First Things Podcast
516 episodes — Page 1 of 11
Disney Adulting (ft. Veronica Clarke)
Why Portico? (ft. Micah Mattix)
Is Churchill America’s Hero? (ft. Sean McMeekin)
The Return of the Mainline? (ft. Brad East)
The Sexual Abuse Crisis Is a Law Crisis (ft. Michael Mazza)

Ep 513Disclosure in Modern Poetry (ft. Glenn Arbery)
In this episode, Glenn C. Arbery joins R. R. Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent essay, “Lyric as Disclosure” from the March 2026 issue of the magazine.
Ep 512Our Crisis is Metaphysical | 2026 D.C. Lecture | 2026 D.C. Lecture (Presented by: Mary Harrington)
In this episode, First Things brings you the recording of the 2026 D.C. Lecture presented by Mary Harrington. Please subscribe to access more information about future lectures and many great articles!

Ep 511The Countryman–Foreigner Distinction (ft. Matthew Crawford)
In this episode, Matthew B. Crawford joins R. R. Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent essay, “Love in the Time of Mass Migration” from the March 2026 issue of the magazine.

Ep 510Admiration as Inspiration (ft. Elizabeth Corey)
In this episode, Elizabeth Corey joins R. R. Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about her recent piece, “On the Pleasure of Admiring” from the February 2026 issue of the magazine.

Ep 509What Virgil Teaches America (ft. Spencer Klavan)
In this episode, Spencer A. Klavan joins R. R. Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent essay, “In the Footsteps of Aeneas” from the February 2026 issue of the magazine.

Ep 507The Promises of Gay Liberation (ft. Scott Yenor)
In this episode, Scott Yenor joins R. R. Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent essay, “The Rise and Fall of Gay Activism” from the February 2026 issue of the magazine.

Ep 505The Evangelical Elite Gap (ft. Aaron Renn)
In this episode, Aaron Renn joins R. R. Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent essay, “The Problem with the Evangelical Elite” from the January 2026 issue of the magazine.

Ep 503Caravaggio the Destroyer (ft. Jaspreet Singh Boparai)
In this episode, Jaspreet Singh Boparai joins R. R. Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent review, “Caravaggio and Us” from the January 2026 issue of the magazine.

Ep 502The Realities of Empire (ft. Nathan Pinkoski)
In this episode, Nathan Pinkoski joins R. R. Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent review, “Hegemon or Empire?” from the January 2026 issue of the magazine.

Ep 501The Church of Sarah Mullally (ft. Damian Thompson)
In this episode, Damian Thompson joins R. R. Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent essay, “Canterbury Fails,” from the December 2025 issue of the magazine.

Ep 500John Searle's Minds and Machines (ft. Edward Feser)
In this episode, Edward Feser joins R. R. Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent essay, “The Common Sense of John Searle,” from the December 2025 issue of the magazine.

Ep 499The Sabbath is Back! (ft. J. J. Kimche)
The Sabbath is Back! (ft. J. J. Kimche) by First Things

Ep 498How to Talk About God (ft. Hans Boersma)
In this episode, Hans Boersma joins Rusty Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent essay, "Modernity and God-Talk," from the November 2025 issue of the magazine.

Ep 497Is the UK a Nation of Immigrants? (ft. Louise Perry)
In this episode, Louise Perry joins Rusty Reno on The Editor’s Desk to talk about her recent essay, “Indigenous London,” from the November 2025 issue of the magazine.

Ep 496Heritage and the Right
The editors discuss the troubles at Heritage, the conservative think tank whose president recently touched off a controversy by releasing a video statement in support of Tucker Carlson. The controversy pits generation against generation and faction against faction within the conservative movement. Rusty Reno and Dan Hitchens join Julia Yost.

Ep 495Where Is the Antichrist? (ft. Peter Thiel)
In this episode, Peter Thiel joins Rusty Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recently co-authored essay, "Voyages to the End of the World," from the November 2025 issue of the magazine.

Ep 494Walking in Wonder (ft. Virginia Aabram)
In this episode, Virginia Aabram and Elizabeth Bachmann join Rusty Reno on The Editor’s Desk to talk about Virginia's recent essay, “The Road to Chartres,” from the October 2025 issue of the magazine.

Ep 493Declaration of Dependence (ft. Leah Libresco)
In this episode, Leah Libresco joins Rusty Reno on The Editor’s Desk to talk about her recent book, “The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto.”

Ep 492Pope and Parliament
The editors discuss Great Britain’s assisted suicide bill, Pope Leo’s first major interview, and Charlie Kirk’s memorial service. Dan Hitchens joins Julia Yost.

Ep 491Faith in State Politics (ft. Cameron Sexton)
In the first episode of While We're At It, Cameron Sexton joins in to talk about his work as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives and Speaker of the state House.

Ep 490Pius XII’s Vindication (ft. Michael Knowles)
In the first episode of While We're At It, a brand new interview series with First Things editor Rusty Reno, Michael Knowles joins in to talk about “The Pope and the Führer: The Secret Vatican Files of World War II,” a new four-part docuseries now available on DailyWire+.

Ep 489Turning Point
The editors discuss the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the rise of political violence in America. Rusty Reno joins Julia Yost.

Ep 488Politics After Literacy (ft. Mary Harrington)
In this episode, Mary Harrington joins Rusty Reno on The Editor’s Desk to talk about her recent essay, “The King and the Swarm,” from the August/September 2025 issue of the magazine.

Ep 487The Death of the Oxford Don (ft. Jaspreet Singh Boparai)
In this episode, Jaspreet Singh Boparai joins Rusty Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent essay, "Waugh Against the Fogeys," from the August/September 2025 issue of the magazine.

Ep 486Theology for a Brave New World (ft. Thomas Joseph White)
In this episode, Fr. Thomas Joseph White joins Rusty Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent essay, "The Future of Catholic Theology," from the August/September 2025 issue of the magazine.

Ep 485William F. Buckley’s True Calling (ft. Christopher Caldwell)
In this episode, Christopher Caldwell joins Rusty Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent review, "The Great Excommunicator" from the August/September 2025 issue of the magazine.

Ep 484Nationalism Will Save the West
In the latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Yoram Hazony joins in to discuss his book, "The Virtue of Nationalism."

Ep 483How to Prevent an Act of Terror (ft. Alan Dershowitz)
In the latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Alan Dershowitz joins in to discuss his recent book, "The Preventive State: The Challenge of Preventing Serious Harms While Preserving Essential Liberties."

Ep 482NovelCon (ft. Christopher Scalia)
In the latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Christopher J. Scalia joins in to discuss his recent book, "13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven't Read)."

Ep 481A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones
In this episode, Clare Morell joins Rusty Reno on in the First Things office to talk about her recent book, “The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones.”

Ep 480At Home and Abroad
The editors discuss conservatism’s big wins at the Supreme Court and America’s military and diplomatic ventures in the Middle East. Rusty Reno joins Julia Yost.

Ep 479The Fed and the College
In the latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Brad Lingo joins in to discuss Grove City College. Subscribe to Mark's new channel on: Spotify: tinyurl.com/mufv3xzw Apple Podcasts: tinyurl.com/3w32d42x Intro music by Jack Bauerlein.

Ep 478The Quest for the Historical Jesus
In this episode, Michael C. Legaspi joins Rusty Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent review, "Jesus After the Critics" from the June/July 2025 issue of the magazine.

Ep 477The Death of Mass Literacy
In this episode, Wessie du Toit joins Rusty Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent essay, "The Future of Reading" from the June/July 2025 issue of the magazine. Subscribe at www.firstthings.com/subscribe in order to access this and many other great pieces!

Ep 476Classical Education Keeps Growing
In the latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Martin Cothran joins in to discuss Memoria Press and Classical Education in America. Subscribe to Mark's new channel on: Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/mufv3xzw Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/3w32d42x Intro music by Jack Bauerlein.

Ep 475L.A. and Elon
The editors discuss the immigration riots in Los Angeles, and Donald Trump’s feud with Gavin Newsom. Then they discuss that other feud. Rusty Reno joins Julia Yost.

Ep 474The Rise of Queer Politics (ft. Joy Pullmann)
In the latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Joy Pullmann joins in to discuss her recent book, "False Flag: Why Queer Politics Mean the End of America." Intro music by Jack Bauerlein.

Ep 473Kids Aren’t Learning—Here’s What To Do (ft. Jason Bedrick)
In the latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Jason Bedrick joins in to discuss "The Phoenix Declaration: An American Vision for Education." Intro music by Jack Bauerlein.

Ep 472The Hour for a New Humanism | 2025 D.C. Lecture (Presented by: Carl Trueman)
In this episode, First Things brings you the recording of the 2025 D.C. Lecture presented by Carl Trueman. Please subscribe at www.firstthings.com/subscribe in order to get more information on future lectures and access many great pieces!

Ep 471Sainthood through Marriage
In the latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Caitrin Bennett joins in to discuss her recent book, "Holier Matrimony: Married Saints, Catholic Vows, and Sacramental Grace." Intro music by Jack Bauerlein.

Ep 470The Popecast
The editors discuss the first days of the pontificate of Leo XIV, the first American pope. Then, a report on the pope’s brothers. Rusty Reno, editor Dan Hitchens, and Virginia Aabram join Julia Yost.

Ep 469Law on Film (ft. Stanley Fish)
In the latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Stanley Fish joins in to discuss his recent book, "Law at the Movies: Turning Legal Doctrine into Art." Intro music by Jack Bauerlein.

Ep 468The Persistence of Ideology (ft. Daniel Mahoney)
In the latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Daniel J. Mahoney joins in to discuss his recent book, "The Persistence of the Ideological Lie: The Totalitarian Impulse Then and Now." Intro music by Jack Bauerlein.

Ep 467Pius vs. Innocent
While waiting for news from the real-life conclave, the editors re-watch the 2024 feature film Conclave and the 2017 HBO series The Young Pope. Then they air their hopes and anxieties about the papal election. Dan Hitchens and special guest Matthew Schmitz join Julia Yost.

Ep 466Women Without Men! (ft. Darel E. Paul)
In this episode, Darel E. Paul joins Rusty Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent essay, "Feminism Against Fertility" from the May 2025 issue of the magazine. Please subscribe at www.firstthings.com/subscribe in order to access this and many other great pieces!