Christianity and Crisis

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.

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.

This essay, written by Lynn Harold Hough for Christianity and Crisis on October 19, 1942, praises the quiet strength and steely courage of the British people throughout World War Two.

This article, delineating the two kinds of freedom found in the tradition of Western civilization, was originally published in Christianity and Crisis on October 19th, 1942. Editor Henry P. Van Dusen clarifies the two strands of freedom that have developed in European thought. One comes from the Protestant Reformation, a freedom that comes as a result of being created in God’s image and the rights that entail; the other comes from the Enlightenment, a freedom that is intrinsic to man’s nature and “self-evident,” something that is somehow apparent to all.

This article about the contrasting attitudes of the Church during World War I and II was originally published in Christianity…

This article, which might be described as a call to action for the church, was originally published in Christianity and Crisis on September 21, 1942. John C. Bennett challenges the church to avoid an indifferent neutrality in the face of clear evil and human suffering. The Christian conscience must be attuned to the realities of the world, aware that sin inhabits all hearts but that that cannot be used to reject any action.

This article about the tools necessary to defeat Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers was originally published in Christianity and Crisis on August 10, 1942.  Examining the relationship between ideals and power throughout history, editor Reinhold Niebuhr argues the importance of discerning and then actualizing, the Allied Powers’ potential power. Conversely, he advocates against succumbing to the belief that Nazi defeat is inevitable.

This provocative article written by Donald H. Stewart in the heat of World War II calls on the American Church to guide America toward a responsible patriotism which jettisons hatred and self-righteous aggrandizement while remembering “judgment belongeth unto God.”

This article about the religious roots of American Nationalism was originally published in Christianity and Crisis on June 29, 1942. Tracing the spirit guiding American Nationalism from the Mayflower to the Founders, editor Howard C. Robbins argues the importance of a nationalism that acknowledges the profoundly Christian nature of the American Founding.