Perhaps a few quotes will tell the tale.
About Martin Luther King
King was intrigued by the key ideas in Niebuhr's theological book, The Nature and Destiny of Man (1941). He later recalled having been excited by Niebuhr's concept of man representing both a child of nature and a spirit who stood outside it. He felt that Niebuhr led him to a fuller understanding of group behavior, human motives, and the connection between power and morality. In King's own words: "Niebuhr helped me to recognize the complexity of man's social involvement and the glowing reality of collective evil."
In what is perhaps Niebuhr's most relevant statement on the subject of non-violent direct action, he professes, "Even in a just and free society, there must be forms of pressure short of violence, but more potent than the vote, to establish justice in collective relations." This is obviously a thought that King both liked and followed.
About Saul Alinsky
...Alinsky considered himself to be well within the boundaries of "Judeo-Christianity and the democratic political tradition." One book he invariably assigned to his students was Reinhold Niebuhr's "Moral Man and Immoral Society,"...
Alinsky was a self-described radical and Niebuhr was a devout Christian but neither man was an idealist. Both tended to see morality as a kind of cover story used by groups who, in Niebuhr's words, "take for themselves whatever their power can command." That doesn't mean that these two men believed that nobody had the ability or will to change the world for the better. However, anyone who attempts to do so better be ready to get his hands dirty.
Jimmy Carter's A Message on Justice
My own interest in the criminal justice system is very deep and heartfelt. Not having studied law, I've had to learn the hard way. I read a lot and listen a lot. One of the sources for my understanding about the proper application of criminal justice and the system of equity is from reading Reinhold Niebuhr, one of his books that Bill Gunter gave me quite a number of years ago.<...>
I grew up as a landowner's son. But I don't think I ever realized the proper interrelationship between the landowner and those who worked on a farm until I heard Dylan's record, "I Ain't Gonna Work on Maggie's Farm No More." So I come here speaking to you today about your subject with a base for my information founded on Reinhold Niebuhr and Bob Dylan.
Barack Obama
Out of the blue I asked, "Have you ever read Reinhold Niebuhr?"
Obama’s tone changed. "I love him. He’s one of my favorite philosophers."
So I asked, What do you take away from him?
"I take away," Obama answered in a rush of words, "the compelling idea that there’s serious evil in the world, and hardship and pain. And we should be humble and modest in our belief we can eliminate those things. But we shouldn’t use that as an excuse for cynicism and inaction. I take away ... the sense we have to make these efforts knowing they are hard, and not swinging from naïve idealism to bitter realism."
In the discussion that followed a diary I wrote about the influence of Niebuhr on Obama's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech a few of us discussed the posibility of a book group here at Daily Kos. This Thursday, January 7th between 7:30 and 8:00 pm Eastern Time, FrankCornish will launch the bookgroup based on Niebuhr's Moral Man and Immoral Society. This week will be an introduction to the author and the book. Subsequently, we'll discuss one chapter per week at the same time on Thursday evenings. We hope you'll join us!
As I'm reading Niebuhr these days, I can't help but think of a quote merrily1000 used from the great Molly Ivins in a New Year's Day diary last week.
Things are not getting worse; things have always been this bad. Nothing is more consoling than the long perspective of history. It will perk you up no end to go back and read the works of progressives past. You will learn therein that things back then were also terrible, and what's more, they were always getting worse. This is most inspiriting.
While Niebuhr wrote "Moral Man and Immoral Society" almost 80 years ago, I am finding myself caught up in exactly the paradox Molly describes here...strangely inspired by the fact that things have always been this bad.