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An American Conscience: The Reinhold Niebuhr Story
Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971) was an inner-city pastor, ethics professor, and author of the famous Serenity Prayer. Time magazine's 25th anniversary issue in March 1948 featured Niebuhr on its cover, and Time later eulogized him as "the greatest Protestant theologian in America since Jonathan Edwards." Cited as an influence by public figures ranging from Billy Graham to Barack Obama, Niebuhr was described by historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. as "the most influential American theologian of the twentieth century."
In this companion volume to the forthcoming documentary film by Martin Doblmeier on the life and influence of Reinhold Niebuhr, Jeremy Sabella draws on an unprecedented set of exclusive interviews to explore how Niebuhr continues to compel minds and stir consciences in the twenty-first century. Interviews with leading voices such as Jimmy Carter, David Brooks, Cornel West, and Stanley Hauerwas as well as with people who knew Niebuhr personally, including his daughter Elisabeth, provide a rich trove of original material to help readers understand Niebuhr's enduring impact on American life and thought.
CONTRIBUTORS (interviewees)
Andrew J. Bacevich
David Brooks
Lisa Sowle Cahill
Jimmy Carter
Gary Dorrien
Andrew Finstuen
K. Healan Gaston
Stanley Hauerwas
Susannah Heschel
William H. Hudnut III
Robin W. Lovin
Fr. Mark S. Massa, SJ
Elisabeth Sifton
Ronald H. Stone
Cornel West
Andrew Young
In this companion volume to the forthcoming documentary film by Martin Doblmeier on the life and influence of Reinhold Niebuhr, Jeremy Sabella draws on an unprecedented set of exclusive interviews to explore how Niebuhr continues to compel minds and stir consciences in the twenty-first century. Interviews with leading voices such as Jimmy Carter, David Brooks, Cornel West, and Stanley Hauerwas as well as with people who knew Niebuhr personally, including his daughter Elisabeth, provide a rich trove of original material to help readers understand Niebuhr's enduring impact on American life and thought.
CONTRIBUTORS (interviewees)
Andrew J. Bacevich
David Brooks
Lisa Sowle Cahill
Jimmy Carter
Gary Dorrien
Andrew Finstuen
K. Healan Gaston
Stanley Hauerwas
Susannah Heschel
William H. Hudnut III
Robin W. Lovin
Fr. Mark S. Massa, SJ
Elisabeth Sifton
Ronald H. Stone
Cornel West
Andrew Young
171 pages, Paperback
Published March 27, 2017
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73 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 15, 2017
Edgar DeWitt Jones was Reinhold Niebuhr's Detroit colleague from 1920 to 1928, and so he got to know him first hand. Jones, who founded the church I now serve as pastor, wrote a book about American preachers and numbered among them Niebuhr. He notes that "Niebuhr claims to be a 'tamed cynic,' but he is neither cynical nor tame. He is one of the few shining intellectuals among the preachers of America who are both radical and deeply religious" ["American Preachers of Today," p. 249]. Niebuhr came to Detroit as a young man, fresh out of seminary, called to serve a small German Evangelical Church, which exploded under his leadership, even though he took on the powerful of Detroit, including Henry Ford himself. From Detroit Niebuhr would go on to become one of America's great intellectual figures as well as leader within the religious community. Jones' description is likely apt -- he was both radical and deeply religious, and few were of his caliber.
This book, written by historian Jeremy Sabella serves as a companion to the excellent PBS documentary of the same title (Martin Doblmeier was the director of that film). He tells in rather brief form the story of Niebuhr's life and his influence on the world in which he lived. Sabella makes use of written resources, both those of Niebuhr and those of his interpreters and biographers. He also taps into the interviews that formed the documentary. Thus, we hear from persons ranging from Cornel West to Jimmy Carter.
Sabella begins the story by setting Niebuhr in his familial context, as the son of a preacher and part of a family deeply religious and intellectually inclined. The book really gets underway when Niebuhr arrives in Detroit, where he would serve as pastor of Bethel Evangelical Church from 1915-1928. These were the early days of the auto boom that would make Detroit the Motor City, and no one was more powerful in the city than Henry Ford, but it did not take long for Niebuhr to tangle with Ford, seeking to undermine his image as the benevolent owner. During this period Niebuhr became actively involved with supporting unions and then in support of civil rights for Detroit's burgeoning African American population. It was during this period that he began to make a name for himself as a writer and spell-binding speaker.
His tenure in Detroit led to his calling by Union Theological Seminary to teach ethics, even though he lacked the requisite academic credentials. However, the seminary's president Henry Sloane Coffin believed that Niebuhr could help the seminary bridge the divide between the academic culture and real world issues, and in time the seminary embraced him. Even as he had in Detroit as a preacher, as a teacher he brought a dynamic force of personality to the seminary. Then early in his tenure at Union Niebuhr met a young English student, with whom he found common cause. They would be married and become an important team, for Ursula was his intellectual equal.
After he moved to Union, Niebuhr wrote his first important work, a work that might be his greatest contribution, Moral Man and Immoral Society, a book that still resonates to this day. This book reflects Niebuhr's engagement with the realities of the social situation of his day. This was early in the Depression, and people were struggling with survival. As a result he joined the Socialist Party and entered the political fray. The book is rooted in his activism.
After the appearance of Moral Man and Immoral Society, he began to hear critiques that his book lacked theological depth. He heard this from among others his brother H. Richard who was teaching ethics at Yale. Conversations with Helmut would sharpen his theological voice, as would his engagement with Paul Tillich, whom he helped emigrate from Germany and gain a teaching post at Union. This effort led to a second book, "Reflections on an End of an Era" (1934), which Sabella says is Niebuhr's most radical work, and the only book not to be reprinted. The book sought to provide a sense of theological understanding of what he believed was the world's impending collapse. I didn't know of this work, and the discussion of it helps us understand Niebuhr's desire to explore the world in which he lived and served. It was here in the 1930s that Niebuhr forged his theological vocabulary and engaged the world outside the seminary walls, developing a reputation as an important religious voice, but also a political one.
Though I've not yet read it, the next great book, The Nature and Destiny of Man, brought to the public Niebuhr's 1939 Gifford Lectures (only the fourth American to give these prestigious lectures). Though it shouldn't surprise me, Niebuhr, who was pushing for American support of the allied war effort in the face of American isolationism, delivered the lectures as German bombs fell nearby. As the book progresses we find Niebuhr being consulted by the government as it sought to push back the Nazi scourge. We also find him serving as a strong voice for recognizing the plight of the Jews, and later as a strong advocate for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. It was during the period of engagement during the war and immediately afterward that Niebuhr began to forge his Christian Realism, a recognition that even at our best we are sin-affected beings. He challenged American self-assurance with a measure of religious realism.
The radical of the 1920s and 1930s was dawn into the establishment, but it seems, from Sabella's portrayal, that he was not a creature of the establishment. He served there, but kept his own counsel, which led to the FBI keeping a fairly detailed file on him.
In 1952 Niebuhr was stricken by a stroke that forced him to slow down his frenetic pace. He became more and more dependent on others, including his wife Ursula who would give up her academic post to assist Niebuhr in his efforts. Though never a again as active as he was before the stroke, he would remain a force in both the religious and non-religious world.
As his life wound down, Niebuhr became a close friend of Rabbi Abraham Heschel. The two men lived hear each other, and spent much time together, walking together, sharing their thoughts on the world and on religion. This led to an agreement that the other would deliver the eulogy for whoever died first. Thus, Heschel, the Jewish Rabbi would give the eulogy at the funeral of America's greatest theological figure. What a fitting tribute to a man who recognized the social dimensions of the faith. He had his blind spots, of course, but he sought to engage the world in transformative ways, which is likely why we continue to remember him to this day.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the documentary, which strangely did not get shown in Detroit, I found the book to be an excellent companion. Sabella introduces us to the important nfluences on Niebuhr's life, including his brother Helmut, with whom he didn't always agree, his wife Ursula, and Tillich. We explore his legacy, and the questions as to why the radicalism of his early life gave way to a more traditional liberalism in later years. Through the interviews with admirers and critics, we see his continuing legacy to this very day. Perhaps now is a time when the realism of Niebuhr, the recognition of the affect of sin on power, is sorely needed. Niebuhr would make clear that for America to be great, it should not pursue America first policies.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, though one nagging element stood out. Sabella suggests that Neibuhr earned a Master of Divinity degree at Eden Seminary. The M.Div. did not come into being until long after Niebuhr went to seminary. He in fact earned the Bachelor of Divinity, which in time would become the Master of Divinity degree. Had Sabella noted that, I would have been satisfied. Nonetheless, with or without a master's degree, Niebuhr was a theological giant, who continues to speak to America's conscience, whether you agree with him or not!
This book, written by historian Jeremy Sabella serves as a companion to the excellent PBS documentary of the same title (Martin Doblmeier was the director of that film). He tells in rather brief form the story of Niebuhr's life and his influence on the world in which he lived. Sabella makes use of written resources, both those of Niebuhr and those of his interpreters and biographers. He also taps into the interviews that formed the documentary. Thus, we hear from persons ranging from Cornel West to Jimmy Carter.
Sabella begins the story by setting Niebuhr in his familial context, as the son of a preacher and part of a family deeply religious and intellectually inclined. The book really gets underway when Niebuhr arrives in Detroit, where he would serve as pastor of Bethel Evangelical Church from 1915-1928. These were the early days of the auto boom that would make Detroit the Motor City, and no one was more powerful in the city than Henry Ford, but it did not take long for Niebuhr to tangle with Ford, seeking to undermine his image as the benevolent owner. During this period Niebuhr became actively involved with supporting unions and then in support of civil rights for Detroit's burgeoning African American population. It was during this period that he began to make a name for himself as a writer and spell-binding speaker.
His tenure in Detroit led to his calling by Union Theological Seminary to teach ethics, even though he lacked the requisite academic credentials. However, the seminary's president Henry Sloane Coffin believed that Niebuhr could help the seminary bridge the divide between the academic culture and real world issues, and in time the seminary embraced him. Even as he had in Detroit as a preacher, as a teacher he brought a dynamic force of personality to the seminary. Then early in his tenure at Union Niebuhr met a young English student, with whom he found common cause. They would be married and become an important team, for Ursula was his intellectual equal.
After he moved to Union, Niebuhr wrote his first important work, a work that might be his greatest contribution, Moral Man and Immoral Society, a book that still resonates to this day. This book reflects Niebuhr's engagement with the realities of the social situation of his day. This was early in the Depression, and people were struggling with survival. As a result he joined the Socialist Party and entered the political fray. The book is rooted in his activism.
After the appearance of Moral Man and Immoral Society, he began to hear critiques that his book lacked theological depth. He heard this from among others his brother H. Richard who was teaching ethics at Yale. Conversations with Helmut would sharpen his theological voice, as would his engagement with Paul Tillich, whom he helped emigrate from Germany and gain a teaching post at Union. This effort led to a second book, "Reflections on an End of an Era" (1934), which Sabella says is Niebuhr's most radical work, and the only book not to be reprinted. The book sought to provide a sense of theological understanding of what he believed was the world's impending collapse. I didn't know of this work, and the discussion of it helps us understand Niebuhr's desire to explore the world in which he lived and served. It was here in the 1930s that Niebuhr forged his theological vocabulary and engaged the world outside the seminary walls, developing a reputation as an important religious voice, but also a political one.
Though I've not yet read it, the next great book, The Nature and Destiny of Man, brought to the public Niebuhr's 1939 Gifford Lectures (only the fourth American to give these prestigious lectures). Though it shouldn't surprise me, Niebuhr, who was pushing for American support of the allied war effort in the face of American isolationism, delivered the lectures as German bombs fell nearby. As the book progresses we find Niebuhr being consulted by the government as it sought to push back the Nazi scourge. We also find him serving as a strong voice for recognizing the plight of the Jews, and later as a strong advocate for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. It was during the period of engagement during the war and immediately afterward that Niebuhr began to forge his Christian Realism, a recognition that even at our best we are sin-affected beings. He challenged American self-assurance with a measure of religious realism.
The radical of the 1920s and 1930s was dawn into the establishment, but it seems, from Sabella's portrayal, that he was not a creature of the establishment. He served there, but kept his own counsel, which led to the FBI keeping a fairly detailed file on him.
In 1952 Niebuhr was stricken by a stroke that forced him to slow down his frenetic pace. He became more and more dependent on others, including his wife Ursula who would give up her academic post to assist Niebuhr in his efforts. Though never a again as active as he was before the stroke, he would remain a force in both the religious and non-religious world.
As his life wound down, Niebuhr became a close friend of Rabbi Abraham Heschel. The two men lived hear each other, and spent much time together, walking together, sharing their thoughts on the world and on religion. This led to an agreement that the other would deliver the eulogy for whoever died first. Thus, Heschel, the Jewish Rabbi would give the eulogy at the funeral of America's greatest theological figure. What a fitting tribute to a man who recognized the social dimensions of the faith. He had his blind spots, of course, but he sought to engage the world in transformative ways, which is likely why we continue to remember him to this day.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the documentary, which strangely did not get shown in Detroit, I found the book to be an excellent companion. Sabella introduces us to the important nfluences on Niebuhr's life, including his brother Helmut, with whom he didn't always agree, his wife Ursula, and Tillich. We explore his legacy, and the questions as to why the radicalism of his early life gave way to a more traditional liberalism in later years. Through the interviews with admirers and critics, we see his continuing legacy to this very day. Perhaps now is a time when the realism of Niebuhr, the recognition of the affect of sin on power, is sorely needed. Niebuhr would make clear that for America to be great, it should not pursue America first policies.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, though one nagging element stood out. Sabella suggests that Neibuhr earned a Master of Divinity degree at Eden Seminary. The M.Div. did not come into being until long after Niebuhr went to seminary. He in fact earned the Bachelor of Divinity, which in time would become the Master of Divinity degree. Had Sabella noted that, I would have been satisfied. Nonetheless, with or without a master's degree, Niebuhr was a theological giant, who continues to speak to America's conscience, whether you agree with him or not!
April 26, 2018
I think Niebuhr's ideas are well worth reading and digesting and applying to modern times. But I think this book is a shallow treatment of the ideas and is more of a hagiography. It's a book based on a documentary so it felt a little too made for TV. It's still worthwhile to contextualize Sabella, but if you're hungry for Niebuhr's ideas, this will not satiate. Go to the Irony of American History of the other books.
April 17, 2020
It should be kept in mind that this book is a companion piece to the PBS film of the same name. Otherwise, you will be wondering where the documentation is. I assume the historical luminaries are identified in the film which is the one source for this work.
Reinhold Niebuhr was a brilliant theologian, and first-generation American born of European immigrants.
As a pastor, a speaker, a writer, holding positions of sway at universities and in government both domestic and global, Niebuhr was what one would call today, an influencer. Niebuhr traveled actively spreading his views.
Niebuhr tackled Henry Ford's treatment of his assembly line workers and their pay, the role and responsibility of the US post-WWII, race relations, civil rights, other "social gospel" issues, as well as personal responsibility issues.
Niebuhr was a contemporary of Detrick Bonhoeffer and arranged for him to come to Princeton to study for a year. Niebuhr arranged a second year for Bonhoeffer to spend in America, safely away from Hitler, but Bonhoeffer's conscience wouldn't permit him to and he returned to Germany. As you are probably aware, Bonhoeffer was caught and hung for taking part in a plot to kill Hitler.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn it is Niebuhr who wrote the famous Serenity Prayer, which has become almost synonymous with Alcoholics Anonymous.
Niebuhr suffered a series of strokes in the 1950s which slowed his travel but did not slow the writing of his book.
I heartily recommend this audiobook for anyone interested In the formation of America's social conscience from the 1930s through the 1960s.
Reinhold Niebuhr was a brilliant theologian, and first-generation American born of European immigrants.
As a pastor, a speaker, a writer, holding positions of sway at universities and in government both domestic and global, Niebuhr was what one would call today, an influencer. Niebuhr traveled actively spreading his views.
Niebuhr tackled Henry Ford's treatment of his assembly line workers and their pay, the role and responsibility of the US post-WWII, race relations, civil rights, other "social gospel" issues, as well as personal responsibility issues.
Niebuhr was a contemporary of Detrick Bonhoeffer and arranged for him to come to Princeton to study for a year. Niebuhr arranged a second year for Bonhoeffer to spend in America, safely away from Hitler, but Bonhoeffer's conscience wouldn't permit him to and he returned to Germany. As you are probably aware, Bonhoeffer was caught and hung for taking part in a plot to kill Hitler.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn it is Niebuhr who wrote the famous Serenity Prayer, which has become almost synonymous with Alcoholics Anonymous.
Niebuhr suffered a series of strokes in the 1950s which slowed his travel but did not slow the writing of his book.
I heartily recommend this audiobook for anyone interested In the formation of America's social conscience from the 1930s through the 1960s.
August 3, 2017
Short Review: This is an introduction to Reinhold Niebuhr, particularly his writing and a companion to the PBS documentary of the same name (can be streamed free at http://www.pbs.org/video/2365984011/ )
Niebuhr is one of those 20th century theologians that keeps coming up recently. He was a wide ranging thinking and his Irony of American History has been very influential in political circles.
Much of his influence is about the influence of sin on human institutions. And I think he is particularly helpful for progressive Christians to read to balance some of our optimism for what can be changed. Niebuhr himself was a progressive, but one that was very cautious about what it was that he thought could be achieved through either the church or the state.
I have read the Armchair Theologians's guide to The Niebuhr Brothers and I think this is much better and more readable than that. The primary focus here is Reinhold. But there is a lot of discussion about H Richard as well. And this is much less of a book report format.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/an-american-conscien...
Niebuhr is one of those 20th century theologians that keeps coming up recently. He was a wide ranging thinking and his Irony of American History has been very influential in political circles.
Much of his influence is about the influence of sin on human institutions. And I think he is particularly helpful for progressive Christians to read to balance some of our optimism for what can be changed. Niebuhr himself was a progressive, but one that was very cautious about what it was that he thought could be achieved through either the church or the state.
I have read the Armchair Theologians's guide to The Niebuhr Brothers and I think this is much better and more readable than that. The primary focus here is Reinhold. But there is a lot of discussion about H Richard as well. And this is much less of a book report format.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/an-american-conscien...
May 8, 2021
In a day in which there is a troubling fusion of religion and politics in the USA a book about an American theological as its "conscience" is certainly relevant. This book is significant for the contrast between Niebuhr's role in US politics as compared to that of many current religious leaders. From his early days as a pastor in Detroit where he was willing to publically take on Henry Ford at least some of the time Niebuhr had the courage to "speak truth to power." His life and ministry provide important lessons for a context in which power may coopt truth and bend it to its own purposes.
This book was prepared as a companion to a documentary about Niebuhr. It suffers from having the role. Although I have not read another Niebuhr biography, I assume that there may be something better available.
On another note, it is worth noting that Reinhold and his brother H. Richard were two of the most prominent American theologians of their time. Christ and Culture by H. Richard, has exercised an enormous influence in its analysis of various ways in which Christians relate with the culture. I wonder what it was like to sit around the dinner table with the family when they were kids?
This book was prepared as a companion to a documentary about Niebuhr. It suffers from having the role. Although I have not read another Niebuhr biography, I assume that there may be something better available.
On another note, it is worth noting that Reinhold and his brother H. Richard were two of the most prominent American theologians of their time. Christ and Culture by H. Richard, has exercised an enormous influence in its analysis of various ways in which Christians relate with the culture. I wonder what it was like to sit around the dinner table with the family when they were kids?
November 27, 2018
A solid introduction to this influential theologian. Impeccable research on a man that influenced so many. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request, and I have voluntarily left this review.
September 23, 2017
Ah, a Theologian who isn't speaking to himself!
A VERY refreshng intro into the life or Reinhold Niebuhr
A VERY refreshng intro into the life or Reinhold Niebuhr
May 25, 2021
The well-told story of a powerful American thinker
July 18, 2021
Outstanding review of Reinhold Niebuhr's contributions, organized across the sequence of his major works. Worth a second read (after reading Niebuhr himself!)
April 20, 2022
An outstanding introduction to Niebuhr’s life and work and launching point for a deeper dive into his writing. Best if used as a companion (as intended) to the PBS documentary of the same name.
August 25, 2023
Perfect introduction to writings of Niebuhr. I had not read any of his writings before. I’ll go on to watch the PBS documentary.
May 2, 2017
Well written overview of the life of one of the great American theologians of the twentieth century. This is a companion book to the documentary by the same name. I look forward to teaching this material later this summer. Instructive and inspiring!
Want to read
January 21, 2018Recommended by Dad
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews