Realism of Protestant Ethics in Reinhold Niebuhr
Abstract
In the broader spectrum of Protestant ethics Reinhold0020Niebuhr’s Christian realism still appears to be an important and useful concept. This paper explains several major aspects of the concept which made Niebuhr a very influential figure in the Christian and political context of American life in his days. This would include acknowledging the sinfulness of human nature and its impact on society while stressing the responsibility both of the individual and of the nation, particularly of the US in the postwar world. Niebuhr himself was active in the public debates and political life. His ideas have been recently revived among some American presidents and politicians who claimed to have been influenced by them. Several parallels can also be drawn between Protestant Christian realism and Catholic social teaching.
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