Christian Realism

Over Christmas, I noticed an obituary for Marcus Raskin, who co-founded the once high profile Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), a leftist, not-so-much-noticed-anymore Washington, DC, think-tank that during the Cold War some conservative critics insinuated was in cahoots with Soviet intelligence.

On January 8, 1918 – a century ago today – President Woodrow Wilson mounted the rostrum of the U.S. House of Representatives, America’s inner sanctum of democracy, to deliver one of the most consequential speeches in history.

This article about the history and future of Christian moral truth was originally published in Christianity and Crisis on December 28th, 1942. Contributor Barbara Ward details the history of Christian moral law, originally developed in the philosophical depths of the natural law tradition, all the way to its fracturing, resulting in the contemporaneous “will to power” found in Nazism. She councils Christians globally to recover this tradition and bring it to bear on the world in her day.

The story of Christmas is a story of hope realized. God came to earth as a man in the person of Jesus the Christ, thus confirming the prophecy delivered to Eve, the promise given to Abraham, the kingdom foretold to David. And so, in that spirit, says Edward L. Parsons in this piece, Christians living through the Second World War should put their faith into action to help bring peace to the world. With the Prince of Peace as their savior and model, Christians can restore order and bring justice to their fellow image-bearers.

War and hatred should never be conflated, but it is easy for the two to become one when fighting immoral adversaries, such as the Islamic State or the Axis Powers. In this article, originally published on December 14, 1942, Christianity and Crisis editor Henry Smith Leiper refers to the latter.

This thought-provoking article, originally published in Christianity and Crisis on November 30th, 1942, suggests that a better post-war world is one that includes the colonies of the Western powers (the nations that were colonies at the time of this piece’s writing). Editor Miner Searle Bates chides the Allied powers for excluding nations such as China and India in their post-war planning and argues that they deserve a seat at the table.

This timely article asserts a particular role for Christians in rebuilding Europe after World War II. Although the article was originally published in Christianity and Crisis by Roland Elliott on November 30th, 1942, it is relevant for Christians looking at the destruction in Syria today.

This article, originally published in Christianity and Crisis on November 30th, 1942, urges citizens of democracy to have patience with their leaders. Editor Reinhold…

Reinhold Niebuhr refutes the argument that Christians are only allowed to pursue war for the purpose of self-defense. He asserts that a Christian’s willingness to fight should stem from a desire to seek and promote justice.