First Things

In the ​latest installment of Conversations, Paul Carrese joins Mark Bauerlein to discuss his recent book, "Teaching America." To listen to the conversation, visit firstthings.com/civics-educa…

Robert Royal surveys the global persecution of Christians, drawing on a new report from Aid to the Church in Need to document violence and repression across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. From Islamist militants to communist regimes and authoritarian governments, the piece details the widespread threats facing Christian communities and the need for greater public attention and action in defense of religious freedom. To read the piece, visit firstthings.com/todays-globa…

Mark Bauerlein surveys five books that illuminate the lives, ideas, and convictions of influential figures. From Hannah Arendt’s sustaining friendships and Paul Gottfried’s independent cultural criticism to Charlie Kirk’s public legacy, Fulton Sheen’s reflections on love, and David Sawatzki’s testimony of faith under oppression, these works show how biography and personal witness can offer moral insight into the times we inhabit. To read the piece, visit firstthings.com/earnest-live…

In "Inside the Roman Mind", John Duggan reviews Robert Harris’s novel Agrippa, exploring the profound moral divide between the ancient Roman world and the Christian civilization that followed. Drawing on Tom Holland’s Dominion, Duggan considers how Christianity transformed Western understandings of mercy, human dignity, sexuality, and restraint, imagining how even a virtuous Roman warrior might struggle to comprehend the moral convictions of a Christianized society. To read the piece, visit firstthings.com/inside-the-r…

Aaron Sorkin’s latest film takes on Facebook’s failures, but its muddled message raises a larger question: Is the fight over social media really about protecting people or about politics? Read the piece by Helen Andrews at firstthings.com/aaron-sorkin…

In “Does Evangelicalism Exist?,” Carl R. Trueman examines what the term “evangelical” means and whether it remains a useful way to describe Christian identity. Using the controversy surrounding "Christianity Today" as a starting point, he explores the tensions that arise when a broad label encompasses Christians with differing theological commitments and no shared institutional structure.The essay considers the relationship between evangelical identity, established churches, and the historic creeds, and reflects on the value of more clearly defined expressions of Christian belonging. To read the piece, visit firstthings.com/does-evangel…

First Things senior editor Julia Yost guest-hosts an episode of ‘Interesting Times.’ Be sure to listen!

In “The Gospel, Not ‘Listening,’ Is the Message,” George Weigel reflects on the relationship between listening, dialogue, and the Church’s mission to proclaim the Gospel. Drawing on Bishop Erik Varden’s reflections on marriage and family and the biblical story of the road to Emmaus, the piece considers the place of shared stories alongside the truths of Christian faith. Read the piece by visiting firstthings.com/the-gospel-n…

In “The Myth of St. Francis,” Gabriel Said Reynolds examines how Pope Francis’s account of St. Francis’s meeting with the Muslim sultan Malik al-Kamil differs from the earliest historical sources. Challenging the modern image of Francis as a symbol of interfaith peace, Reynolds argues that Francis traveled to Egypt to preach Christianity and risked his life for his faith. The piece considers the tension between historical truth and contemporary ideals. To read the piece, visit firstthings.com/the-myth-of-…

In "You Can See Everything", Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim document Elizabeth Holmes in the final month before she begins her prison sentence, offering an intimate look at her life beyond the Theranos scandal. In this review, Germán S. Díaz del Castillo reflects on the limits of what a camera can reveal about a person’s inner life, and the difference between observing someone and truly knowing them. To read the piece, visit firstthings.com/you-cant-see…

In Job and Her, J. Mark Mutz reflects on suffering, faith, and the limits of our ability to understand another person’s experience. Through the story of a woman living with profound cognitive and physical decline, alongside reflections on the Book of Job and the writings of Søren Kierkegaard and Leo Tolstoy, he considers the challenges of offering comfort, the search for meaning amid suffering, and the mystery of a life whose purpose may remain beyond our understanding. To read the piece, visit firstthings.com/job-and-her/

In Fjord’s Cold Reality, Charlotte Allen examines Cristian Mungiu’s film "Fjord", which follows a Romanian-Norwegian family caught in a legal battle with Norway’s child-welfare authorities. The film explores tensions between religious conviction, parental authority, cultural conformity, and the limits of tolerance, while portraying the complexities and imperfections of the people at the center of the story. To read the piece, visit firstthings.com/fjords-cold-…

In the ​latest installment of Conversations, Scott Greer joins Mark Bauerlein to discuss his recent book, Whitepill. To listen to the conversation, visit firstthings.com/the-politics…