First Things

First Things
EditorR. R. Reno
CategoriesReligion
FrequencyMonthly (10 issues/year)
First issueMarch 1990
CompanyInstitute on Religion and Public Life
CountryUnited States
Based inNew York City
LanguageEnglish
Websitewww.firstthings.com
ISSN1047-5141

First Things (FT) is a journal aimed at "advanc[ing] a religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society",[1] focusing on theology, liturgy, history of religion, church history, culture, education, society, politics, literature, book reviews and poetry. First Things is inter-religious, inter-denominational and ecumenical, especially Christian and Jewish. It articulates Christian ecumenism, Christian–Jewish dialogue, erudite social and political conservatism and a critique of contemporary society.

First Things is published by the New York–based Institute on Religion and Public Life (IRPL) as a monthly, except for bi-monthly issues covering June/July and August/September,[2] and has a circulation of approximately 30,000 copies. First Things' founding editor, from 1990 to his death in 2009, was Richard John Neuhaus. Since 2011 R. R. Reno has served as editor.

Ross Douthat wrote that, through First Things, Neuhaus demonstrated "that it was possible to be an intellectually fulfilled Christian".[3] George Weigel, a long-time contributor and IRPL board member, wrote in Newsweek that, under the influence of Neuhaus First Things had "quickly became, under his leadership and inspiration, the most important vehicle for exploring the tangled web of religion and society in the English-speaking world."[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference firstthings.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "First Things - America's Most Influential Journal of Religion & Public Life". First Things.
  3. ^ "Richard John Neuhaus, RIP", The Atlantic blog, Ross Douthat, Jan. 8, 2009.
  4. ^ "Richard John Neuhaus, 1936–2009", George Weigel, Newsweek, Jan. 10, 2009.