First Things Podcast

Dan Hitchens, a British writer and senior editor covering politics, religion, and culture, joins a wide-ranging discussion of Europe’s political upheaval. Topics include the AfD’s rise, Nigel Farage’s shift toward social solidarity, Britain’s rejection of assisted suicide, and the secular case for protecting vulnerable people. The conversation also examines AI regulation, liability, competition with China, and the danger of treating language models as conscious beings.

Christopher Caldwell, an American author and political commentator on immigration, nationalism, and Western civilization, examines the AfD’s rise in Germany. He explores speech restrictions, the party’s origins in eurozone backlash, migration taboos, Merkel’s legacy, and the shocks of the pandemic and Ukraine war. The conversation also considers Germany’s green transition, coalition politics, and Europe’s struggle between supranational integration and national identity.

Further reading:Darel E. Paul, “Jason Arday and the Therapeutic Academy”  (First Things)Carl R. Trueman, “How the Therapeutic Killed Academic Standards” (First Things)Bethel McGrew, “Jason Arday and the Merciless Lie” (First Things)Tyler Austin Harper, “Why I Quit the Tenure Track” (The Atlantic)R. R. Reno, “The Failed 9/11 Memorial” (First Things)

Brad Littlejohn, a scholar of Christian thought and policy advisor, explores how technology masks our dependence and reshapes communal life. He contrasts thing technologies that require care with devices that privatize use. Conversations cover smartphones replacing shared habits, tech fasting and communal disciplines, practical phone-free routines, and cautions about AI displacing prayer and moral reflection.

In this episode, James F. Keating joins R. R. Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his new bimonthly topical newsletter for First Things, The Fourth Watch.

Dana Gioia, poet and former U.S. arts official, reflects on Malcolm Cowley and the rise and fall of American literary criticism. He discusses Cowley’s role in shaping the canon, the invention of quality paperbacks, the shrinking ecosystem for critics, and how to train the next generation of literary reviewers.

J. J. Kimche, writer on Jewish culture and religion and author of the bi-monthly newsletter The Jew From Nowhere, explores Jewish identity as civilization, spirituality, and nation. He discusses the Passover Seder's pedagogy, Jewish mediation of medieval ideas, debates about Israel and theology, and the joy of serendipitous book discovery. Short, thoughtful, and wide-ranging.

Nathan Pinkoski, scholar and translator of Éric Zemmour, provides a brisk mini bio and frames France's late-20th-century transformation. He traces cultural shifts from May 1968, family law changes, and the rise of consumer capitalism. Conversations cover judicial and elite maneuvers, European integration, the move from class to identity politics, and the governance challenges of multiculturalism.

Matthew Schmitz, former editor and founder of Compact Magazine, reflects on “Our Strange Catholic Moment.” He outlines the paradox of growing Catholic visibility amid institutional decline. Topics include urban parish growth, Gen Z conversions, Catholic language entering elite debate, Protestant influence on practice, media success, and why the pope still matters to elites.

Sam Zeno Conedera, a Catholic priest and scholar, offers a concise theological portrait of Joseph Ratzinger. He surveys Ratzinger’s influences, Communio’s Christocentric vision, debates over Biblical interpretation and nature and grace, liturgical priorities, Vatican II’s contested legacy, and the prospects for synthesis across theological camps. Short, focused reflections on key moments and tensions in modern Catholic thought.