The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University recently hosted a very engaging discussion between David Brooks and E.J. Dionne on Reinhold Niebuhr, the impact of Niebuhr’s writings on Barack Obama, and relevance of Niebuhr’s thought for our current situation. Niebuhr’s ideas, especially those contained in his influential work The Irony of American History, have circled back into public discourse, primarily because of Obama’s acknowledgment of Niebuhr’s profound influence on his world view.
In the conversation Brooks and Dionne discussed Niebuhr’s liberalism, his simultaneous appeal to both liberals and conservatives, and the significance of his resurgence in popularity on the American political scene.
The program was moderated by Krista Tippett, host of the American Public Media program Speaking of Faith. Her crew also created an excellent website for the event, which has complete audio and video of the discussion, plus much more.
Also read an excerpt from The Irony of American History, “The Ironic Element in the American Situation.”