Institute On Religion And Public Life

THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE, INC. IS AN INTERRELIGIOUS, NONPARTISAN RESEARCH AND EDUCATION INSTITUTE WHOSE PURPOSE IS TO ADVANCE A RELIGIOUSLY INFORMED PUBLIC PHILOSOPHY FOR THE ORDERING OF SOCIETY.

FIRST THINGS MAGAZINE, THE INSTITUTE'S FLAGSHIP PROGRAM, SEEKS TO REACH A BROAD PUBLIC AUDIENCE OF RELIGIOUS BELIEVERS AND OTHERS CONCERNED WITH THE INTERSECTION OFRELIGION, 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 THROUGHFIRSTTHINGS.COM. IN 2021, OVER1.6 MILLION MILLIONWEB SESSIONSORIGINATED FROM OUTSIDE THE US, REPRESENTING27% OF TOTALWEB TRAFFICFOR THE YEAR.FIRST THINGS HAS 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 27,000. THE MAGAZINE CAN ALSO BE READ VIA ANDROID, IOS, KINDLE, AND NOOK.FIRSTTHINGS.COM COMPLEMENTS AND EXTENDS THE REACH OF THE PRINT MAGAZINE. IN 2021,FIRSTTHINGS.COMRECEIVEDOVER 9.7 MILLION PAGEVIEWS FROM3.5 MILLION UNIQUE VISITORS. FIRST THINGS ALSO MAINTAINS AN ACTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE,WITH NEW CONTENT POSTED MULTIPLE TIMES EACH DAY. THE MAGAZINE CURRENTLY HAS OVER138,000 FACEBOOK AND TWITTERFOLLOWERS.FIRST THINGS READERS ARE ENGAGED AND ACTIVE IN OUR WORK. THERE ARE CURRENTLYOVER 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 ROFTERSGROUPS ARE CURRENTLY FORMINGIN COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD INCLUDING AUSTRALIA, CANADA, COLOMBIA, ISRAEL, ITALY, AND JAPAN.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS BEYOND PRINT AND ONLINE PUBLICATIONS, FIRST THINGS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS ARE A LONGSTANDING, AND EVER GROWING, COMMITMENT. THE INSTITUTE BELIEVES STRONGLY THATCREATING A VISIBLE COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF ACCOMPLISHING OURMISSION. EACH YEAR THE INSTITUTE SPONSORS AND HOSTS A VARIETY OF EDUCATIONAL EVENTSAND ACADEMIC COLLOQUIA IN ORDER TO ENGAGE OUR FRIENDS, SUBSCRIBERS, NATIONALINFLUENCERS, 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, IN SPITE OF LIMITATIONS IMPOSED BY THE COVID PANDEMIC.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 NOW ANNUAL RETREAT IN NEW YORK CITY, FIRST THINGS HAS HOSTED 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 60-100 IN-PERSON PARTICIPANTS. 2. PUBLISHING THE BEST WRITING ON RELIGION, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY: IN A TIME WHENPRINT JOURNALISM IS STRUGGLING, FIRST THINGS CONTINUES TO THRIVE. OURSUCCESS 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 ATFIRSTTHINGS.COM.FIRST 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 INTOPERSPECTIVE. POLITICS IS AN END FOR HUMAN ENDEAVORS, BUT NOT OUR FIRST OR ULTIMATEEND. OUR WORK REFLECTS THIS TRUTH.3. THE 34RD ANNUAL ERASMUS LECTURE IN NEW YORK: THE 2021 ERASMUS LECTURE WASDELIVERED BY WILFRED MCCLAY, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY AT HILLSDALE COLLEGE. AMONG HIS BOOKS IS THE MASTERLESS: SELF AND SOCIETY IN MODERN AMERICA, WHICH WON THE MERLE CURTI AWARD OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN HISTORIANS FOR THE BEST BOOK IN AMERICAN INTELLECTUAL HISTORY. HIS MOST RECENT BOOK IS LAND OF HOPE: AN INVITATION TO THE GREAT AMERICAN STORY. PROF. MCCLAY'S LECTURE WAS TITLED ON THE CLAIMS OF MEMORY. 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.