Helmut Richard Niebuhr (; September 3, 1894 – July 5, 1962) was an American theologian and Protestant minister who is considered one of the most important Christian ethicists in 20th-century America. He is best known for his 1951 book Christ and Culture and his posthumously published book The Responsible Self. The younger brother of theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, Richard Niebuhr taught for several decades at the Yale Divinity School. Both brothers were, in their day, important figures in the neo-orthodox theological school within American Protestantism. His theology (together with that of his colleague at Yale, Hans Wilhelm Frei) has been one of the main sources of postliberal theology, sometimes called the "Yale school". He influenced such figures as James Gustafson, Stanley Hauerwas, and Gordon Kaufman.

Life

Niebuhr was born on September 3, 1894, in Wright City, Missouri, the son of Gustav Niebuhr, a minister in the Evangelical Synod of North America. His family moved to Lincoln, Illinois, in 1902. He graduated from Elmhurst College in 1912, and Eden Theological Seminary in 1915. He would later obtain a master's degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1918. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Yale University in 1924.

He started his working career as a reporter in Lincoln in 1915 and 1916.

Niebuhr was, by training, a Christian ethicist. In this capacity, his biggest concern was how human beings relate to God, to each other, to their communities, and to the world. Niebuhr's theological ethics can be described, roughly, as relational. His greatest ethical treatise was The Responsible Self, published shortly after his death. It was intended to be the prologue of a much larger book on ethics. His sudden death prevented his writing this work. In The Responsible Self, Niebuhr dealt with human beings as responding agents. Human beings are always "in response" to some influence, whether another human being, a community, the natural order or history, or, above all, God.

Christ and Culture

His most famous work is Christ and Culture. It is often referenced in discussions and writings on a Christian's response to the world's culture. In the book, Niebuhr gives a history of how Christianity has responded to culture. He outlines five prevalent viewpoints:

:Christ against culture. For the exclusive Christian, history is the story of a rising church or Christian culture and a dying pagan civilization.

:Christ of culture. For the cultural Christian, history is the story of the Spirit's encounter with nature.

:Christ above culture. For the synthesist, history is a period of preparation under law, reason, gospel, and church for an ultimate communion of the soul with God.

:Christ and culture in paradox. For the dualist, history is the time of struggle between faith and unbelief, a period between the giving of the promise of life and its fulfillment. (Many have regarded the thought of Niebuhr's brother Reinhold as fitting into this category.)

:Christ transforming culture. For the conversionist, history is the story of God's mighty deeds and humanity's response to them. Conversionists live somewhat less "between the times" and somewhat more in the divine "now" than do the followers listed above. Eternity, to the conversionist, focuses less on the action of God before time or life with God after time, and more on the presence of God in time. Hence the conversionist is more concerned with the divine possibility of a present renewal than with conservation of what has been given in creation or preparing for what will be given in a final redemption.

Works

  • The Social Sources of Denominationalism (1929)
  • His sister Hulda taught at Boston University and was the first woman professor at McCormick Seminary.
  • His son Richard Reinhold Niebuhr taught at Harvard Divinity School and wrote several books.
  • His grandson Gustav Niebuhr was a journalist and professor at Syracuse University.

Honors

Elmhurst University established the Niebuhr Medal to honor him and his brother.

A historical marker for the family was created in South Maple Street, Lincoln in 2001.