and rigid secularism. Following the September 11, 2001, attacks, Neuhaus's editorial "September 11–Before and After" framed the events as a clash exposing vulnerabilities in Western cultural self-confidence, urging a recovery of Judeo-Christian foundations to confront radical ideologies and postmodern relativism that undermined resolve against nihilistic threats.^[21] Neuhaus's tenure elevated religious orthodoxy's visibility in elite circles, influencing policymakers—including advising President George W. Bush on Catholic social doctrine—and academics by demonstrating that faith-derived arguments could rigorously engage secular rationalism, fostering ecumenical coalitions among Catholics, evangelicals, and Jews on shared moral imperatives.^[22] This intellectual rigor helped First Things cultivate a network of contributors who advanced first-principles defenses of life, liberty, and truth, countering cultural drifts toward subjectivism and establishing the journal as an enduring bulwark for religiously shaped public philosophy.^[19]

Transition and R.R. Reno's Editorship (2009–Present)

Following the death of founding editor Richard John Neuhaus on January 8, 2009, First Things operated under interim leadership provided by the Institute on Religion and Public Life's board and senior contributors, ensuring continuity in publication during a two-year transitional period marked by financial and editorial challenges.^[23] In a statement dated early 2011, the board announced the appointment of R. R. Reno, a former professor of theology at Creighton University and longtime contributor to the journal, as editor effective April 1, 2011.^[24] Reno's selection emphasized preserving Neuhaus's vision of a religiously informed public discourse while adapting to contemporary cultural shifts, with Reno articulating in his inaugural editorial a commitment to orthodoxy amid secular pressures.^[5] Under Reno's editorship, First Things has sustained its print format of 10 issues per year, combining bimonthly double issues with occasional single releases, alongside a marked expansion in digital platforms including the website, subscriber newsletters, and podcasts to broaden accessibility.^[1] This dual approach has facilitated greater online engagement, with the journal hosting events such as seminars and the annual Erasmus Lecture series to foster intellectual dialogue. Reno has steered editorial content toward intensified scrutiny of globalist policies and endorsement of national conservatism, exemplified by his 2025 address at a National Conservatism conference advocating "technological nationalism" to prioritize domestic sovereignty over international technocratic frameworks.^[25]^[7] The COVID-19 pandemic prompted pointed interventions from Reno, including a March 2020 editorial, "Say No to Death's Dominion," which critiqued public health measures for subordinating religious practice to precautionary fears, arguing that indefinite closures of churches eroded communal rituals essential to human flourishing and religious liberty while essential secular activities continued. Subsequent "Coronavirus Diary" entries documented Reno's personal experience with the virus and broader societal responses, highlighting tensions between state mandates and ecclesiastical authority.^[26] By 2024, these adaptations have correlated with heightened visibility, as reflected in lists of top-read online articles and sustained subscriber growth through digital initiatives, positioning the journal as a countervoice to progressive cultural dominance in public policy debates.^[27]^[28]

Mission and Philosophical Foundations

Core Principles of Religiously Informed Public Philosophy

The mission of First Things centers on advancing a religiously informed public philosophy aimed at the proper ordering of society, positing that transcendent moral truths derived from religious traditions are indispensable for sustaining civic cohesion and human flourishing.^[1] This approach draws upon natural law traditions, which identify inherent ethical imperatives accessible through reason yet rooted in divine order, as essential for preserving social bonds and guarding freedoms against nihilistic tendencies.^[29] Historical precedents, such as the American founding's reliance on Judeo-Christian moral frameworks—including concepts of human dignity, covenantal governance, and limited authority informed by biblical principles—underscore this view, providing a foundation for republican self-government that presupposes accountability to higher norms rather than mere procedural liberalism.^[30]^[31] Central to this philosophy is the rejection of models that privatize faith, confining religion to personal spheres and excluding it from public deliberation, which First Things contends fosters moral relativism and erodes communal stability.^[8] Such privatization, epitomized in the "naked public square," severs policy from objective moral anchors, causally contributing to observable societal disintegration, including elevated rates of family dissolution—where religious practice demonstrably mitigates marital breakdown and associated harms like addiction and poverty.^[32]^[33] Empirical trends reveal correlations between rising secularism and declining institutional trust, as the absence of shared transcendent values undermines the civic virtues necessary for mutual reliance and governance.^[33] Prioritizing truth over pragmatic consensus, First Things elevates orthodox commitments across religious traditions—particularly Judeo-Christian and robust ecumenical forms—as bulwarks against utilitarian ethics that reduce human ends to subjective preferences or aggregate utilities.^[34] This insistence on the unity of truth, discernible through faith informed by reason, counters relativist drift by fostering virtues like justice and solidarity, which empirical declines in religious adherence have paralleled with weakened social fabrics.^[35]^[33] In doing so, it advocates for public discourse where religious arguments contend openly, resisting accommodations that dilute doctrinal integrity in favor of attenuated pluralism.^[36]

Critique of Secularism and Theological Liberalism

First Things maintains that secularism, far from providing a neutral framework for public life, imposes an ideological orthodoxy that erodes social cohesion by suppressing religiously informed moral reasoning. Contributors argue that this exclusion creates a "naked public square" where secular paradigms fail to address fundamental human needs for transcendence and purpose, leading to empirical breakdowns such as declining social trust and family stability in highly secularized societies.^[36]^[37] For instance, Richard John Neuhaus, the journal's founder, critiqued secularism's privatization of religion as self-undermining, asserting that it replaces substantive ethical deliberation with procedural liberalism incapable of sustaining civil society over time.^[38] This perspective draws on causal links between secular dominance and observable policy failures, including the normalization of practices like euthanasia, which undermine commitments to human dignity rooted in religious anthropology.^[39] The journal further contends that theological liberalism within Christianity exacerbates these issues by accommodating secular modernity at the expense of doctrinal fidelity, resulting in institutional decay. Mainline Protestant denominations, which embraced liberal shifts on issues like scriptural authority and sexual ethics since the mid-20th century, have experienced sharp membership declines; for example, their collective U.S. adherents fell from approximately 31 million in 1965 to under 14 million by 2020, even as the national population doubled.^[40]^[41] First Things attributes this not to broader secularization but to internal erosion, where theological concessions—such as reinterpreting core tenets to align with contemporary cultural norms—dilute evangelistic appeal and retention, contrasting with the relative stability of doctrinally orthodox groups.^[42]^[43] Under editor R.R. Reno, the publication has extended this analysis to highlight inconsistencies in secular-liberal advocacy, such as defending bodily autonomy in abortion debates while endorsing interventions like gender-transition procedures that alter physical integrity, revealing a departure from first-principles coherence.^[44] In response to prevailing narratives that dismiss religious claims as irrational—often amplified by institutions exhibiting systemic biases toward secular-progressive viewpoints—First Things advocates for a public square where faith-based arguments engage on evidentiary and philosophical merits.^[45] Neuhaus and subsequent writers reject the equation of secularity with reason, pointing to secularism's own fideistic elements, such as unproven assumptions about human self-sufficiency, and empirical counterevidence like the persistence of religious vitality amid predicted decline.^[46] This approach posits that only a religiously informed discourse can counteract the cultural fragmentation wrought by secular hegemony, fostering policies aligned with verifiable human flourishing rather than ideological experimentation.^[47]

