Review Of "Why Niebuhr Matters" By C. C. Lemert

Document Type

Book Review

Publication Date

6-1-2012

Published In

Choice

Abstract

Lemert (emer., Wesleyan), a leading social theorist, analyzes the lively revival of interest in Niebuhr (1892-1971) and how Niebuhr's realistic assessment of human limitations clarifies moral situations. Professor of Christian social ethics at the Union Theological Seminary, Niebuhr was one of the most influential Protestant preachers, thinkers, and moral guides in the mid-20th-century US. A gifted and creative expositor, Lemert provides careful analyses of Niebuhr's most important works, the development of his thinking in response to his own life history and concurrent world events, and his study of thinkers like Augustine and Max Weber. Lemert draws a striking comparison between Niebuhr and Augustine as critics of human civilization. Among Lemert's many books are The Structural Lie: Small Clues to Global Things (2011), and, with Anthony Elliott, The New Individualism (2009). Scholars and laypersons alike will find this volume valuable. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers.

Comments

This work is freely available courtesy of Choice Reviews. The review has been reproduced in full in the abstract field.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS