Dear Reader,
As a
First Things reader, you know the drill: A radical idea is introduced into public discourse—released, like a trial balloon—and then quickly walked back. A short time later, this idea resurfaces and garners some elite acceptance. We must “tolerate” this idea in the public square, because we are good liberals.
You know the next step. Tolerance is but a gateway; soon, fealty is demanded. Gradually, then suddenly.
Our founder Fr. Richard John Neuhaus understood this dynamic well. Indeed, the axiom that became known as Neuhaus’s Law describes a similar phenomenon from the opposite vantage: Where orthodoxy is optional, orthodoxy will sooner or later be proscribed.
Orthodoxy is not optional at
First Things. To be clear, we are a broad tent. We warmly welcome all persons of faith—as well as other persons of good faith—to participate in the
First Things conversation. But our perspective is clear.
If you value what First Things adds to the public square, I hope you’ll make a tax-deductible donation today.
By doing so, you will be joining together with the 501 of your fellow readers who have already given $462,000 toward
First Things’ 2021 Year-End Campaign.
With nine days left, this puts us at 58 percent of our $800,000 campaign goal.
Rest assured, your donation to First Things does not subsidize ambivalence. We understand what is at risk when first principles are marginalized. This is why we unambiguously choose to stand on the side of truth and why your donation is so urgently needed.