Governance and Operations

Structure of the Institute on Religion and Public Life

The Institute on Religion and Public Life operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity, enabling tax-deductible contributions that form the primary revenue stream alongside magazine subscriptions and event proceeds, thus funding operations while minimizing reliance on government grants or direct political party allocations to safeguard decision-making autonomy.^[1]^[48] Governance is directed by a Board of Directors responsible for strategic oversight and mission alignment, composed of academics such as university professors in history, political science, and Jewish studies; theologians and public intellectuals; and professionals from finance and policy sectors, providing multifaceted orthodox perspectives without centralized ideological control.^[49] Fiscal accountability is upheld through mandatory IRS Form 990 filings and publicly accessible annual reports, which disclose revenue dominated by private contributions—totaling over $2.9 million in documented periods—and operational costs, evidencing resilience against broader print media contractions via diversified donor support and subscription growth.^[2]^[48]^[50]

Publication Format and Reach

First Things maintains a bimonthly print edition, supplemented by extensive digital offerings including daily web-exclusive articles, podcasts, and subscriber newsletters. The magazine issues ten print editions annually, providing in-depth essays on religion and public life, while the website publishes timely online content to engage a broader audience. Subscriptions grant access to both print deliveries and unlimited digital archives dating back to 1990, along with exclusive newsletters such as daily updates and thematic spotlights.^[51]^[52]^[1] These formats enable wider dissemination, with digital platforms extending reach beyond traditional print subscribers to tens of thousands through online engagement and multimedia. Podcasts feature discussions by editors on current issues, from politics to culture, fostering ongoing dialogue. This hybrid approach preserves scholarly rigor while adapting to contemporary media consumption, as evidenced by a redesigned website launched in February 2025 to enhance user experience.^[53]^[54] In-person events like the annual Erasmus Lecture promote elite discourse, with the 38th edition held in November 2025 at the Union League Club in New York, featuring speakers such as Bishop Erik Varden on topics like translation's role in faith. The First Things Conclave, including a 2025 gathering, convenes contributors and readers for retreats and symposia, emphasizing interpersonal intellectual exchange.^[55]^[56] The journal's influence manifests empirically through citations in U.S. Supreme Court briefs on religious liberty, such as amicus filings referencing First Things analyses of Blaine Amendments and vocational calling in cases like Trump v. Hawaii and others involving faith-based exemptions. These references highlight its role in shaping legal arguments without relying on self-reported acclaim.^[57]^[58]

Key Contributors and Intellectual Network

Prominent Editors and Regular Voices

Richard John Neuhaus, a Lutheran minister who converted to Catholicism in 1990, founded First Things in 1989 and edited the journal from its first issue in March 1990 until his death on January 8, 2009, infusing it with an ecumenical vision that prioritized theological rigor in public discourse.^[1] R. R. Reno, a theologian and former professor, succeeded as editor in 2011 after serving as a regular contributor, redirecting the journal toward incisive critiques of modern cultural decay, including secular individualism and institutional failures, while upholding fidelity to first principles over partisan alignment.^[59]^[60] Joseph Bottum, a medievalist and essayist, edited First Things from 2007 to 2010, enhancing its engagement with literature, philosophy, and the intersections of faith with postmodern skepticism during a period of internal transition.^[61] Matthew Schmitz, as senior editor until 2023, shaped the journal's editorial tone through selections emphasizing empirical realism in cultural analysis, such as examinations of demographic trends where higher fertility rates among religious populations signal long-term advantages for traditionalist worldviews over secular ones.^[62]^[63] Under Reno's leadership, the editorial approach has evolved from neoconservative optimism to integrate post-liberal insights, consistently favoring causal reasoning—evident in recurring analyses of family breakdown's societal costs—over ideological conformity.^[7]

Notable Guest Contributors and Collaborations

Robert P. George, a legal scholar and advocate for natural law theory, has been a frequent guest contributor, offering analyses of tensions between religious convictions and secular legal regimes in essays such as "A Clash of Orthodoxies."^[36] Yuval Levin, director of social, economic, and foreign policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, has provided perspectives on the role of institutions in mediating faith-informed economics and governance.^[64] Mary Eberstadt, a senior research fellow at the Faith and Reason Institute, has contributed examinations of family structures, secularization, and feminism through a lens of Christian anthropology, highlighting empirical correlations between religious practice and social stability.^[64] These engagements underscore the journal's function as a forum drawing on external expertise to integrate theology with public policy debates. Ecumenical outreach is evident in collaborations with Jewish and Protestant thinkers addressing mutual concerns, such as the resurgence of antisemitism often conflated with criticism of Israel.^[65] Jewish contributors have critiqued ideological distortions masking hostility toward Judaism, while Protestant voices have joined in defending shared Judeo-Christian heritage against relativism.^[66] This cross-denominational dialogue fosters alliances against common adversaries like ideological secularism, without diluting doctrinal distinctives. To prevent insularity, First Things has incorporated dissenting orthodox positions, such as those from figures like David French, who advocate for religious liberty protections amid cultural shifts while questioning certain populist alignments.^[67] Such inclusions facilitate rigorous internal critique among faithful contributors, ensuring debates on topics like marriage and polity remain grounded in scriptural and rational fidelity rather than uniformity.^[68] This approach has sustained the journal's intellectual vitality by prioritizing substantive disagreement over consensus.

