Mark Melton

Niebuhr on Anti-Americanism and Moral Leadership
Niebuhr on Anti-Americanism and Moral Leadership

“We have,” said an exuberant campaign orator in the recent campaign, “the moral leadership of the world. The whole world trusts in our devotion to freedom and expects us to save mankind from totalitarianism.” That is how we see ourselves, at least in our more complacent moods. The world does not see us as we see ourselves.

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.

World Government vs. World Community
World Government vs. World Community

Toward the end of World War II, Americans contemplated the possibility of “world government” to prevent another catastrophe, especially after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Japan.

Global Generosity and “Being Played for Suckers”
Global Generosity and “Being Played for Suckers”

In this article originally published by Christianity and Crisis on March 18, 1946, Charles W. Gilkey warns Americans not to worry that helping people abroad will make them “suckers.”

“The United Nations—Its Challenge to America,” by John Foster Dulles
The United Nations — Its Challenge to America

Published in Christianity and Crisis 75 years ago on March 18, 1946, the speech offers the future Secretary of State Dulles’ insights and recommendations for how the United States should utilize the newly established United Nations. Readers today can learn from how the great statesman saw the world as it dragged itself out of the ruins of a total war.

If Thine Enemy Hunger Feed Him, by Reinhold Niebuhr
If Thine Enemy Hunger Feed Him

Quoting Romans 12:20, the message to feed and help the enemy is simple, but oftentimes the simplest command can be the hardest to fulfill. So the reminder is always timely in every age.

The Capitol Storming Epitomizes the Shift from a Religious to Post-Religious Right
The Capitol Storming Epitomizes the Shift from a Religious to Post-Religious Right

The Storming of the US Capitol reveals a shift from a primarily conservative and faith-driven religious right to an increasingly revolutionary and post-religious right.

American Unity after Japan’s Surrender: A Reflection from 75 Years Ago
American Unity after Japan’s Surrender: A Reflection from 75 Years Ago

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.

Beware the Pride of Victors: Reinhold Niebuhr on Japan’s Surrender
Beware the Pride of Victors: Reinhold Niebuhr on Japan’s Surrender

“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.”