Institute On Religion And Public Life

INTERRELIGIOUS, NONPARTISAN RESEARCH AND EDUCATION INSTITUTE

FIRST THINGS MAGAZINE, THE INSTITUTE'S FLAGSHIP PROGRAM, SEEKS TO REACH A BROAD PUBLIC AUDIENCE OF RELIGIOUS BELIEVERS AND OTHERS CONCERNED WITH THE INTERSECTION OF RELIGION, CULTURE, POLITICS, AND SOCIETY IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE. THE MAGAZINE HAS A DIVERSE AND INFLUENTIAL READERSHIP; FROM POLITICAL LEADERS IN WASHINGTON DC AND INDUSTRY EXECUTIVES IN NEW YORK, TO OFFICIALS AT THE VATICAN, PROTESTANT CLERGY, COLLEGE STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND FAMILIES AROUND THE COUNTRY.WHILE OUR PRIMARY AUDIENCE IS IN THE UNITED STATES, THE MAGAZINE HAS A INTERNATIONAL FOLLOWING THROUGH FIRSTHINGS.COM. IN THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS, OVER 859,000 WEB SESSIONS ORIGINATED FROM OUTSIDE THE US, REPRESENTING 26% OF TOTAL WEB TRAFFIC FOR THE YEAR. FIRST THINGS ALSO HELD SEVERAL INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC SYMPOSIA IN EUROPE AND ASIA.FIRST THINGS MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED TEN TIMES A YEAR, WITH AN AVERAGE CIRCULATION OF OVER 26,000. FIRSTTHINGS.COM COMPLEMENTS AND EXTENDS THE REACH OF THE PRINT MAGAZINE. IN THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS, FIRSTTHINGS.COM RECEIVED OVER 8.8 MILLION PAGE VIEWS FROM 3.27 MILLION UNIQUE VISITORS AND SERVED OVER 2.95 MILLION PODCAST LISTENS. FIRST THINGS ALSO MAINTAINS AN ACTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE, WITH NEW CONTENT POSTED MULTIPLE TIMES EACH DAY. THE MAGAZINE CURRENTLY HAS OVER 145,000 FACEBOOK AND TWITTER FOLLOWERS.FIRST THINGS READERS ARE ENGAGED AND ACTIVE IN OUR WORK. THERE ARE CURRENTLY OVER 100 INDEPENDENT, SELF-ORGANIZED READING GROUPS (READERS OF FIRST THINGS, OR ROFTERS) AROUND THE WORLD THAT REGULARLY MEET TO DISCUSS FIRST THINGS CONTENT AND ACT AS AMBASSADORS FOR OUR MISSION IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. A NUMBER OF ROFTERS GROUPS ARE CURRENTLY FORMING IN COUNTRIES AROUNG THE WORLD INCLUDING AUSTRALIA, CANADA, COLUMBIA, ISRAEL, ITALY, AND JAPAN.

EDUCATION PROGRAMS:BEYOND PRINT AND ONLINE PUBLICATIONS, FIRST THINGS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS ARE A LONG STANDING, AND EVER GROWING, COMMITMENT. THE INSTITUTE BELIEVES STRONGLY THAT CREATING A VISIBLE COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF ACCOMPLISHING THE MISSION. EACH YEAR THE INSTITUTE SPONSORS AND HOSTS A VARIETY OF EDUCATIONAL EVENTS AND ACADEMIC COLLOQUIA IN ORDER TO ENGAGE OUR FRIENDS, SUBSCRIBERS, NATIONAL INFULUENCERS, AS WELL AS NOTED SCHOLARS AND PROMISING STUDENTS.THREE MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS:1. CONTINUED STRENGTH OF THE FIRST THINGS SEMINAR PROGRAM IN NEW YORK.THE INAUGURAL FIRST THINGS INTELLECTUAL RETREAT WAS HELD IN NEW YORK CITY IN 2015, TITLED "THE PARADOX OF FREEDOM." INTEREST IN THE SEMINAR WAS REMARKABLY STRONG AND ENROLLMENT WAS AT CAPACITY. GIVEN THE SUCCESS OF THE FIRST RETREAT THE PROGRAM EXPANDED EVERY YEAR SINCE TO OTHER CITIES IN THE US. IN ADDITION TO THE NEW ANNUAL RETREAT IN NEW YORK CITY, FIRST THINGS HAS RETREATS IN LOS ANGELES, WACO, PHILADELPHIA, AND WASHINGTON DC TO MEET THE DEMAND AMONG READERS IN THOSE REGIONS OF THE COUNTRY. THE THEMES AND ASSIGNED READINGS FOR THE RETREATS VARY AND HAVE COVERED TOPICS SUCH AS ECONOMICS AND THE HUMAN PERSON, THE LIFE OF THE MIND, THE POLITICAL LIFE, THE GOOD OF MARRIAGE, LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP, THE COMMON GOOD AND THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS. THE RETREATS COMMONLY GATHER TOGETHER 60 TO 100 IN-PERSON PARTICIPANTS.2. PUBLISHING THE BEST WRITING ON RELIGION, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY: IN A TIME WHEN PRINT JOURNALISM IS STRUGGLING, FIRST THINGS CONTINUES TO THRIVE. OUR SUCCESS CAN BE CREDITED TO CONSISTENTLY PUBLISHING THE BEST WRITING ON RELIGION, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY IN TEN ISSUES OF FIRST THINGS MAGAZINE EACH YEAR AND DAILY AT FIRSTTHINGS.COMFIRST THINGS CONTINUES TO PROVIDE A CLARIFYING VOICE AMIDST THE NOISE OF OUR CURRENT POLITICAL AND CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT. WE PROVIDED READERS WITH SUBSTANTIVE PIECES THAT EXAMINED THE DEEPER HISTORICAL, RELIGIOUS, AND CULTURAL ROOTS OF ISSUES BEING DEBATED. TRUE TO OUR NAME, FIRST THINGS CONTINUED TO PUT POLITICS AND CULTURE INTO PERSPECTIVE. POLITICS IS AN END FOR HUMAN ENDEAVORS, BUT NOT OUR FIRST OR ULTIMATE END. OUR WORK REFLECTS THE TRUTH.3. THE ANNUAL ERASMUS LECTURE IN NEW YORK IS IN ITS 36TH YEAR: THE 2023 ERASMUS LECTURE WAS DELIVERED BY CARL R. TRUEMAN, PROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES AT GROVE CITY COLLEGE. HIS TALK WAS ENTITLED "THE DESECRATION OF MAN". THE LECTURE WAS THE LATEST IN THE PRESTIGIOUS SERIES HELD IN NEW YORK, EACH YEAR PRESENTING AN EXCEPTIONAL THOUGHT LEADER. PREVIOUS ERASMUS LECTURERS HAVE INCLUDED POPE BENEDICT XVI (THEN CARDINAL JOSEF RATZINGER), ARCHBISHOP TIMOTHY DOLAN, RABBI JONATHAN SACKS, DANA GIOIA, ROSS DOUTHAT, RUSSELL MOORE, BISHOP ROBERT BARRON, RMI BRAGUE, AND N. T. WRIGHT, AMONG MANY OTHER NOTEWORTHY SPEAKERS. THE LECTURE ALSO APPEARS IN THE PAGES OF FIRST THINGS AND ON FIRSTTHINGS.COM,