What do you think?
Rate this book
Reinhold Niebuhr
Book by Patterson, Bob E.
168 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1977
1 person is currently reading
11 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 25, 2017
Summary: An introduction to the life and theological contribution of this mid-twentieth century theologian, known for re-introducing a conversation about sin into liberal theological circles.
Reinhold Niebuhr was one of a group of "neo-orthodox" and more liberal theologians who dominated the theological landscape of the mid-twentieth century, along with Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Paul Tillich, and Rudolf Bultmann. Niebuhr's distinction was that he was the one American in the group (Tillich emigrated to the U.S. during World War II). He may have been the most influential American-born theologian since Jonathan Edwards. His "Christian realism" informed the thinking of architect of Cold War era policy George Kennan and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., and he was a favorite theologian of both Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.
This book marks the re-publishing of the Makers of the Modern Theological Mind series, originally published in the late 1970's. Each of the volumes provides a concise biography and theological contribution for most of the above named figures. They are ideal for theological students preparing for comprehensive exams, but also as accessible summaries to the lives and works of these important figures who still exert influence in both theological, and in Niebuhr's case, political circles.
Patterson begins with an extended biographical essay that traces Niebuhr's formative years, his Detroit pastorate, his advocacy for workers and socialist causes, his pacifism and then the turn in his life as he renounced socialism and endorsed U.S. involvement in World War II. Likewise, he shook the theological world with his Gifford Lectures later published as The Nature and Destiny of Man, where he enunciated his theology of what it means to be human, and particularly the reality and universality of human sinfulness, especially the sin of pride, evident even in the best of our noble political and spiritual pretensions. This marked a kind of summit in his life, during his years at Union Theological Seminary and as a highly sought-after speaker on university campuses and other fora. A series of strokes and heart trouble hampered his later life, although he continued to write prolifically, particularly on questions at the junction of theological and political life.
The rest of the book is devoted to his theology. Patterson begins with his anthropology and Niebuhr's emphasis on the tension humans live in between their freedom and finiteness, and the anxiety that results from this. He goes on to show how this anxiety, when it is not turned to faith in God, inevitably leads to sin. One of Niebuhr's distinct contributions, according to Patterson, is his focus particularly on the forms of pride that result from that anxiety, rather than the sensual sins, although Niebuhr also gives an account of this. The sin of pride colors all human pretensions to noble social, political and even spiritual ambitions. This leads Niebuhr to the "paradox of grace" which both empowers moral transformation, and yet extends the continuing forgiveness of the intrusions of sin through the atoning work of Christ.
Niebuhr's understanding of sin and grace informs his "Christian realism" in the pursuit of love and justice. The grace of Christianity inspires us to acts of agape love, yet the pretensions of pride remain, and love may best be translated into the upholding of justice in society. For Niebuhr, he recognizes the structural as well as personal dimensions of sin and its impact on movements of social justice. We are, in the language of one of his books, "moral men in an immoral society." Furthermore, realism cautions against the extremes of totalitarian efforts to bring in the good society and the utopian dreams of much liberalism. We will not bring in the kingdom in human history, only proximate goods that look toward an eschatological fulfillment.
Although some of the language and references in this 1970's work reflects this time, the author is prescient, in my view, in his appreciation of the relevance of Niebuhr to our own day:
"We still need his genius to see that human behavior is complex, that demonic possibilities are built into church and social structures, that human pride and spiritual arrogance rise to new heights precisely at the point where they are closest to the Kingdom of God, and that advance brings vulnerability to new temptations. Since overweening self-regard is ubiquitous, religious and political groups need Niebuhr's caution about special arrogance, about the self-righteous smoke screen laid down by the powerful, and about cheap grace" (pp. 130-131).
Niebuhr wasn't an evangelical, and this perhaps accounts for why his influence has not shaped either evangelical political engagement or a suburban-oriented church growth movement in the last thirty years that has been blind to the "demonic possibilities" in our structures that have contributed to a racially divided church and a deeply divided political discourse. His trenchant analysis of the human condition and of what is possible in a fallen world, certainly not infallible in all its detail, nevertheless provides the lineaments of an intellectual, moral and spiritual framework we desperately need in our day.
___________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Reinhold Niebuhr was one of a group of "neo-orthodox" and more liberal theologians who dominated the theological landscape of the mid-twentieth century, along with Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Paul Tillich, and Rudolf Bultmann. Niebuhr's distinction was that he was the one American in the group (Tillich emigrated to the U.S. during World War II). He may have been the most influential American-born theologian since Jonathan Edwards. His "Christian realism" informed the thinking of architect of Cold War era policy George Kennan and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., and he was a favorite theologian of both Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.
