First Things Podcast

Phyllis Schlafly, anti-feminist icon and foe of the Equal Rights Amendment, died this week. Rusty, Mark, and Julia discuss her legacy—with the help of their special guest, journalist and editor and all-around legend Midge Decter. Then, it’s time to head back to campus—and that means getting up to speed on the new rules for avoiding microaggressions. Is it still okay to say “you guys”? Rusty has sympathy for the special snowflakes; Mark and Julia have stories from the trenches.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta will be canonized on Sunday. Why is her service to the poor so much more inspiring than that of secular “effective altruists”? Rusty and Matthew explain their takes, and Julia freaks out her colleagues by half-agreeing with Christopher Hitchens. Then: If you were the mayor of a French town with a beachfront, what would you do about the burkini? Think carefully, because “the soul of France” is in question. But does France have a secular soul, or a Christian one? Finally, Julia reads a famous passage from literature, containing a prediction about saints named Teresa. Rusty and Matthew try to source it. Maybe you can beat them!

New survey findings from Georgetown University update us on rates of ritual participation among American Catholics. Do they show a “Francis Effect”? If so, is the effect positive or negative? Rusty, Matthew, and Julia discuss why millennial Catholics need more, not less, incense. Then, Broadway’s “Hamilton” is up for debate: Is it “a pack of tricks we play on the dead”—retrojecting multicultural ideology onto the Founding? Or does it benignly correct our postmodern suspicion of the American past? Assistant editor Alexi Sargeant and junior fellow Connor Grubaugh debate. Finally, the Marquis de Lafayette speaks through Alexi, rapping very fast about guns and ships.

A surprising new study reveals that members of the Millennial Generation are avoiding sex—and for all the wrong reasons. Rusty, Mark, and Julia discuss the impact of careerism, pornography, and the fear of “catching feelings,” and what it all means for Christian morality. Then, Rusty uses the “Elephant Graph” to explain why, in this age of globalization, there is no longer a harmony of economic interests between elites in the West and the middle classes they are elected to lead. Can the nation-state survive? Finally, Rusty and Mark try to guess the authors of three aphorisms, each on the subject of “Youth and Age.”

God was pronounced dead by Time Magazine fifty years ago—and now He’s deader than ever, according to Matthew Rose. Joining Rusty and Julia, Matt argues that our present age was heralded in 1966 by the Death of God theologians, who viewed secularity as the highest development of Christian ethics. Julia then interviews Rusty about his new book, Resurrecting the Idea of a Christian Society. Our culture is falling apart—which is good news and bad news, according to Rusty. Why is he optimistic that Christians will be the leaven in an increasingly decadent society? Finally, Julia hosts a game of “Stump the Editors” with Rusty, Mark, and Matthew. Play along and test your knowledge of literature!

Musical credit: Dave Brubeck.

What can natural family planning teach you about the body that sex ed won’t? Catholic writer and "science nerd" Leah Libresco guests on this segment, as does her fiancé, assistant editor Alexi Sargeant. Then, why are Catholic and Evangelical Republicans parting ways over Trump? Leah crunches the numbers, and Rusty envisions life for religious conservatives during a Trump presidency. Finally, Matthew and Julia discuss this week’s news from Rome, and conclude that ordaining women as deacons not only makes no sense, but would set women back.

Musical credits: The Losers, Chad Crouch.

Was the murder of Fr. Jacques Hamel by Islamic State militants an act of “absurd violence,” as Pope Francis suggests, or did it have clear religious motivations and implications? Matthew disagrees with First Things senior fellow Francesca Aran Murphy. Then, what are we to make of the two new vice-presidential nominees, each of whom is Catholic in his own way—Mike Pence the “Evangelical Catholic” and Tim Kaine the “Pope Francis Catholic”? Finally, Julia hosts a session of “Ask a Theologian.” Find out whether all dogs go to heaven, why the Pope Emeritus wears white, which way is liturgical East—and more!

This episode features music by Sergey Cheremisinov, Scott Holmes, and Unthunk.

Liberal Catholics are growing impatient. What if Pope Francis fails to institutionalize his reforms? Editors Rusty, Mark, Matthew, and Julia discuss, and are politely opposed by their guest, Commonweal editor Matthew Boudway. Then assistant editor Alexi Sargeant drops in to evangelize for Pokémon Go. Finally, the editors reflect on the feelings of insecurity that seem to be motivating Americans in both parties (and no party) during this political season.

Musical credits: “OST 01 Tutorial” by Sawsquarenoise, “Generic Falling Blocks Puzzle” by Mathgrant, “Shrine” by Visager, and “Final Sacrifice” by Visager. All four are used under Creative Commons licenses, which can be found with the full tracks at FreeMusicArchive.org.

Is Donald Trump a disciple of the power-mad Nietzsche, or of positive-thinking guru Norman Vincent Peale? Editors Rusty, Mark, Matthew, and Julia discuss. Then Carl Trueman Skypes in and disputes mildly with Rusty about the meaning of the recent "bigot-baiting" in Bakersfield, California. Finally, the editors are joined by attorney Darren Geist, a critic of Amnesty International's dehumanizing new policy on prostitution.

The Meaning Of Marriage: A Podcast with R. R. Reno by First Things