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Home  >  Publications  > 
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Reinhold Niebuhr, Christian Realism, and Just War Theory: A Critique
By Keith Pavlischek
Posted: Tuesday, February 5, 2008


BOOK EXCERPT

Publication Date: February 5, 2008

Reinhold Niebuhr famously wrote "Why the Church is Not Pacifist" in 1939. EPPC Senior Fellow Keith Pavlischek's essay, "Reinhold Niebuhr, Christian Realism and Just War Theory" argues that while Niebuhr rejected the optimistic pacifism of liberal Protestantism, he nevertheless retained the liberal Protestant and pacifist interpretation of Christ's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, leaving his argument for a renewed "Christian realism" open to criticism from classical just war theory. Pavlischek's article exposes the flaws of Niebuhr's position drawing from classical Christian just war theorists, Augustine, Aquinas, and Calvin, and shows how it influences contemporary debates on issues related to war and peace. Pavlischek's article was published in Christianity and Power Politics Today (Palgrave MacMillan, 2008).

In exchange for its kind permission to post this extract, Palgrave Macmillan has asked that the following statement be made: "This extract is taken from the author's original manuscript and has not been reviewed or edited. The definitive version of this extract may be found in the work Christianity and Power Politics Today /edited by Eric D. Patterson which can be purchased from www.palgrave.com."

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EPPC on Book TV
Weigel Featured on "In Depth"

On Sunday, June 1, EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel was featured on C-SPAN2/Book TV's program "In Depth."

Click here to view the program online.   


Religion and the Media
Michael Cromartie
Faith Angle Conference -- May 2008

EPPC Vice President Michael Cromartie moderated a series of discussions in May at the semi-annual Faith Angle Conference sponsored by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and held in Key West, Florida. Transcripts of the informative talks are now available online.


 American Evangelicalism: New Leaders, New Faces, New Issues -- D. Michael Lindsay, author of Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite, describes eight fallacies or misconceptions he held as he began his book.

 Religious Voters in the 2008 Election: What It Means for Democrats, Republicans -- William A. Galston, a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution and an assistant for domestic policy in the Clinton administration, discusses the importance of the Catholic vote in 2008.

 How Our Brains are Wired for Belief -- What does brain science add to age-old debates about the existence of God and the value of religion? Can political parties and religious groups use scientific insights to influence the beliefs of others? Dr. Andrew Newberg and Mr. David Brooks raise these questions and share their insights with journalists.