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What happens when a philosophy rejects objective truth and leaves no foundation for meaning?In this piece, Carl R. Truem...
10/15/2026

What happens when a philosophy rejects objective truth and leaves no foundation for meaning?

In this piece, Carl R. Trueman examines the enduring influence of Michel Foucault, exploring the tensions within his critique of power, his rejection of stable moral values, and the nihilism that Trueman sees at the heart of his thought.

To read the piece, visit https://firstthings.com/foucaults-idol-of-nothingness/

Can a pope declare the death penalty inadmissible without departing from the Catholic Church’s historic teaching?In this...
10/15/2026

Can a pope declare the death penalty inadmissible without departing from the Catholic Church’s historic teaching?

In this piece, Joseph Shaw examines the debate over capital punishment and papal authority, tracing the development of recent Church teaching and exploring the tensions between human dignity, the purposes of punishment, and the question of whether the death penalty can ever be morally justified.

To read the piece, visit https://firstthings.com/why-the-death-penalty-is-a-sore-point-for-papal-authority/

What can an ancient epic reveal about the tensions between ambition, belonging, and the meaning of home in American life...
10/15/2026

What can an ancient epic reveal about the tensions between ambition, belonging, and the meaning of home in American life?

In this piece, Martin Gramling reviews Patrick J. Deneen’s "American Odyssey", exploring how Homer’s "Odyssey" illuminates America’s competing national myths, the longing for home and community, and the challenges of understanding the United States as an enduring imperial power.

To read the piece, visit https://firstthings.com/no-place-like-home/

Can a public figure claim the Catholic faith while promoting ideas that contradict its deepest teachings?In this piece, ...
10/14/2026

Can a public figure claim the Catholic faith while promoting ideas that contradict its deepest teachings?

In this piece, George Weigel examines Candace Owens’s embrace of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, exploring the relationship between anti-Semitism and Christian faith, the Church’s theological commitments to the Jewish people, and the responsibility of Catholic communities to confront hatred and uphold the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.

To read the piece, visit https://firstthings.com/candace-owens-and-the-sin-of-anti-semitism/

What fills the cultural space left behind as Christianity’s influence recedes from American public life? In this piece, ...
10/14/2026

What fills the cultural space left behind as Christianity’s influence recedes from American public life?

In this piece, Aaron M. Renn reviews Scott Greer’s "Whitepill", examining how the online right has reshaped the Republican Party, why identity and immigration have become central concerns, and how a post-Christian political movement differs from the older religious right.

To read the piece, visit https://firstthings.com/meet-the-post-religious-right/

Can a democracy preserve its cultural identity when the electorate itself is changing?In this piece, Iben Thranholm exam...
10/13/2026

Can a democracy preserve its cultural identity when the electorate itself is changing?

In this piece, Iben Thranholm examines Sweden’s shifting political landscape, exploring how the rise of immigrant voters helped overturn the right-wing government and raising questions about the future of secular liberalism, multiculturalism, and the role of Islam in Western democracies.

To read the piece, visit https://firstthings.com/how-swedens-immigrant-vote-toppled-the-right/

Can a nation recover its pride without confronting the myths that shape its understanding of the past? In this piece, Na...
10/13/2026

Can a nation recover its pride without confronting the myths that shape its understanding of the past? In this piece, Nathan Pinkoski examines De Gaulle, a new film about the French general’s role in World War II, exploring how Charles de Gaulle’s struggle for French sovereignty challenges familiar narratives of moral triumph, national guilt, and the postwar American-led order.

To read the piece, visit https://firstthings.com/de-gaulle-triumphant/

In the ​latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Steven B. Smith join...
10/13/2026

In the ​latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Steven B. Smith joins in to discuss his book, On Statesmanship.

To listen to the conversation, visit https://firstthings.com/the-last-statesmen/
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The editors discuss the NatCon in Jerusalem, the scandal at Cornell University and its broader implications, and whether...
10/12/2026

The editors discuss the NatCon in Jerusalem, the scandal at Cornell University and its broader implications, and whether AI could ever be considered to be conscious.

To listen to the conversation, visit https://firstthings.com/cornells-secret-history/

What sustains a people who have endured centuries of persecution for their faith?In this piece, Gerald McDermott reflect...
10/12/2026

What sustains a people who have endured centuries of persecution for their faith?

In this piece, Gerald McDermott reflects on Armenia’s deep Christian heritage, the ongoing threats to its people and sacred history, and the remarkable courage of Armenian Christians, not only in their willingness to defend their homeland, but also in their capacity to forgive.

To read the piece, visit https://firstthings.com/armenias-unbroken-courage/

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