ABSTRACT
Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971) is arguably America’s greatest twentieth-century theologian. Niebuhr’s father, Gustav Niebuhr, emigrated to the United States from Germany and became a Lutheran pastor. Reinhold, along with his brother H. Richard, followed in his father’s footsteps, attending seminary at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis. He would go on to take his B.D. and M.A. in theology from Yale University Divinity School. Niebuhr developed an acute sense for social justice issues while serving in his first pastorate in Detroit, during the Great Depression. He advocated on behalf of auto industry workers for whom conditions were unjust and oppressive. His memoir, Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic, captures his theological reflections during his ministerial tenure in Detroit.1 After gaining attention for his writing and preaching, Niebuhr accepted a position as professor of theological ethics at Union Theological Seminary, where he remained until 1960.
