First Things — LLMpedia

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First Things

First Things is an American ecumenical conservative journal of religion, culture, and public life founded in 1990 that engages with debates involving Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Protestantism, Judaism, and broader public affairs. The journal positions itself at the intersection of Leo Strauss-influenced political thought, John Paul II-era Catholic intellectualism, and ecumenical dialogue involving figures from Harvard University, Yale University, University of Chicago, and conservative think tanks. Contributors and readers include clergy, academics, and public intellectuals associated with institutions such as Georgetown University, Notre Dame University, American Enterprise Institute, and Brookings Institution.

Overview

First Things presents essays, reviews, and commentary on theology, liturgy, philosophy, and public policy, often pairing discussions of Thomas Aquinas, Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Karl Barth with analyses of contemporary events like Roe v. Wade, the Iraq War, and the European Union's integration debates. The journal features dialogues among scholars from Princeton University, Oxford University, Cambridge University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and seminaries such as Westminster Theological Seminary and St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary. Regular content includes book reviews of works by authors like Alasdair MacIntyre, Robert P. George, Alvin Plantinga, Charles Taylor, and Roger Scruton.

Founded in 1990 by an editor with ties to Institute on Religion and Public Life and supported by patrons linked to Rockefeller Foundation-era philanthropy, the magazine emerged amid debates following the end of the Cold War and the political realignments associated with the Reagan administration and the Clinton administration. Early editorial collaboration drew on networks that included scholars from Columbia University, clergy connected to the Vatican, and writers from publications such as National Review, The New Criterion, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Over time, the journal published symposiums on topics involving John Rawls, Friedrich Hayek, Michel Foucault, Leo Strauss, and judicial controversies surrounding the Supreme Court of the United States.

The editorial stance synthesizes elements of Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox liturgical tradition, and conservative Evangelicalism while engaging with secular philosophy from figures like Edmund Burke, G. K. Chesterton, and T. S. Eliot. Its theological commitments often reflect debates about natural law as articulated by Aquinas and modern interpreters such as John Finnis and Robert P. George, and it engages contemporary ethical controversies implicated in rulings like Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization and policies debated in the United States Congress. The magazine's orientation has provoked dialogue with progressive theologians at Union Theological Seminary, ethicists at Rutgers University, and philosophers at Brown University.

Contributors and interview subjects have included a range of public intellectuals and ecclesial leaders: Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis (in discussion contexts), Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger-era commentators, philosophers such as Alasdair MacIntyre, Martha Nussbaum (as interlocutor), legal scholars like Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg (in comparative analysis), and politicians including George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan in retrospective essays. The journal has also published interviews with figures from academia and culture such as Harold Bloom, Camille Paglia, E. O. Wilson (in cultural critiques), and ecclesiastics from Orthodox Church in America and Church of England hierarchies.

The publication has influenced debates among scholars at Harvard Divinity School, policy analysts at Heritage Foundation, and clergy within United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Anglican Communion. Its reception ranges from praise by conservative outlets like National Review and The Weekly Standard to criticism from progressive venues such as The Nation, The New Republic, and academic critics at Columbia University and University of California, Berkeley. The journal's role in national conversations has intersected with controversies involving culture wars debates, judicial nominations to the Supreme Court, and intellectual movements associated with the New Right and communitarian critiques advanced in conferences at American Academy of Religion.

Published monthly, the journal is produced and distributed in print and digital formats with circulation networks reaching subscribers affiliated with seminaries such as Princeton Theological Seminary, diocesan offices in New York (state), parish libraries connected to St. Patrick's Cathedral (New York City), and academic libraries including Library of Congress, Bodleian Library, and university collections at Yale University Library. Distribution channels have involved collaborations with academic publishers, bookstores in cultural centers like Washington, D.C., New York City, and Boston, Massachusetts, and online platforms frequented by readers from institutions including Stanford University, Duke University, and Columbia University.

Category:Religious magazines published in the United States