Books by Reinhold Niebuhr
“This is a very different kind of book. St Augustine gives you a feel for the Christian belief and The Cloud of Unknowing gives you a feel for the life of prayer. Moral Man and Immoral Society is about how Christian faith impinges on the world. What is interesting about Reinhold Niebuhr is that he was hugely influential on the top swath of American political thinkers and politicians in the Democratic Party. Jimmy Carter, for instance, kept a collection of Reinhold Niebuhr’s writings by his bedside. He referred to them as his political bible. He has been one of the few Christian writers who have really been able to speak to two generations of political thinkers and he is beginning to come back into fashion again now. He was a huge influence on President Obama, for example.” Read more...
The best books on Christianity
Richard Harries, Theologians & Historians of Religion
The Irony of American History
by Reinhold Niebuhr
It’s one of the most important books in American self-criticism. It was written after America had risen as a giant, as victor in World War II, when many believed it had won the mandate of Heaven and had ‘dreams of managing history’, when some even entertained the thought of a preventative nuclear war, as the US became embroiled in global antagonism with the Soviet Union. Reinhold Niebuhr, as a pessimistic theologian, was uneasy with American idealism and self-exaltation.
Interviews where books by Reinhold Niebuhr were recommended
The best books on The Rise and Fall of America, recommended by Patrick Porter
From the Cold War to the post-9/11 world, Professor Patrick Porter looks at America’s destiny and international function. Grappling with geopolitical questions, he looks at whether America’s flirtations with empire can be reconciled with republican ideals.
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1
The Confessions
by Augustine (translated by Maria Boulding) -
2
The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso
by Dante Alighieri -
3
The Cloud of Unknowing
by Anonymous -
4
The Desert Fathers
by Translated by Helen Waddell -
5
A Pilgrim’s Progress
by John Bunyan -
6
The Book of Her Life
by Teresa of Avila
Books by Christian Authors
Books by Christian Authors
A list of recommendations for readers looking for books by Christian authors, compiled from years of Five Books interviews. From allegorical fiction written for children to 14th-century mystical texts, this is a collection that is bound to contain a book that appeals to you.
The best books on Christianity, recommended by Richard Harries
The former bishop of Oxford tells us about books that explore what it means to be a Christian – from St Augustine and medieval mysticism to grappling with Dostoyevsky and more modern dilemmas. He picks the best books on Christianity.
