Cold War, 75 Years Later

A Report on the World Church from a “Strange Swiss Paradise,” 1946
Report on the World Church from a “Strange Swiss Paradise,” 1946

Reporting from Switzerland in 1946, John C. Bennett offered brief observations about starvation and turmoil in Europe and comments on how America cannot “relax in the midst of its abundance.” But he mostly focuses on the emerging World Council of Churches (WCC).

Report from the Liberated Netherlands, 1946
Report from the Liberated Netherlands, 1946

“Letter from Holland,” by L.H. RuitenbergAugust 5, 1946 While North Americans, on being informed of the church situation in Holland,…

Reports from War-Torn China, 1946
Reports from War-Torn China, 1946

As part of a series of reports from different countries in the fall of 1946, Christianity and Crisis published articles by M. Searle Bates and Henry P. Van Dusen on China. These reveal the situation of Christianity in the country and America’s foreign policy challenge in East Asia.

Marksism – No. 62: Nation Building, Afghanistan, Niebuhr
Marksism – No. 62: Nation Building, Afghanistan, Niebuhr

This week the editors cover Henry Nau’s article about nation-building, 75-year-old reports from occupied Germany by Reinhold Neibuhr and John Baillie, a podcast with Rebeccah Heinrichs, and an event with Paul D. Miller and Jon Askonas.

Reports from Occupied Germany, 1946
Reports from Occupied Germany, 1946

In a series of articles in the fall of 1946, Christianity and Crisis contributors offered reports based upon their travels, including from Reinhold Niebuhr and John Baillie in Germany.

Revolution in Life and in Thought
Revolution in Life and Thought

“The revolution is more than political, or economic. It is a revolution in thinking about the relation of religion to life, for we are growing in understanding of God by every move that we make in realizing the interdependence of the human family.”

The Conflict between Nations and Nations and between Nations and God, by Reinhold Niebuhr August 5, 1946
The Conflict between Nations and Nations, and between Nations and God

The Bible is still right and that the contest of greatest significance is not between good and bad nations, but between all nations or men and God. We do want peace, but we would like it to be our peace.

The Problems with Utilitarian Christianity
The Problems with Utilitarian Christianity

In religion, to which we want to direct our attention, the growth of the utilitarian spirit is an alarming phenomenon. Utilitarianism seems to mark not only the attitude of the political powers that use religion for the sake of social control and transform it to suit their purposes, but also the attitude of many who oppose them.

The Nation in Peril: Inflation Then and Now
Inflation Then and Now: The Nation in Peril

“We are in danger of inflation because we do not have sufficient goods to meet the demands of the people despite the fact that we are producing more goods than any other nation on earth.”