This book marks the re-publishing of the Makers of the Modern Theological Mind series, originally published in the late 1970's. Each of the volumes provides a concise biography and theological contribution for most of the above named figures. They are ideal for theological students preparing for comprehensive exams, but also as accessible summaries to the lives and works of these important figures who still exert influence in both theological, and in Niebuhr's case, political circles.
Patterson begins with an extended biographical essay that traces Niebuhr's formative years, his Detroit pastorate, his advocacy for workers and socialist causes, his pacifism and then the turn in his life as he renounced socialism and endorsed U.S. involvement in World War II. Likewise, he shook the theological world with his Gifford Lectures later published as The Nature and Destiny of Man, where he enunciated his theology of what it means to be human, and particularly the reality and universality of human sinfulness, especially the sin of pride, evident even in the best of our noble political and spiritual pretensions. This marked a kind of summit in his life, during his years at Union Theological Seminary and as a highly sought-after speaker on university campuses and other fora. A series of strokes and heart trouble hampered his later life, although he continued to write prolifically, particularly on questions at the junction of theological and political life.
The rest of the book is devoted to his theology. Patterson begins with his anthropology and Niebuhr's emphasis on the tension humans live in between their freedom and finiteness, and the anxiety that results from this. He goes on to show how this anxiety, when it is not turned to faith in God, inevitably leads to sin. One of Niebuhr's distinct contributions, according to Patterson, is his focus particularly on the forms of pride that result from that anxiety, rather than the sensual sins, although Niebuhr also gives an account of this. The sin of pride colors all human pretensions to noble social, political and even spiritual ambitions. This leads Niebuhr to the "paradox of grace" which both empowers moral transformation, and yet extends the continuing forgiveness of the intrusions of sin through the atoning work of Christ.
Niebuhr's understanding of sin and grace informs his "Christian realism" in the pursuit of love and justice. The grace of Christianity inspires us to acts of agape love, yet the pretensions of pride remain, and love may best be translated into the upholding of justice in society. For Niebuhr, he recognizes the structural as well as personal dimensions of sin and its impact on movements of social justice. We are, in the language of one of his books, "moral men in an immoral society." Furthermore, realism cautions against the extremes of totalitarian efforts to bring in the good society and the utopian dreams of much liberalism. We will not bring in the kingdom in human history, only proximate goods that look toward an eschatological fulfillment.
Although some of the language and references in this 1970's work reflects this time, the author is prescient, in my view, in his appreciation of the relevance of Niebuhr to our own day:
"We still need his genius to see that human behavior is complex, that demonic possibilities are built into church and social structures, that human pride and spiritual arrogance rise to new heights precisely at the point where they are closest to the Kingdom of God, and that advance brings vulnerability to new temptations. Since overweening self-regard is ubiquitous, religious and political groups need Niebuhr's caution about special arrogance, about the self-righteous smoke screen laid down by the powerful, and about cheap grace" (pp. 130-131).
Niebuhr wasn't an evangelical, and this perhaps accounts for why his influence has not shaped either evangelical political engagement or a suburban-oriented church growth movement in the last thirty years that has been blind to the "demonic possibilities" in our structures that have contributed to a racially divided church and a deeply divided political discourse. His trenchant analysis of the human condition and of what is possible in a fallen world, certainly not infallible in all its detail, nevertheless provides the lineaments of an intellectual, moral and spiritual framework we desperately need in our day.
___________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
June 10, 2017
This is not a review but just some notes taken while reading the book. For what I posted about Niebuhr today (6/10/17) with a brief reference to this book, see my blog article posted here: https://theviewfromthisseat.blogspot....
“I. The Making of a Christian Realist”
The first section is “Niebuhr’s Legacy” (13-20). “Reinhold Niebuhr was the most influential American theologian of this century” (14).
According to Niebuhr, “Both secular and religious optimism led to moral and political confusion because they ignored man’s sin of willful pride—a universally entrenched, predatory self-interest that exists in all men” (16).
“In combining theology and social ethics he brought theological ethics into the social arena (17).
N. was born on June 21, 1892. He went to Yale Divinity School, but never worked on a doctorate. In 1915 he became pastor of Bethel Evangelical Church in Detroit.
“The tall, balding Niebuhr resigned his Detroit pastorate in 1928 and joined the faculty of Union to start full-time teaching” (30).
Out of his “disenchantment with liberalism came his famous book of 1932, 'Moral Man and Immoral Society'” (32).
“At the beginning of World War II he developed the fullest argument in the American church against pacifism” (34).
“In his book of 1935, 'An Interpretation of Christian Ethics,' Niebuhr tried to restate in a constructive way the relation between politics and ethics” (36).
His biographer Jane Bingham wrote that “his ideas were too orthodox for the liberals, they were too liberal for the orthodox; and if too secular for the religious, they were too religious for the secular” (40).
