From the January issue: The term “postliberal” first entered the academy through theology rather than politics. Editor Rusty Reno writes, “‘Postliberal’ had an important negative meaning in my years of study at Yale. It signaled a loss of confidence in liberalism as a theological project. And because the central premise of that tradition is freedom from authority, to one degree or another, we were drawn in the opposite direction.” 

For further reading: Rusty wrote about the return to authoritative and demanding faith in “The Return of Strong Religion” in the April issue.

Arthouse2B, a Catholic artistic community, recently produced a ballet titled “Ballet and the Theology Within.” Nina Tarpley, our fall intern, attended, writing that “Ballet, like all art, is able to represent reality, to convey something unspeakable and otherworldly, to express the true nature of our lives. In that aspect, it is profoundly theological.”

For further reading: Alicia Chesser, an early managing editor of First Things, was a very intense ballerina when she was growing up. She freelanced as a dance critic in New York City, and wrote “Coincidence and Conversion” (December 2003) about her conversion to Catholicism.

Columnist John Wilson lists his favorite books of the year. Read to the end to see which book was the winner.

For further reading: For more reading recommendations from John Wilson, check out his September column “In the Stacks” about his meandering home library.

Upcoming Events

• February 1, 2026: Second Annual Neuhaus Lecture at the New College of Florida: “Recovering the University’s Soul” ft. Bishop Robert Barron | Sarasota, FL. Register here.

• March 5, 2026: Annual D.C. Lecture: “Our Crisis is Metaphysical” ft. Mary Harrington | Washington, D.C. Details coming soon.

Until next time,

VIRGINIA AABRAM

Newsletter Editor