Description
Book SynopsisAmerican public life is gripped by a tumult that it has not experienced in at least half a century. Resentment, distrust, despair, fear, envy, and outrage are the passions of the day. Yet it was not long ago that political scientists and theologians could speak of a Niebuhr renaissance marked by an appreciation of moral paradox, ethical nuance, and a recognition of the irony of American history. American political leaders from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to George Bush and John McCain referenced Reinhold Niebuhr as an important influence on their political understandings. Columnists like David Brooks commented on the political condition of contemporary America, and scholars from Gary Dorrien and Daniel Rice to Richard Crouter developed academic accounts of Niebuhr's political realism. From an insistence on political purity, to a wariness of international institutions and the claims of expertise, to a rejection of whole categories of public goods it would be difficult to find a
Trade ReviewThis book is unique in offering a bridge between different fields of scholarship. Niebuhr is often treated entirely separately in theology and history on the one hand, and in political science on the other. This work does what the title claims, delivering both an account of Niebuhr’s theory (the history and theology side) and practice (the political science side). Scholars on each side of this divide will benefit from this holistic engagement with Niebuhr and Christian Realism. -- Kevin Carnahan, Central Methodist University
Holder and Josephson present a rigorous yet accessible accounting of Niebuhr’s formidable corpus, and they rightly highlight the theological chord that runs through all of it. They then show how his thought can help us engage these ugly times. Their chapter on foreign policy is especially useful. Niebuhr would insist that we have no choice but to undertake the daunting work of restoring politics, sustaining democracy, and building justice. Holder and Josephson show how he offers us guidance--and some measure of hope--in that effort. -- Christopher Beem, Penn State University
"Holder and Josephson ably show how much Niebuhr’s defense of democracy is needed in the era of Trump as well as why Niebuhrian principles, which embrace human imperfection, are so difficult to put into practice." -- Richard Crouter, Professor Emeritus at Carleton College and author of Reinhold Niebuhr: On Politics, Religion, and Christian Faith
Table of ContentsChapter 1: The Life of Reinhold Niebuhr Chapter 2: Reinhold Niebuhr’s Political-Theological Foundations Chapter 3: Niebuhr on Economics, Government, and Social Justice Chapter 4: Reinhold Niebuhr on the Irony and Tragedy of American Foreign Policy Chapter 5: The American Public in 2016: Anyone But Niebuhr?
