Video
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feed
Archive: Gustav Niebuhr
Consider the good being done now in Haiti
One might wonder if the call to love--by people of many faiths and none--isn't now being demonstrated remarkably, as hundreds of millions of dollars and thousand of aid workers pour into Haiti.
By Gustav Niebuhr | January 20, 2010; 02:38 PM ET | Comments (3)
'Woe to you, when all men speak well of you!'
For those Christians who worry they see signs of hostility to their beliefs, well, what's the issue? Didn't Jesus explicitly warn you that might just happen?
By Gustav Niebuhr | January 12, 2010; 09:42 AM ET | Comments (4)
Fighting Religiously-based Misogyny? Just a Start
In the way women are treated globally, religion plays only a part--sometimes greater, sometimes less, depending on location--in a larger culture where secular and ethnic traditions, economics and political ideologies are also significant shaping forces, and often far from liberating ones.
By Gustav Niebuhr | July 23, 2009; 03:44 PM ET | Comments (0)
Dear Mr. Mayor, Better Fight Other Battles
Mayor Bloomberg, do you really want to put yourself, as holder of a secular office, in the uncomfortable position of seeming to favor Christianity and Judaism as the two faiths deserving of school holidays? Probably not.
By Gustav Niebuhr | July 8, 2009; 02:47 PM ET | Comments (2)
It's a Southern Thing
There are many things that one can reasonably call Mark Sanford. Whether he is pandering or penitent we can't know. But what's clear is he has a certain facility with the "language of Zion," as its called, and that's a quality he shares with many of his Southern brethren and sister-en.
By Gustav Niebuhr | June 30, 2009; 01:38 PM ET | Comments (114)
Our Muslim Allies
Nearly eight years after 9/11, Americans have discovered Muslims they see as allies, not enemies.
By Gustav Niebuhr | June 26, 2009; 09:57 AM ET | Comments (29)
How About the Human Case?
Can a religious case be made for gay marriage? Well--and here's the key thing--yes, if you judge by the fact that there are clergy very willing to marry gay couples.
By Gustav Niebuhr | December 9, 2008; 12:41 PM ET | Comments (7)
"...an extraordinary gift for hope..."
Fitzgerald's novel is one I return to year after year. His writing is so sublime that individual sentences still stop me cold in their elegance and I have to read through them again.
By Gustav Niebuhr | June 24, 2008; 10:10 AM ET | Comments (1)
In the Beholder's Eye
A certain deftness is required, a sensitivity to the matters at hand, not to mention an awareness of the cultural grievances, real or perceived, of the group being portrayed.
By Gustav Niebuhr | June 18, 2008; 05:44 AM ET | Comments (2)
Quitting a Community
Barack Obama didn't just leave the building. He left a community of faith. That's not something done lightly or easily.
By Gustav Niebuhr | June 5, 2008; 10:50 AM ET | Comments (17)
Pride's Worse
Within the tradition of the deadly sins, it's pride that causes us as individuals and nations to place ourselves before others, to believe (REALLY believe) that our interests are best and we see clearly where others don't or can't.
By Gustav Niebuhr | May 30, 2008; 03:46 PM ET | Comments (29)
A Curse or a Warning?
These are exceptionally daunting times. And one might even argue that their challenge bears more attention than all that being meted out to a single, intemperate phrase from a Chicago minister
By Gustav Niebuhr | April 30, 2008; 07:34 AM ET | Comments (15)
For the Media, Benedict Creates a New Narrative
Any reporter who tries to fit the old news templates from John Paul II's visits over Benedict's trip is going to miss the point, and badly.
By Gustav Niebuhr | April 18, 2008; 05:31 AM ET | Comments (8)
Not Another Religious Test!?
Maybe we ought to ask people running for elective office if they completely agree with all the individuals they are variously close to--their spouses, siblings, friends, physicians, attorneys, bankers... Gee, we've got the makings of a real inquisition here. What fun.
By Gustav Niebuhr | March 18, 2008; 10:20 AM ET | Comments (11)
Life is Long, and Changes Inevitable
These days, we would count Lincoln (never baptized), as a member of Pew's "unaffiliated, but religious" sub-set.
By Gustav Niebuhr | February 29, 2008; 08:51 AM ET | Comments (6)
Freedom's Genius
Judaism in the United States has been inventive and adaptive.
By Gustav Niebuhr | January 14, 2008; 12:34 PM ET | Comments (1)
In Assessing Morality, I'll Start with 5 Questions
First, are you able to admit a mistake and, as a chief executive, take responsibility for it and work humbly to undo any damage resulting from it?
By Gustav Niebuhr | January 2, 2008; 02:50 PM ET | Comments (176)
Caesar Renders Unto the Holiday
If Congress wants to honor Christianity... Gee, I can't finish that sentence. It seems out of place here in America.
By Gustav Niebuhr | December 23, 2007; 07:50 PM ET | Comments (81)
Torture Wrong but Popular
When we have an administration that seems to waffle on declaring all forms of torture off-limits, I can't help but wonder what other people make of us these days?
By Gustav Niebuhr | November 9, 2007; 01:53 PM ET | Comments (7)
Morally Right and Politically Impossible
We live in a time, to borrow an old expression, of "every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost." Not an era to care much about the health of our children.
By Gustav Niebuhr | November 5, 2007; 09:19 AM ET | Comments (9)
Life After Death? Yes, Literally!
From where I sit, I plainly see many examples of the physically dead very much alive among us.
By Gustav Niebuhr | October 16, 2007; 07:27 AM ET | Comments (33)
Any Faith or None, but Spare Us the Idealists
I don't want anyone becoming president for whom religion or irreligion is the only thing that matters.
By Gustav Niebuhr | October 8, 2007; 09:55 AM ET | Comments (20)
Zero-sum Statements Are Inherently Boring
Hitchens' statement is fully protected by the First Amendment. He's got every right to declare his opinion. So does the guy wearing the "Yankees Suck" t-shirt.
By Gustav Niebuhr | September 29, 2007; 07:23 AM ET | Comments (111)
But She Did Help the Poor, Right?
A few days back I read somewhere that Thomas Jefferson was a lousy public speaker. Interesting, but kind of beside the point, I thought. I've had something of the same reaction to the news that Mother Teresa often felt cut...
By Gustav Niebuhr | September 4, 2007; 11:03 AM ET | Comments (3)
In Art, Truth in Part
I doubt I'm alone in saying my beliefs can be inspired, magnified, by what I read, often in unlikely places.
By Gustav Niebuhr | August 21, 2007; 06:58 AM ET | Comments (184)
What If More than the Doctor and Patient Are Involved?
In a question like this, we might also do well to try to think beyond the rather limited frame of middle-class America.
By Gustav Niebuhr | August 14, 2007; 09:48 AM ET | Comments (125)
The Senate's First Hindu Prayer. What Took So Long?
Voters last November effectively extended the religious pluralism within the House of Representatives by electing a Muslim and two Buddhists to that chamber.
By Gustav Niebuhr | August 7, 2007; 01:10 AM ET | Comments (33)
The Value of Reasoned Voices Over Wrenching Images
Islam in all its varieties deserves a great deal more of our attention and knowledge than what's imparted by fleeting, television news images.
By Gustav Niebuhr | July 31, 2007; 07:36 AM ET | Comments (10)
Faith in Whom? We Do Have Choices
I always feel like this question of God's presence or absence or wounding can't be addressed without the parallel question, "Well, where are the humans?"
By Gustav Niebuhr | June 4, 2007; 07:31 AM ET | Comments (14)
Reflecting on the "Man-Made"... And on the Inspiring
"Man-made" tells us nothing about inspiration, a faculty that individuals possess in different capacities and that they appreciate to differing degrees.
By Gustav Niebuhr | May 28, 2007; 08:44 AM ET | Comments (12)
More Like Gratitude... with Sadness
There's a wider context to one's life, isn't there? And somehow the word satisfied just doesn't really work there.
By Gustav Niebuhr | May 21, 2007; 09:00 AM ET | Comments (8)
Falwell and the News Media
If Falwell became the public face of the religious right, it was in part because he returned reporters' phone calls and was eminently quotable.
By Gustav Niebuhr | May 15, 2007; 06:47 PM ET | Comments (18)
Beware the Deadliest Sin
In secular terms it is called "taking responsibility," but I'm at a loss to come up with any recent examples.
By Gustav Niebuhr | May 1, 2007; 09:11 AM ET | Comments (11)
And Who Else Might Be Violent?
To ask specifically about Islam and violence seems to bypass a rather glaring cultural issue: We seem to like violence.
By Gustav Niebuhr | April 24, 2007; 12:52 PM ET | Comments (39)
Church to Members: Cut Back on the Guns
The church suggested its members might consider "intentionally work[ing] to remove handguns and assault weapons from our homes and communities."
By Gustav Niebuhr | April 17, 2007; 12:32 PM ET | Comments (32)
WWJD: What Would Jefferson Do?
One of the basic truths of Christianity is that many of its adherents experience Jesus as a presence in their lives.
By Gustav Niebuhr | April 10, 2007; 10:05 AM ET | Comments (30)
Mass Media? Diverse Media, Diverse Treatments of Faith
What many of us would like in the public treatment of religion is an approach that's intelligent, informative, even provocative.
By Gustav Niebuhr | April 2, 2007; 01:55 PM ET | Comments (9)
End of the World or End of Time?
Belief in the Earth's end and a divine reckoning with humanity don't necessarily cancel each other out.
By Gustav Niebuhr | March 26, 2007; 08:05 AM ET | Comments (22)
The Other Side of "Free Exercise" of Religion
What gets called discrimination is much more likely a matter of individual bias.
By Gustav Niebuhr | March 19, 2007; 04:50 PM ET | Comments (31)
Religion Should Not Crowd Out Other Formative Influences
A candidate's religion should not be accorded a status apart from the other influences in his or her life.
By Gustav Niebuhr | January 30, 2007; 01:21 PM ET | Comments (13)
A 19th Century Decision Resonates Still
"Formative" experiences--especially those that involve coming to (or abandoning) faith--are not always confined to the person directly involved. They can ripple outward to affect family, friends, strangers--even those yet to be born.
By Gustav Niebuhr | January 9, 2007; 04:15 PM ET | Comments (12)
"Religious" Conversations Needn't Be About Religion
As with some of the other panelists, I'm not convinced atheism is enjoying a "new vogue." That may be because in the various places I've lived--New England, California, Great Britain and, certainly, the Bible Belt--I've never had much trouble encountering...
By Gustav Niebuhr | January 2, 2007; 01:10 PM ET | Comments (0)
A Nation of "Christianities"... Plus
Asking whether the United States is a "Christian nation" poses as much a challenging political problem--and a legal one, too--as it raises a religious question. James Madison, one of our greatest political philosophers, certainly realized this....
By Gustav Niebuhr | December 19, 2006; 10:37 AM ET | Comments (419)
