Love Thy Niebuhr

On this week’s episode, the hosts converse with Niebuhr scholar, Matt Andersen, about the term ‘Realist’ and whether Niebuhr even belongs in the category.

The hosts discuss the great Niebuhr V. Barth rivalry throughout their careers, and bring the discussion up to date in its application on current trends in theology and politics.

The hosts discuss Niebuhr's 7th chapter in Beyond Tragedy, which covers childhood, development, and maturity as applied to both nations and Christian life.

The hosts discuss the sixth chapter in Niebuhr's Beyond Tragedy, which is on the catastrophic nature of Christian development and its resiliency through the destruction left by its own pride by way of trust.

The Test of True Prophecy   The hosts discuss Niebuhr's sermonic essay on Jeremiah's warning against false prophets.  Topics include: false security, technology, the task of the prophet in today's age, and how to know who is a false prophet.

On this episode, the hosts take a break from Niebuhr's Beyond Tragedy to interview Niebuhr scholar and political analyst, Eli Valentin.  Topics include: Niebuhr and politics, Niebuhr the journalist, and current applications of Niebuhr in contemporary politics and Latino/a-American religious dynamics.

400 to 1!   In this episode, the hosts continue reading through Beyond Tragedy and discuss the prophet Micaiah's opposition to two kings and all their prophets.  Topics include: Henry VIII, Thomas More, Donald Trump, and Liza Cheney

The hosts continue through Niebuhr's Beyond Tragedy, taking a look at the story of David leaving the Temple to be constructed by Solomon.  

The Tower of Babel In this episode, the hosts discuss the second chapter of Beyond Tragedy.  Topics include: Babel, pride, human nature, technology, world history

Chapter 1: As Deceivers, Yet True The hosts begin their journey through Niebuhr's 1937 classic, Beyond Tragedy.  Topics include: epistemology, myth, creation, fall, atonement, eschaton.

The hosts dialogue with scholar, Dr. Jason Hudson, about Kierkegaard's influence on Niebuhr, and discuss Niebuhr's review of Kierkegaard's Concluding Unscientific Postscript. 

The hosts conclude their deep dive into An American Conscience with a debrief interview with the author and friend of the show, Dr. Jeremy Sabella.

The hosts this week conclude their reading of Jeremy Sabella's An American Conscience.  This episode takes a look at Niebuhr's life, legacy, and how we might expect his influence to continue in the 21st century.

The hosts continue their journey through Sabella's biography on Niebuhr, An American Conscience.  This chapter deals almost exclusively with the backdrop of the Cold War era and Niebuhr's classic text on American foreign policy, The Irony of American History.

The hosts continue their trek through Jeremy Sabella’s biographical sketch of Niebuhr, An American Conscience. Today they discuss the third chapter, which covers Niebuhr’s life and writing during the post-WWII era.  Topics include: Children of Light & Children of Darkness, Nuclear Weapons, and the State of Israel  

The hosts continue their chapter-by-chapter study of Jeremy Sabella's biography of Niebuhr, An American Conscience.

The hosts begin their chapter-by-chapter study of Jeremy Sabella's biography of Niebuhr, An American Conscience.

The hosts interview Dr. Jeremy Sabella in preparation for their journey through his biography on Reinhold Niebuhr, An American Conscience.

The hosts interview Dr. Gary Dorrien to wrap up their first of two sections examining the life of Reinhold Niebuhr

The hosts further discuss Professor Gary Dorrien's sections on Niebuhr from his book, 'The Making of American Liberal Theology.'

The hosts discuss Professor Gary Dorrien's sections on Niebuhr from his book, 'The Making of American Liberal Theology.'

Rounding out the fourth and final installment in the "Niebuhr, War, and Pacifism" series, the hosts discuss Niebuhr's 1940 essay, "Why the Christian Church is Not Pacifist" with writer,  pastor, and non-violence advocate, Patrick Miller.

The hosts open up and discuss President Barack Obama's highly regarded Nobel Peace Prize speech to look for clues and investigate whether a Reinhold Niebuhr can be found lurking in the wild there.

The hosts dialogue with Pastor Anthony Jones to get a clearer picture of the position of Christian non-violence--what some may call pacifism--as it is expressed in conversation with the Niebuhrian perspective.

In this episode, the hosts discuss an article by Mark Tooley on America's role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, along with additional thoughts on Niebuhr's turn from pacifism.