Major Themes and Publications

Recurrent Topics in Religion, Culture, and Politics

First Things frequently examines life issues, particularly abortion, as central to moral and societal order, arguing that legal protections for the unborn correlate with reduced rates of societal breakdown, such as family disintegration and youth violence; for instance, post-Dobbs analyses in the journal highlight state-level abortion restrictions implemented after the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, which have led to measurable declines in procedures in restrictive states by up to 99% in some cases.^[69]^[70] The publication critiques procedural justifications for abortion, emphasizing its biological reality as the termination of a developing human life, and warns against diluting pro-life advocacy through incrementalism that risks normalizing the practice.^[71]^[72] Religious freedom emerges as a perennial concern, with the journal documenting erosions following the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision mandating nationwide recognition of same-sex marriage, which precipitated legal challenges to faith-based institutions, including mandates for complicity in ceremonies contradicting doctrinal teachings on marriage.^[73] Contributors argue that such impositions foster a coercive secular orthodoxy, citing cases where bakers, florists, and adoption agencies faced penalties for adhering to traditional views, thereby linking religious liberty to broader civilizational stability by preserving mediating institutions against state overreach.^[74]^[75] In education, First Things advocates models that transmit virtue through classical curricula emphasizing moral formation over utilitarian skills, positing that such approaches counteract the relativist drift in public schooling, where surveys indicate declining civic knowledge and rising ideological conformity among students.^[76]^[77] The journal supports school choice mechanisms, including charter schools with religious elements, as means to restore parental authority and foster habits of self-governance, evidenced by the growth of classical programs that prioritize texts like Aristotle and Aquinas to cultivate prudence and temperance.^[78]^[79] Culturally, the publication debunks moral relativism as a solvent of social norms, tracing its rise to secularist ideologies that equate truth claims with intolerance, resulting in empirical correlates like increased family fragmentation—U.S. divorce rates stabilized post-1980s only amid religious revivals resisting such trends.^[80] Analyses critique media portrayals of faith traditions as impediments to progress, noting biased coverage in outlets that amplify secular critiques while marginalizing religious arguments, as seen in disproportionate emphasis on fringe abuses over mainstream doctrinal contributions to ethics.^[39]^[81] Politically, First Things champions principled conservatism rooted in natural law and subsidiarity, distinguishing it from populism's emotive appeals by insisting on institutional reforms that prioritize virtue over electoral expediency; for example, critiques of populist movements highlight their internal contradictions, such as economic nationalism clashing with cultural traditionalism without a unifying moral framework.^[82]^[83] On welfare statism, the journal advances data-informed arguments against expansive programs, invoking subsidiarity to contend that they engender moral hazards like dependency cycles—evidenced by longitudinal studies showing multi-generational welfare reliance correlating with eroded work ethic and family structures—favoring instead localized aid through churches and communities to promote self-reliance.^[84]^[85] These engagements underscore causal links between policy choices and societal health, positing that deviations from ordered liberty yield measurable declines in trust, fertility, and cohesion.^[86]

Signature Initiatives and Symposia

One of the journal's most prominent collaborative initiatives is Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT), launched in 1994 by First Things founder Richard John Neuhaus and Prison Fellowship founder Charles Colson. This ongoing seminar brings together Protestant evangelical and Roman Catholic scholars to draft and publish joint statements aimed at forging practical alliances in the face of secular cultural erosion, emphasizing shared doctrinal foundations such as the authority of Scripture and the sanctity of life. The founding document, "Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium," appeared in the May 1994 issue and outlined a cooperative stance against moral relativism, declaring that evangelicals and Catholics could work together on public issues without resolving all theological differences.^[12] Subsequent ECT statements have extended this framework to specific policy domains, including immigration and economic life, while maintaining focus on theological unity amid societal fragmentation. For instance, documents have addressed immigration by advocating borders informed by human dignity and communal responsibilities, critiquing both unrestricted flows and overly punitive measures. Similarly, later reflections have applied Christian anthropology to economic questions, stressing subsidiarity and the moral limits of markets in promoting family and community welfare. By 2024, ECT marked its thirtieth anniversary with over a dozen public statements, including a 2025 declaration on truth as foundational to ecclesial witness.^[87]^[88] First Things has also advanced its agenda through dedicated symposia in print, convening diverse contributors to dissect bioethical dilemmas and foreign policy orientations. These forums have rigorously examined biotechnological developments, such as genetic editing and end-of-life practices, prioritizing human exceptionalism over utilitarian advancements. On foreign policy, symposia have interrogated interventionist doctrines, highlighting causal chains of destabilization in regions like the Middle East, where military engagements often exacerbate sectarian conflicts and erode domestic moral capital rather than secure lasting order. Complementing these, recent digital extensions like the First Things Podcast—launched to dissect monthly issues and breaking events—and editorial blogs have facilitated ongoing, multimedia symposia, enabling rapid responses to cultural shifts such as technological ethics and geopolitical realignments.^[53]

Influence and Impact

Shaping Conservative Religious Discourse

First Things has played a pivotal role in redirecting religious conservatism from theological isolationism toward active engagement in public philosophy, emphasizing the integration of religious principles with civic discourse. Founded in 1990 by Richard John Neuhaus to counter the secularization of American public life, the journal advocated for religion's indispensable place in shaping policy and culture, drawing on natural law traditions and scriptural authority to argue against the "naked public square."^[89] This shift encouraged conservatives to move beyond defensive cultural withdrawals, instead articulating comprehensive worldviews that address governance, economics, and social order through first-principles reasoning rooted in faith.^[90] The journal pioneered the fusion of theology with policy analysis, notably through initiatives like "Evangelicals and Catholics Together" (ECT) in 1994, which fostered ecumenical alliances to mature evangelical political involvement beyond partisan activism toward shared moral commitments on issues like abortion and family structure.^[91] In Catholic circles, First Things influenced debates on integralism by publishing essays that revived discussions of the state's subordination to divine law, challenging liberal neutralism and prompting reevaluations of church-state relations in modern democracies.^[90]^[92] These efforts demonstrated causal impact through empirical markers, such as citations of First Things articles in amicus briefs filed in U.S. Supreme Court cases on religious liberty and marriage, including references in briefs supporting conscience protections and opposing mandates conflicting with faith-based views on sexual ethics.^[93]^[94] First Things contributions also evidenced influence on denominational positions, as seen in evangelical bodies adopting firmer stances on traditional marriage post-Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), aligning with the journal's pre-decision arguments framing marriage as a natural institution essential for societal stability rather than a malleable construct.^[73]^[95] Countering secularist dismissals—often amplified by academia and media despite their documented biases toward privatizing faith—First Things marshaled historical and sociological evidence, such as analyses of founding-era writings showing Christianity's foundational role in American republicanism, to substantiate religion's necessity for social cohesion and democratic vitality.^[96]^[97] Studies referenced in its pages, including those on religious participation's correlation with lower crime and higher civic trust, underscored that faith communities foster the habits of self-government indispensable to liberal orders, refuting claims of religion as mere divisiveness.^[98]

Policy and Cultural Achievements

First Things contributors advanced arguments for robust religious liberty protections in the public square, notably through Richard John Neuhaus's 1992 essay "A New Order of Religious Freedom," which critiqued the Supreme Court's decision in Employment Division v. Smith (1990) and called for legislative restoration of prior standards allowing religious exemptions from neutral laws of general applicability. This intellectual groundwork aligned with broader coalitions advocating for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) of 1993, signed into law on November 16, 1993, which mandated strict scrutiny for government burdens on religious exercise. RFRA's framework proved decisive in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. (2014), where the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling on June 30, 2014, exempted closely held corporations from the Affordable Care Act's contraceptive mandate conflicting with owners' religious convictions, citing RFRA's protections.^[99] The journal's emphasis on natural law and moral reasoning in jurisprudence, echoed in pieces by scholars like Robert P. George, informed pro-life legal strategies challenging abortion regimes on substantive due process grounds rather than mere procedural limits. These arguments, rooted in critiques of judicial overreach in Roe v. Wade (1973), contributed to state-level restrictions upheld in cases like Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989) and influenced the intellectual case for overturning Roe, as reflected in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022), which on June 24, 2022, returned abortion regulation to the states.^[100] While direct citations in briefs are sparse, First Things essays provided foundational natural law critiques adopted in amicus submissions and scholarship by aligned jurists.^[101] Culturally, the 1994 "Evangelicals and Catholics Together" statement, published in First Things and spearheaded by Neuhaus and Chuck Colson, forged ecumenical alliances that normalized joint faith-based opposition to secular individualism and identity-driven policies. This initiative correlated with heightened orthodox voter mobilization, as evidenced by increased evangelical-Catholic turnout in the 1996 and 2004 elections, where pro-life and religious liberty issues drove conservative participation rates above national averages.^[102] Over decades, the journal's sustained critiques of progressive cultural hegemony—through symposia and essays on family integrity and civic virtue—have been cited in conservative texts, sustaining a resistant intellectual tradition amid institutional shifts toward secular norms.^[13]

Controversies and Criticisms

1996 "End of Democracy?" Symposium

The November 1996 issue of First Things featured a symposium titled "The End of Democracy? The Judicial Usurpation of Politics," which examined whether persistent judicial imposition of policies deemed gravely immoral—such as legalized abortion, assisted suicide, and expansions of homosexual rights—undermined the moral legitimacy of American democracy.^[17] Contributors, including Robert P. George and Russell Hittinger, argued that courts had systematically removed core moral questions from democratic deliberation, citing decisions like Roe v. Wade (1973), which invalidated state abortion restrictions; Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), which reaffirmed abortion as a fundamental right tied to judicial authority; Romer v. Evans (1996), which struck down a Colorado amendment limiting homosexual privileges; and federal appeals court rulings in Compassion in Dying v. Washington (1996) and Quill v. Vacco (1997) that recognized a constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide.^[17] These rulings, the symposium contended, exemplified a "judicial oligarchy" that prioritized autonomy over moral truths, eroding the consent of the governed, particularly among citizens whose religious convictions rendered compliance ethically untenable.^[18] The introduction, penned by editor Richard John Neuhaus, posed stark questions: Had the regime reached a stage where citizens could no longer morally assent to its authority, echoing Pope John Paul II's warnings in Evangelium Vitae (1995) against a "tyrant state" that legalizes the direct killing of innocents?^[18] Drawing on Justice Antonin Scalia's dissents, essays highlighted how such judicial activism contravened democratic processes, likening it to historical precedents like Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), which precipitated civil conflict by denying citizenship rights.^[103] Proponents maintained that true democracy requires alignment with natural law and human dignity, not mere procedural majorities; unchecked secularist impositions thus fostered alienation, potentially justifying conscientious objection or non-cooperation rather than violent overthrow.^[17] The symposium provoked immediate backlash, with liberal outlets and some conservatives decrying it as an endorsement of theocracy or regime rejection, mischaracterizing its queries as calls to subvert democracy.^[104] Peter L. Berger, a senior editor and sociologist of religion, resigned from the journal shortly after publication, viewing the rhetoric as excessively alarmist and detrimental to civil discourse.^[105] Neoconservative figures, including those aligned with institutional conservatism, criticized the pieces for inflaming divisions within the right, arguing that pragmatic engagement within existing structures was preferable to diagnosing systemic pathologies.^[106] Defenders, however, countered that evading causal analysis of judicial overreach—rooted in empirical patterns of court-driven policy shifts—amounted to acquiescence in moral decay, reinforcing the journal's mandate to prioritize unvarnished truth over consensus.^[107] In response, a January 1997 follow-up section in First Things clarified that the original debate sought not insurrection but honest reckoning with a regime's eroding legitimacy, amid growing public disaffection evidenced by low voter turnout and cultural polarization.^[107] The controversy ultimately fortified the publication's resolve against diluting critique for respectability, as compilations like The End of Democracy? (1997) anthologized the exchanges, underscoring that media amplifications of "extremism" overlooked the symposium's grounding in verifiable judicial trends rather than fringe ideology.^[108] This episode highlighted tensions between truth-oriented dissent and institutional loyalty, without derailing First Things' trajectory.^[109]

Editorial Shifts and Internal Debates

Under editor R. R. Reno, who succeeded Richard John Neuhaus following the latter's death in 2009, First Things underwent a noticeable pivot toward national conservatism, diverging from Neuhaus's neoconservative emphasis on universal principles and institutional alliances. Reno articulated this shift explicitly, positioning the journal to engage populist currents, including endorsements of policies prioritizing national sovereignty over globalist frameworks.^[7]^[110] This evolution drew internal conservative critiques for diluting Neuhaus's focus on ecumenical moral reasoning in favor of culturally particularist appeals.^[111] A flashpoint emerged in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, when Reno published "Coronavirus Reality Check," arguing that the virus posed limited societal risk primarily to the elderly and vulnerable, and decrying disproportionate fear-driven responses as eroding communal bonds.^[112] This stance elicited pushback from within religious conservative circles, including figures like Fr. Thomas Joseph White, who defended public health measures, highlighting tensions between skepticism of technocratic overreach and calls for prudential caution.^[113] Reno's position was lambasted by progressive outlets as reckless endangerment, while some traditionalist detractors viewed it as insufficiently attuned to populist exigencies, though it aligned with broader natcon wariness of elite-driven narratives.^[114] Debates intensified over immigration and economic policy, where Reno-era pieces critiqued unrestricted inflows for exacerbating wage suppression and cultural fragmentation, challenging economic rationales proffered by business-oriented conservatives.^[115]^[116] Right-leaning critics from more nationalist factions faulted First Things for not advancing robust protectionism aggressively enough, perceiving residual neoconservative hesitancy, whereas leftist commentators dismissed the journal's stances as nativist reactionism.^[111] Reno defended these orientations empirically, citing indicators of social disintegration—such as declining family formation and institutional trust—to underscore causal links between policy laxity and eroding cohesion, rejecting both censorious progressive orthodoxies and parochial conservative infighting.^[117] This approach preserved the journal's commitment to rigorous inquiry amid factional pressures.

References

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About The Institute on Religion and Public Life - First Things
The Institute's mission is to advance a religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society.
[2]
Institute on Religion and Public Life - GuideStar Profile
Jun 24, 2024 · First Things Magazine. America's most influential journal of religion and public life, published ten times a year for nearly thirty thousand ...
[3]
First Things founder Father Richard John Neuhaus dies from cancer
Father Neuhaus founded First Things, a journal published by the Institute on Religion and Public Life, in 1990. The magazine was established as an ecumenical ...
[4]
Richard John Neuhaus - First Things
Apr 1, 2015 · Neuhaus led an activist's life, a writer's life, a man-who-knew-important-people's life. But what mattered most to him was his Christian life.
[5]
R. R. Reno - First Things
Apr 4, 2011 · The magazine is not a theological journal, of course. But it was founded on the assumption that the unique”and uniquely important”millennia ...Missing: mission | Show results with:mission
[6]
First Things: Home
America's Most Influential Journal of Religion and Public Life · Technological Nationalism · Bring Back Beautiful Sermons · Zombie Bioethics · Protestants Against ...About · The First Things Conclave · 2023 First Things Intellectual... · ArchiveMissing: founding mission
[7]
From Neocons to Nat Cons: The Shifting Editorial Positions at First ...
May 14, 2025 · First Things is arguably the most influential magazine in the American 'faith and politics' arena, widely read by religious leaders.
[8]
Putting First Things First
Mar 1, 2010 · The first meaning of First Things is that, for the sake of both religion and public life, religion must be given priority. While religion ...
[9]
Editorial: Putting First Things First
Mar 1, 1990 · March 1990 Issue. More from this issue · The Editors. MORE BY THE AUTHOR. Pope and Parliament · Turning Point · Winners of the Second Annual ...Missing: inaugural | Show results with:inaugural
[10]
The Importance of Being Catholic: A Protestant View - First Things
Mar 1, 1990 · This paper was originally given as the tenth Paul Wattson Lecture at the University of San Francisco, sponsored by the Franciscan Society of the Atonement.Missing: early focus
[11]
'Richard John Neuhaus,' by Randy Boyagoda - The New York Times
Mar 26, 2015 · He started First Things in 1990, the same year he converted to Catholicism; a year later he was ordained a priest. Neuhaus had long enjoyed warm ...<|separator|>
[12]
Evangelicals and Catholics Together at 30 - First Things
Jul 4, 2024 · This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT), the groundbreaking ecumenical initiative founded by ...
[13]
Evangelicals and Catholics Together - Wikipedia
"Evangelicals and Catholics Together" is a 1994 ecumenical document signed by leading Evangelical and Catholic scholars in the United States.
[14]
Thirty Years at First Things
Feb 1, 2020 · Our goal is to encourage and nurture the faith of First Things readers, and in so doing we seek to inoculate against bad theology.Missing: mission | Show results with:mission<|separator|>
[15]
The One True Church - First Things
Apr 1, 2009 · Richard John Neuhaus died on January 8, 2009, at the age of seventy ... He was indeed the rock on which the Church was founded. She ...
[16]
Richard John Neuhaus, 1936 - 2009 | Catholic Culture
Jan 8, 2009 · Richard John Neuhaus, editor in chief of First Things, died this morning, January 8th, shortly before 10:00 am. He had been diagnosed with a ...
[17]
How the Public Square Became Naked - First Things
Sep 2, 2008 · Richard John Neuhaus. Richard John Neuhaus (1936-2009) founded First Things and served as its editor in chief from 1990 to 2009.
[18]
The End of Democracy? The Judicial Usurpation of Politics
Nov 1, 1996 · The question that is the title of this symposium is in no way hyperbolic. The subject before us is the end of democracy. Since the defeat of ...
[19]
The End of Democracy? Introduction - First Things
Nov 1, 1996 · The End of Democracy? Introduction ... Articles on “judicial arrogance” and the “judicial usurpation of power” are not new. The following ...
[20]
Neuhaus Was Right - First Things
Jan 1, 2018 · In a 1996 symposium on judicial overreach, he questioned the ... the end of democracy. For making such arguments, critics accused ...
[21]
The Best Bioethics That Money Can Buy - First Things
Mar 1, 2002 · Richard John Neuhaus (1936-2009) founded First Things and served as ... More RECENT ARTICLES. SUBSCRIBE TO. America's Most Influential ...
[22]
September 11–Before and After - First Things
At first it was going to be called the Office on Community and Faith-Based Initiatives. John DiIulio insisted that Faith-Based come first in the title, and so ...
[23]
First Things Founder Richard John Neuhaus Dies at 72
Jan 9, 2009 · The Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, an eminent Catholic intellectual who tutored President Bush in Catholic social teaching and helped build the ...
[24]
First Things' New Old Direction - National Catholic Register
Feb 11, 2011 · “We will stay focused on the primary reason we have subscribers: First Things offers intellectually, theologically and politically serious ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[25]
Statement from RPL Board on New Editor of First Things - First Things
I am pleased to announce that the Board of the Institute on Religion and Public Life has appointed R. R. Reno editor of First Things , effective April 1, 2011.
[26]
Technological Nationalism - First Things
Oct 6, 2025 · R. R. Reno is editor of First Things. MORE BY THE AUTHOR. Agonistic ... This article is adapted from a talk delivered at the 2025 National ...Missing: COVID | Show results with:COVID
[27]
How Rusty Reno Infected First Things - by Jonathan V. Last
May 14, 2020 · In his most recent “Coronavirus Diary,” Reno declares that he has tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, meaning that at some point in the ...
[28]
Our Most Popular Articles of 2024 - First Things
Dec 31, 2024 · On the last day of the year, here's a glance back at our most-read essays of 2024. This list is based on pageviews, and everything is ...Missing: readership growth
[29]
First Things | A Case Study by Beck & Stone
Beck & Stone helped First Things with website design, social media, and digital marketing, leading to over 8,000 new subscribers and a community of influence.Missing: 2024 | Show results with:2024
[30]
Protestants and Natural Law - First Things
Jan 1, 1992 · Far from preparing society for violence, the natural law preserves social bonds and guards basic freedoms. Not only is it the grammar of a ...
[31]
Did America Have a Christian Founding? - The Heritage Foundation
Jun 7, 2011 · While America did not have a Christian Founding in the sense of creating a theocracy, its Founding was deeply shaped by Christian moral truths.
[32]
https://firstthings.com/the-naked-public/
[33]
The Naked Public - First Things
Nov 1, 2004 · Rather, The Naked Public Square is to be judged by the work done by First Things. With The Naked Public Square Richard Neuhaus named a ...
[34]
Why Religion Matters: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social ...
In repairing damage caused by alcoholism, drug addiction, and marital breakdown, religious belief and practice are a major source of strength and recovery.Missing: distrust | Show results with:distrust
[35]
A Passion for Truth: The Way of Faith and Reason - First Things
Dec 1, 1998 · “The unity of truth is a fundamental premise of human reasoning,” and that unity is “rendered certain” by the truth that the God of creation is ...Missing: religiously | Show results with:religiously
[36]
The Unhappy Fate of Optional Orthodoxy - First Things
Mar 1, 2009 · Richard John Neuhaus died on January 8, 2009, at the age of seventy-two—a great loss to the magazine, to American public discourse, and to his ...
[37]
A Clash of Orthodoxies - First Things
Aug 1, 1999 · Secularism aims to privatize religion altogether, to render religiously informed moral ... First Things article reviewing my book,… SUBSCRIPTIONS.
[38]
Remembering Fr. Richard John Neuhaus - Public Discourse
Jan 12, 2019 · He founded the important journal First Things as the print expression of his vision of a religiously grounded, but not narrowly sectarian, ...Missing: Judeo- | Show results with:Judeo-
