Journals Worth The Subscription Fee

I love books. I also like journals and periodicals. The former are my bread-and-butter. The latter are a useful supplement; in fact, I find that the journals usually make for more efficient reading for the sake of understanding: they’re like protein bars: a lot of bang for the caloric buck.

While I often dip into the local library and browse a variety of journals, and while I receive a variety of e-journals, I subscribe to and receive hardcopies of just a couple.

1. First Things. This is a great place to go for thoughtful articles, essays, opinion pieces, even poetry, intended to provide a religiously informed (and largely Christian) public philosophy for society. Under the editorship of Fr. Richard John Neuhaus until his death (January 2009), it’s now in the capable hands of Joseph Bottum.
2. Pro Ecclesia. This is a great place to go for very learned and theologically informed articles covering the breadth of biblical, historical, theological and liturgical issues of the Christian church.
3. Hedgehog Review. I’m a relative newcomer to The Hedgehog Review but thus far have been very impressed. Articles in this journal are written by leading cultural critics on a range of issues related to society and human existence. The most recent issue, for example, treats the topic of anger from a variety of different vantage points.

If you’re interested in high-octane and highly efficient reading material – though not necessarily for the faint-of-heart – then take a look at any one of these three. I’d heartily recommend each of them.

And how about you? What journals or periodicals do you subscribe to or find worthwhile to read? Let us know.