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** Daily Newsletter: JANUARY 30, 2026
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** In today’s newsletter:
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R. R. RENO: Postliberalism and Theology ([link removed])

JOSEPH KRUG: Bladee’s Redemptive Rap ([link removed])
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** Postliberalism and Theology ([link removed])
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** R. R. Reno
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Editor R. R. Reno continues his exploration of the relationship between postliberal theology and postliberal politics. He critiques the essay “What Has New Haven to Do with Hungary?” by David W. Congdon, asserting that postliberal politics of the New Right do not reject personal autonomy, but merely refuse to elevate it to the highest good. Freedom is meant to serve love.

For further reading: Rusty wrote more about how the turn against liberalism began in the theological academy last month in “What Does Postliberalism Mean? ([link removed]) ”
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** Bladee’s Redemptive Rap ([link removed])
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** Joseph Krug
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Joseph Krug makes his First Things debut arguing that the Swedish rapper Bladdee is a Romantic poet and holy fool. After he was struck by lightning, Bladdee’s genre-bending music departed from juvenile ruminations on sex, drugs, and self-loathing and became transcendent with awareness of divine love. He has performed songs titled “ONLY GOD IS MADE PERFECT” and “St. George the Martyr” to sold out stadiums.

“To an uninitiated, conservative listener, Bladee’s music will seem to share more in common with the decadence of modern rap than with anything that could be enduring. Bladee reminds us that the best way to speak to a culture might just be to do so in its native language.”

For further reading: Another hugely popular musical artist to take a religious turn is Spanish singer Rosalía. Stephen Adubato wrote on “Rosalía’s Restless Heart ([link removed]) ” in November, showing that her latest album reveals “her sudden realization that she has ‘a desire that nothing in the world can satisfy’ other than God himself.”

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 ([link removed]) .

* February 3, 2026: Second Annual Angelicum Aquinas Lecture: “A Conversation with the Theologian of the Papal Household” ft. Fr. Wojciech Giertych, O.P. | New York, NY. Register here ([link removed]) .

* February 10, 2026: The Protestant Mind newsletter launch by Dale Coulter | Subscribe here ([link removed]) .

* March 5, 2026: Annual D.C. Lecture: “Our Crisis is Metaphysical” ft. Mary Harrington | Washington, DC. Register here ([link removed]) .

Until next time,


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VIRGINIA AABRAM
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Newsletter Editor
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