[39]
Secularism's two ends - The Immanent Frame
Nov 10, 2017 · Neuhaus would eventually convert to Roman Catholicism, and this first wave of secularism's critics was led by Catholics together with ...
[40]
The Zealous Faith of Secularism - First Things
Jan 1, 2018 · The malign consequences of secularist doctrine are playing out especially tragically among the young. The scene on many American campuses, to ...
[41]
Mainline Churches: The Real Reason for Decline - First Things
Mar 1, 1993 · The least credible theory attributes their decline to the secularizing effects of industrialization, urbanization, and the spread of mass ...
[42]
Progressive Ideology and the Downfall of Mainline Denominations
May 8, 2024 · Keep in mind: Mainline denominations are in a 70-year membership decline. Since 1950, the U.S. population has doubled but the churches making up ...Missing: correlation | Show results with:correlation
[43]
The Death of Mainline Protestantism - First Things
Aug 1, 2025 · Mainline Protestantism lost interest in the transcendent truths of Christianity and married the spirit of the age generations ago. In the first ...
[44]
Theological Liberalism and United Methodist Decline
Mar 22, 2022 · Theological liberalism cast a long shadow and resulted in the trivialization of doctrine in the United Methodist Church, relegating it to a ...<|separator|>
[45]
Lessons from the Decline of Protestant Churches - First Things
Mar 20, 2025 · A recent Religion News Service article gives helpful insight as to why “Protestant denominations are losing members, particularly the Episcopal, Presbyterian, ...
[46]
Secularization Falsified - First Things
Feb 1, 2008 · Religious symbols or actions are rigorously barred from political life, but privatized religion is protected by law.
[47]
The Impossibility of Secular Society - First Things
Oct 1, 2013 · First, a purely secular society simply cannot survive in the long run. As a consequence, leaving behind secularism is a necessary move, indeed ...
[48]
How to Think About Secularism - First Things
Jun 1, 1996 · The absolutely worst way to respond to the challenge of secularism is to adapt to secular standards in language, thought, and way of life.Missing: journal | Show results with:journal
[49]
Institute On Religion And Public Life - Nonprofit Explorer - ProPublica
Designated as a 501(c)3 Organizations for any of the following purposes: religious, educational, charitable, scientific, literary, testing for public safety.Missing: structure | Show results with:structure
[50]
https://issuu.com/firstthings.com/docs/first_things_2022_ar_final
[51]
2022 Annual Report by First Things - Issuu
Mar 10, 2023 · In my various roles—copy editing, fact-checking, compiling our letters section for the print issue, and assigning and editing Briefly Noted ...
[52]
Subscribe to First Things
Online & Print $60.00 Choose. 10 print issues delivered every year. Unlimited online articles. Digital issues, from 1990 to now. Subscriber-only newsletters.Missing: bimonthly initial
[53]
First Things | Duotrope
The Institute on Religion and Public Life, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and the publisher of First Things, was founded in 1989 by Richard John Neuhaus, ...
[54]
Podcasts - First Things
First Things editors and staff gather to discuss this month's most important topics. From politics to pop culture, nothing is off the table.Missing: journal format frequency online articles
[55]
The Future of First Things
Feb 3, 2025 · The old website gated access to articles from the print magazine, limiting readers to three free articles per month before hitting a paywall.
[56]
The 38th Annual Erasmus Lecture: In Praise of Translation
First Things invites you to join us for the thirty-eighth annual Erasmus Lecture, “In Praise of Translation,” to be given by Bishop Erik Varden.
[57]
The First Things Conclave
Apr 30, 2025 · EVENTS. Events · Retreats · Erasmus Lectures · DC Lectures. SHOP. Store · Products · Books · Back Issues · DVDs / Videos. FOLLOW US. FACEBOOK ...
[58]
[PDF] brief - In the Supreme Court of the United States
Mar 12, 2018 · Blaine Amendments, FIRST THINGS. (June 20, 2017), https://goo.gl ... Becket has appeared before this. Court as counsel in numerous religious ...
[59]
[PDF] brief - Supreme Court of the United States
Sep 7, 2017 · Calvin and the Christian Calling, 1999 First Things 94. (July 1999). ... Religious Liberty strongly believe that, to the extent the Court ...<|separator|>
[60]
A conversation with First Things editor R. R. Reno (Part 1 of 2)
Dec 11, 2019 · After having been a regular contributor to the journal for many years, Reno became its editor in 2011. He had been a professor of theology at ...Missing: editorship | Show results with:editorship
[61]
Masthead - First Things
First Things is published by the Institute on Religion and Public Life, an interreligious, nonpartisan research and education institute whose purpose is to ...Missing: mission | Show results with:mission
[62]
Joseph Bottum, Weary and Wearisome - First Things
Joseph Bottum, once the editor of this magazine, has unburdened himself of a change of mind on the subject of same-sex marriage, in Commonweal (and thereby ...
[63]
The New Midlife Crisis - First Things
Jun 1, 2024 · As one unmarried friend told me before she left New York, “I like my lifestyle, but not my life.” Matthew Schmitz is founder and editor of ...
[64]
The Thing About First Things | Chase Padusniak - Patheos
May 9, 2017 · The Institute was founded in 1990 by Richard John Neuhaus and his colleagues to confront the ideology of secularism, which insists that the ...
[65]
https://firstthings.com/anti-semitism-and-our-common-future/
[66]
Anti-Semitism and Our Common Future - First Things
Jun 1, 1995 · Lind, that Robertson is not only anti-Semitic but is trying to disguise his anti-Semitism. He is the worst kind of anti-Semite, the kind that ...Missing: Zionism | Show results with:Zionism
[67]
Jews, Catholics, and Our Bonds of Unity - First Things
Jun 18, 2012 · The emergence of a racist (as distinct from religious) anti-Semitism, created an environment more dangerous for Jews than ever before and led, ...Missing: partnerships Zionism
[68]
David French and the Future of Orthodox Protestantism - First Things
Nov 25, 2022 · David French both argues that the legislation contains provisions sufficient to protect religious dissenters and apparently accepts the legitimacy of same-sex ...
[69]
The Good of Religious Pluralism - First Things
Apr 1, 2016 · Pluralism is often perceived as a threat to faith, associated with relativism and a loss of religious substance. I take a contrary position.<|control11|><|separator|>
[70]
Pro-Life Politics After Dobbs - First Things
Jun 1, 2024 · But the end of Roe also revealed an American public wedded to abortion as a pillar of “reproductive freedom.” This sad fact puts the pro-life ...
[71]
Life at the Center: A Pro-life Statement - First Things
Nov 1, 2023 · R. R. Reno, Editor, First Things. William (“Bill”) Saunders, Director ... America's Most Influential Journal of Religion and Public Life.
[72]
A Warning to the Pro-Life Movement - First Things
Oct 1, 2020 · Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present by mary ziegler cambridge, 326 pages, $29.99. Ask a pro-life activist what he or ...
[73]
Abstracting Abortion - First Things
Nov 14, 2024 · Pro-life messaging must stress compassion, but it must also be concrete and truthful. It should focus on the generous work of three thousand ...
[74]
After Obergefell: A First Things Symposium
Jun 27, 2015 · ... same-sex marriage, and then ... Second, most of us here at First Things will be concerned about the implications for religious freedom.
[75]
Same-Sex Marriage and the Failure of Justificatory ... - First Things
... religious freedom. If, however, her husband wants ... same-sex marriage that its advocates find ... © 2025 First Things. All rights reserved. Cookie ...<|separator|>
[78]
Children Have a Right to Classical Education - First Things
Jun 20, 2023 · Children Have a Right to Classical Education ... Bear the standard for religious orthodoxy with First Things. Make your contribution to our 2023 ...
[79]
School Choice as Simple Justice - First Things
Apr 1, 1992 · For my part, this civic virtue seems the natural outcome of an education ... © 2025 First Things. All rights reserved. Cookie Policy · Privacy ...
[80]
The Unconstitutional Ban on Religious Charter Schools - First Things
May 30, 2025 · ... classical education, and environmentalism, to name a few. It makes ... © 2025 First Things. All rights reserved. Cookie Policy · Privacy ...
[81]
Relativism's Moral Mission - First Things
Apr 1, 2012 · ... moral relativism, one that Dostoevsky saw emerging in his own day. ... © 2025 First Things. All rights reserved. Cookie Policy · Privacy ...
[82]
War on the Culture War - First Things
Feb 1, 2024 · As Moore presents it, Losing Our Religion is a guidebook for Christians in troubled times. Drawing on his own disillusioning experience, Moore ...Missing: recurrent topics
[83]
Conservative Populism is Divided Against Itself - First Things
Mar 2, 2016 · Conservative Populism is Divided Against Itself ... Become a fan of First Things on Facebook, subscribe to First Things via RSS, and follow First ...
[84]
Restraining Populism - First Things
May 1, 2017 · Today's populism, which is once again nationalist and secular, presents conservative ... First Things article reviewing my book,…
[85]
Poverty & the Victim Ploy - First Things
Nov 1, 1991 · ... welfare state as a prudent recognition of the universality of susceptibility to hardship. ... © 2025 First Things. All rights reserved ...Missing: hazards | Show results with:hazards
[86]
The Pope and the Liberal State - First Things
Dec 1, 1992 · His most critical remarks about the welfare state are made in light of the principle of subsidiarity (CA #48, and also in #10, 15, 49), drawn ...Missing: hazards | Show results with:hazards
[87]
Constructing Conservatism - First Things
Sep 12, 2024 · Conservatives rightly recognize that the common good, and thus a coherent politics, requires a shared definition of virtue derived from a shared moral vision ...Missing: editorship | Show results with:editorship
[88]
The Pillar and Foundation of Truth: A Statement by Evangelicals and ...
Mar 25, 2025 · Evangelicals and Catholics Together. Evangelicals and Catholics Together is an ecumenical group founded in 1994 by Richard John Neuhaus and ...
[89]
Evangelicals and Catholics Together—Twenty Years ... - First Things
Over the coming days, First Things will present a set of reflections on Evangelicals and Catholics Together originally commissioned for publication on ...
[90]
The Return of Religion - First Things
Feb 1, 2023 · First Things was founded to renew the influence of Christianity and Judaism on American public life. We need that influence now more than ever.Missing: impact | Show results with:impact
[91]
First Things & The Future Of Religious Conservatism
May 14, 2020 · First Things became the most important journal of its kind, a real flagship for small-o orthodox Christian thinkers. A lot of this had to do ...
[92]
That Evangelical Manifesto - First Things
Aug 5, 2008 · Richard John Neuhaus. Richard John Neuhaus (1936-2009) founded First Things and served as its editor in chief from 1990 to 2009.
[93]
What is Catholic integralism?
Oct 14, 2019 · The movement has been endorsed in the pages of First Things, Notre Dame's Church Life Journal, and its online home is a website called The ...Missing: impact | Show results with:impact
[94]
[PDF] The AFA's amicus brief - In the Supreme Court of the United States
Oct 9, 2024 · See William A. Wilson, Scientific Regress,. First Things, May 2016, https://www.firstthings.com/article/. 2016/05/scientific ...
[95]
[PDF] In the Supreme Court of the United States
Marriage, First Things (March 2015) .......... 19, 21. Exodus 16:26-30 ... Representing members of the legal profession, and as adherents of a minority religion, ...
[96]
SSM and the Religious Divide: The Essential Meaning of Marriage
May 14, 2012 · First Things readers need no one to tell you that there are indeed many non-religious reasons to oppose SSM and support true marriage.Missing: denominational | Show results with:denominational
[97]
Erasing Christianity from American History - First Things
Aug 21, 2025 · Mark Bauerlein is contributing editor at First Things. MORE BY THE ... America's Most Influential Journal of Religion and Public Life.Missing: education | Show results with:education
[98]
The Christian Nationalism We Need - First Things
Sep 4, 2024 · Christian nationalism is not a threat to our democracy. Quite the opposite. Christian nationalism founded our democracy.
[99]
The rising influence of evangelicalism in American political behavior ...
In this note, we take a new look at evangelical political engagement in ... America fifty/fifty. First Things. (2001). M. Hetherington. Resurgent mass ...
[100]
Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. | 573 U.S. 682 (2014)
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) permits a closely held for-profit corporation to deny its employees the health coverage of contraceptives.
[101]
Devout Catholics and Secular Progressives - First Things
Aug 18, 2020 · Robert P. George is the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University. First Things depends on its subscribers and supporters.
[102]
Roe Must Go - First Things
Jul 1, 2021 · The pro-life movement is founded upon two premises. The first is ... First Things depends on its subscribers and supporters. Join the ...
[103]
https://firstthings.com/the-end-of-democracy-our-judicial-oligarchy/
[104]
The End of Democracy? Our Judicial Oligarchy - First Things
Nov 1, 1996 · The End of Democracy? Our Judicial Oligarchy · November 1996 Issue · We're glad you're enjoying First Things.
[105]
Beliefs - The New York Times
Dec 14, 1996 · In November, the monthly journal First Things published a symposium entitled ''The End of Democracy?'' in which contributors argued that a ...
[106]
Remembering Peter Berger - First Things
Oct 1, 2017 · ... End of Democracy?” issue of First Things in November 1996. That ... When the November issue appeared, Peter promptly resigned from the journal.
[107]
Arguing the GOP | The New Republic
Looking back, it's even possible to identify a single seminal moment in the alliance's undoing. In 1996, the journal First Things published a symposium ...
[108]
The End of Democracy? A Discussion Continued - First Things
Jan 1, 1997 · The End of Democracy? ... My deepest gratitude to the editors of First Things for facilitating what history may reveal to be their most important ...
[109]
Book review: The End of Democracy? - America's Future
The End of Democracy?: The Celebrated First Things Debate, With Arguments Pro and Con, and “The Anatomy of a Controversy” by Richard John Neuhaus<|separator|>
[110]
Conservative Confusions - First Things
May 1, 2000 · ” symposium in November 1996). ... James Nuechterlein is editor at large of First Things and a senior fellow of the Institute on Religion and ...
[111]
Neocons to Nat Cons: Shifting Editorial Positions at First Things
May 20, 2025 · However, the editorial shift from founding editor Richard John Neuhaus to current editor Russell Ronald Reno III has been dramatic, from “neo- ...
[112]
First Things And Changing Times - The American Conservative
May 15, 2020 · There has been a lot of commentary in religious conservative circles about the drama around First Things and its editor Rusty Reno.
[113]
Coronavirus Reality Check - First Things
The coronavirus pandemic is not and never was a threat to society. COVID-19 poses a danger to the elderly and the medically compromised.Missing: skepticism | Show results with:skepticism
[114]
The lockdown's loyal opposition - Edward Feser
Apr 16, 2020 · At First Things, Fr. Thomas Joseph White has defended the Covid-19 lockdown, whereas Rusty Reno has criticized it. As I said last week, ...
[115]
Coronavirus Pandemic: We Need the Skeptics | National Review
Mar 26, 2020 · Over stateside, the editor of First Things, Rusty Reno has become a figure of hatred and sport, for a column in which he denounces as ...
[116]
Immigration Idealism - First Things
Matthew Schmitz is the editor of Compact and a former senior editor of First Things. MORE BY THE AUTHOR. The Romanticism of Jean Raspail · The ...
[117]
Two Theories of Immigration - First Things
Dec 1, 2015 · In America, we debate what to do about undocumented aliens, how many visas to allocate to highly skilled workers, and whether a long-term policy ...Missing: internal | Show results with:internal
[118]
Our Problem Is Disintegration - First Things
Oct 22, 2024 · As readers of First Things know, Neuhaus endorsed orthodoxy in religion, truth in morality, and, like Niebuhr, a chastened liberalism in ...