Abstract
The passing of Richard John Neuhaus in 2009 elicited a wave of comparisons to the renowned public intellectual Reinhold Niebuhr. The two men share many interesting biographical similarities and intellectual continuities (to the chagrin of some liberal disciples of Niebuhr). Indeed, during one encounter between them, Niebuhr supposedly dubbed Neuhaus "the next Reinhold Niebuhr." The comparisons between these two influential figures of twentieth century American life, however, may be less important than their differences. By way of introducing this special issue devoted to the lives and legacies of these two public theologians, this essay considers what contending interpretations of Niebuhr and Neuhaus tell us about religion and American public life in the twenty-first century.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 362-374 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Political Theology |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2013 |
Keywords
- Public religion
- Reinhold Niebuhr
- Religion and politics
- Richard John Neuhaus
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Religious studies
- Sociology and Political Science