Christianity and Crisis

“There is much for the chaplain to teach the church, as well as much instruction to be received from the church.”

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.

“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.”

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.

On May 8, 1945, the Allies accepted Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender. Shortly thereafter, Reinhold Niebuhr explained why the victors should be sober and humble.

Christianity and Crisis published the following editorial by Reinhold Niebuhr on February 19, 1945. He explains not only why his publication criticized the United States’ foreign policies as the country fought Nazi Germany, but also why Christians should not have uncritical loyalty to the nation.

Americans should be willing to condemn China’s great crimes while also critiquing America’s mistakes. Democratic citizens’ right to criticize their government is a key reason why the US is better than China and why democracies ultimately outperform autocracies.

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.