He was invited to the University of Edinburgh as the Gifford Lecturer in the spring and autumn of 1939. “The Gifford Lectures became Niebuhr’s theological masterpiece, the central achievement of his career.” They were published under the title "The Nature and Destiny of Man" in 1941.
“As the war came to an end, Niebuhr wrote his major treatise on democratic political theology, "The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness" (1944). . . . One of his most quoted aphorisms states the thesis of the book: ‘Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary’” (47).
“II. Existential Anthropology”
“Niebuhr said that Kierkegaard had interpreted the human self more accurately than any modern (and most previous) Christian theologians” (66).
“For Niebuhr there was no inquiry into the human situation without a faith presupposition” (73).
“III. Man the Sinner”
For Niebuhr, pride is “man’s basic sin” (88). N. analyzed four types of pride: pride of power, intellectual pride, moral pride, and spiritual pride.
“Dishonesty is sin’s final expression” (89).
“IV. The Triumph of Grace”
“If Niebuhr’s doctrine of sin is the best known but most misunderstood of his teachings, then his doctrine of grace is the least known and least appreciated of his teachings” (101).
A subsection is titled “The Paradox of Grace” (116-121).
“V. Love and Justice”
On page 127 is the significant quote from "The Irony of American History" (63). “Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by love. No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint. Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.”
“The Relation of Love and Justice” (130-5) is a significant section. P. summarized N.’s position that “power must be countered by power” (131).
Next is “Justice and the Paradox of Grace” (135-9)
“VI. Relevance and the March of Time”
Patterson’s final paragraph: “After reading Niebuhr again in the preparation of this book, I am now more than ever persuaded that his thought can be a source of critical guidance to a new generation. His deep faith in God’s transcendent judgment and mercy can once again support and illumine thoughtful people both inside and outside the Christian circle” (154).
“I. The Making of a Christian Realist”
The first section is “Niebuhr’s Legacy” (13-20). “Reinhold Niebuhr was the most influential American theologian of this century” (14).
According to Niebuhr, “Both secular and religious optimism led to moral and political confusion because they ignored man’s sin of willful pride—a universally entrenched, predatory self-interest that exists in all men” (16).
“In combining theology and social ethics he brought theological ethics into the social arena (17).
N. was born on June 21, 1892. He went to Yale Divinity School, but never worked on a doctorate. In 1915 he became pastor of Bethel Evangelical Church in Detroit.
“The tall, balding Niebuhr resigned his Detroit pastorate in 1928 and joined the faculty of Union to start full-time teaching” (30).
Out of his “disenchantment with liberalism came his famous book of 1932, 'Moral Man and Immoral Society'” (32).
“At the beginning of World War II he developed the fullest argument in the American church against pacifism” (34).
“In his book of 1935, 'An Interpretation of Christian Ethics,' Niebuhr tried to restate in a constructive way the relation between politics and ethics” (36).
His biographer Jane Bingham wrote that “his ideas were too orthodox for the liberals, they were too liberal for the orthodox; and if too secular for the religious, they were too religious for the secular” (40).
He was invited to the University of Edinburgh as the Gifford Lecturer in the spring and autumn of 1939. “The Gifford Lectures became Niebuhr’s theological masterpiece, the central achievement of his career.” They were published under the title "The Nature and Destiny of Man" in 1941.
“As the war came to an end, Niebuhr wrote his major treatise on democratic political theology, "The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness" (1944). . . . One of his most quoted aphorisms states the thesis of the book: ‘Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary’” (47).
“II. Existential Anthropology”
“Niebuhr said that Kierkegaard had interpreted the human self more accurately than any modern (and most previous) Christian theologians” (66).
“For Niebuhr there was no inquiry into the human situation without a faith presupposition” (73).
“III. Man the Sinner”
For Niebuhr, pride is “man’s basic sin” (88). N. analyzed four types of pride: pride of power, intellectual pride, moral pride, and spiritual pride.
“Dishonesty is sin’s final expression” (89).
“IV. The Triumph of Grace”
“If Niebuhr’s doctrine of sin is the best known but most misunderstood of his teachings, then his doctrine of grace is the least known and least appreciated of his teachings” (101).
A subsection is titled “The Paradox of Grace” (116-121).
“V. Love and Justice”
On page 127 is the significant quote from "The Irony of American History" (63). “Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by love. No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint. Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.”
“The Relation of Love and Justice” (130-5) is a significant section. P. summarized N.’s position that “power must be countered by power” (131).
Next is “Justice and the Paradox of Grace” (135-9)
“VI. Relevance and the March of Time”
Patterson’s final paragraph: “After reading Niebuhr again in the preparation of this book, I am now more than ever persuaded that his thought can be a source of critical guidance to a new generation. His deep faith in God’s transcendent judgment and mercy can once again support and illumine thoughtful people both inside and outside the Christian circle” (154).
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews