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H. RICHARD NIEBUHR
Copyright © 2009 by Abingdon Press
All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system,
except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher.
Requests for permission should be addressed to Abingdon Press, P.O. Box 801, 201 Eighth Avenue South,
Nashville, TN 37202-0801 or [email protected].
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Shriver, Donald W.
H. Richard Niebuhr / Donald W. Shriver.
p. cm.—(Abingdon pillars of theology)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-687-65731-5 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Niebuhr, H. Richard (Helmut Richard), 1894–1962. I. Title.
BX4827.N47S57 2009
230.092—dc22
2009004748
All scripture quotations unless noted otherwise are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the
Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ
in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NEB) are from The New English Bible. © The Delegates of the Oxford
University Press and The Syndics of the Cambridge University Press 1961, 1970. Reprinted by
permission.
Extracts marked (BBE) are taken from The Bible in Basic English, © 1982 Cambridge University Press
reprinted with permission.
Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are taken from the King James or Authorized Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations marked (ASV) are taken from the American Standard Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations marked (RSV) are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright
1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches
of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Quotes totaling 1301 words from pp. 29, 32, 121, 130, 156, 194-5, 228-9, 233, 258 from CHRIST AND CULTURE by H. RICHARD NIEBUHR. Copyright 1951 by Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
Quotes totaling 797 words from pp. 13, 30, 92, 95, 105, 159, 160 from THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN AMERICA by H. RICHARD NIEBUHR. Copyright 1937 by Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc.; renewed © 1965 by
Florence M. Niebuhr. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
Quotes totaling 628 words from pp. 40, 85-6, 88-9 from THE RESPONSIBLE SELF by H. RICHARD
NIEBUHR. Copyright © 1963 by Florence M. Niebuhr. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins
Publishers.
Quotes totaling 405 words from pp. 98-9, 197, 112 from RADICAL MONOTHEISM AND WESTERN
CULTURE by H. RICHARD NIEBUHR. Copyright 1943, 1952, 1955, 1960 by H. Richard Niebuhr.
Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18—10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
© The United Methodist Publishing House. All rights reserved.
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CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
A Biographical Chronology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
1. Faith and Idolatry in Church History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2. The Kingdom of God in America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3. Theology: “The Never-ending Pilgrims’ Progress of the
Reasoning Christian Heart” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4. Christ and Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
5. Responding to the One in the Midst of Many . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
6. Selves in Response to the Creator, Governor, and Redeemer . . . 59
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Selected Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
© The United Methodist Publishing House. All rights reserved.