Christian Realism

The following article by Henry Smith Leiper first appeared in Christianity and Crisis on July 9, 1945, and discusses how and why a state can legitimately limit religious freedom.

After Japan’s surrender 75 years ago, McCulloch implored Christians and governments to affirm “the dignity of the human person as the image of God” because this principle could determine the world’s fate.

History suffers from an apparently terminal illness—it is quickly dying and dying before our eyes.

“It was inevitable that the final surrender of Japan, ending the costliest war of human history, should be greeted with a delirium of joy all over the world, and in America particularly.”

The reclamation of a two-kingdom theology is a first step toward more careful and responsible thinking about issues such as Harry Truman’s decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Seventy-five years ago, Reinhold Niebuhr wrote this article reflecting on the martyrdom of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

This article by Gerald Monsman from 75 years ago, originally titled “Reflections on Sovereignty,” addresses whether the United States should cooperate with other countries for the global good.

Through a Christian realist lens, the police officer’s mission closely corresponds to the just war tradition’s aim of promoting order, justice, and peace. Marc LiVecche reviews how the police failed in the killing of George Floyd.

Matthew A. Sutton’s Double Crossed is an important book that offers a case study of how religious leaders contributed to national security in a challenging wartime environment.