Please welcome Praxis Circle’s newest Contributor, Dr. R. R. Reno! He is a prolific writer and the editor of First Things magazine, one of America’s most influential religious journals. You can watch his full interview by starting the playlist above.
Rusty was raised in Maryland and received a B.A. from Haverford College in 1983. It was there that he was introduced to Karl Barth and had to confront the truth value of Christianity—a topic that set him on the trajectory of completing his PhD in theology at Yale University in 1990. After graduating Yale, Rusty received his first faculty appointment at Creighton University where he taught theology and ethics for the next 20 years. In 2010 Rusty took a leave of absence to work full-time at First Things where he continues to be the publication’s editor.
In addition to frequently writing for First Things, Rusty has been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, New York Post, The New Criterion, and more. He is the author of Return of the Strong Gods: Nationalism, Populism and the Future of the West (2019), Resurrecting the Idea of a Christian Society (2016), Fighting the Noonday Devil — and Other Essays Personal and Theological (2011), Genesis (2010), In the Ruins of the Church (2002), Redemptive Change: Atonement and the Cure of the Soul (2002), and the co-author of Sanctified Vision: An Introduction to Early Christian Interpretation of the Bible (2005) and Heroism and the Christian Life: Reclaiming Excellence (2000).
In his interview, Rusty discusses topics like mainline Protestantism, challenges to the West as a society that is losing its social and moral guardrails, the importance of family and family culture, how to share America as people with various and contradicting worldviews, the human desire to serve “strong” or “weak” gods, and more. Rusty is a sought-out voice on these issues and offers deep insight from a Catholic and traditional American perspective, with a keen eye for current times and our future.
No matter your religious affiliation, Rusty’s level-headed responses and collected disposition are sure to make you think about some of today’s biggest questions.
We’re honored to have you in the Praxis Circle family, Rusty! Thank you for such a rich interview.
