Religion 50, Liberation and 20th Century Christian Thought
Spring 2011

Reading questions for Reinhold Niebuhr, Moral Man and Immoral Society

For Monday, February 28:  pp. 51-113

1)	What content does Niebuhr give to the term ‘religious sentimentalism’?  In what ways is his view non-sentimental?

2)	What does Niebuhr mean by ‘religious absolutism’?  What are the dangers of this absolutism in his mind?

3)	What is Niebuhr’s position on the value and dangers of patriotism?  

4)	Why, in the last analysis, does Niebuhr disagree with the program of extending the reach of the ‘law of love’ to cover all human social relationships?

For Wednesday, March 2: pp. 231-277

1)	What is your sense of the social and political goals that Niebuhr thinks can really be achieved?  That is, how closely does Niebuhr think human society can really approach the ideal of perfect justice?

2)	What is Niebuhr’s critique of Gandhi’s appeal to ‘soul-force’?  In what does the utility of Gandhi’s approach lie, according to Niebuhr?

3)	What specific ‘aspects of collective life’ does Niebuhr think many of his contemporaries have failed to grasp? 

4)	In the end, in what ways do Niebuhr’s reflections about the struggle for social justice draw on the resources of the Christian tradition?