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Can natalism really break the grip of gerontocracy? Peter J. Leithart examines how an aging, childless society concentra...
08/28/2026

Can natalism really break the grip of gerontocracy? Peter J. Leithart examines how an aging, childless society concentrates wealth and power among the old and argues that restoring the bonds between generations may be the deeper answer.

Read the piece at https://firstthings.com/natalism-will-smash-the-gerontocracy/

In this week's podcast episode, Brad Littlejohn joins R. R. Reno on The Editor’s Desk to talk about his recent essay, “L...
08/28/2026

In this week's podcast episode, Brad Littlejohn joins R. R. Reno on The Editor’s Desk to talk about his recent essay, “Left to Our Own Devices,” from the August/September 2026 issue of the magazine.

The conversation can be found at https://firstthings.com/of-things-and-devices/ For your long-term convenience, subscribe via Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

What happens when the values that once defined a culture become relics of the past? Carl R. Trueman reflects on a changi...
08/28/2026

What happens when the values that once defined a culture become relics of the past? Carl R. Trueman reflects on a changing England, and the loss of restraint, decency, free expression, and respect for tradition that once shaped the country he knew.

To read the piece, visit https://firstthings.com/the-england-i-knew-is-gone/

Dolly Parton became more than a country music star, she became an American icon, a carefully crafted image of Southern l...
08/27/2026

Dolly Parton became more than a country music star, she became an American icon, a carefully crafted image of Southern life that eventually took on a reality of its own. Eddie LaRow examines the woman, the persona, and the culture behind The Hyperreal Dolly Parton.

Read the piece at https://firstthings.com/the-hyperreal-dolly-parton/

Is A Man for All Seasons the most perfect film ever made?George Weigel revisits Fred Zinnemann’s 1966 classic, and finds...
08/26/2026

Is A Man for All Seasons the most perfect film ever made?

George Weigel revisits Fred Zinnemann’s 1966 classic, and finds a movie whose performances, screenplay, cinematography, music, and portrayal of St. Thomas More remain remarkably hard to fault.

To read the piece, visit https://firstthings.com/the-best-film-ever/

Introducing The Widening Gyre, a newsletter by Ned Desmond offering thoughtful, grounded commentary on AI and the techno...
08/26/2026

Introducing The Widening Gyre, a newsletter by Ned Desmond offering thoughtful, grounded commentary on AI and the technological changes reshaping our lives, and helping readers think clearly about how we can shape the future rather than simply be swept along by it.

Subscribe for free to The Widening Gyre at https://www.wideninggyrenewsletter.com/ It will arrive in your inbox twice a month and will be available exclusively to subscribers.

Made possible through the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation, The Widening Gyre joins a series of FIRST THINGS newsletters exploring the topics that matter most to our readers, including The Fourth Watch, The Protestant Mind, and The Jew From Nowhere.

Anna Lena Phillips Bell’s Might Could explores uncertainty, longing, love, and the quiet hope of new beginnings. Midge G...
08/26/2026

Anna Lena Phillips Bell’s Might Could explores uncertainty, longing, love, and the quiet hope of new beginnings. Midge Goldberg reviews a collection where form, sound, and repetition turn the struggle to understand the present into a way of imagining the future.

Read the piece at https://firstthings.com/the-possibility-of-possibility/

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