tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post5937227601552736081..comments2024-03-28T10:26:20.408-04:00Comments on Ponderings on a Faith Journey: Awaiting the King (James K. A. Smith) -- A ReviewRobert Cornwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581876323110725024noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-90160356790102073182017-12-19T08:30:39.242-05:002017-12-19T08:30:39.242-05:00Brad, thanks for posting and for the question. I ...Brad, thanks for posting and for the question. I should say first that my knowledge of Kuyper is somewhat limited, but as I read Smith and others, it would appear that Kuyper envisioned a Christian public polity -- a Christian political movement. Niebuhr on the other hand believed that faith empowered public witness, but as I read him he never envisioned the creation of a Christian state. His was a chastened social gospel. His realism assumed that sin impacted even our best efforts, and thus Christendom was open to corruption. I would recommend as a good introduction Jeremy Sabella's book An American Conscience: The Reinhold Niebuhr Story -- which is the companion to the PBS documentary. Ultimately, as to why I like Niebuhr is that he was a strong proponent of social action, while tempering the optimism that pervaded earlier efforts at social change. Robert Cornwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04581876323110725024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-31843610773363460612017-12-18T15:36:11.308-05:002017-12-18T15:36:11.308-05:00Thanks for your thoughtful engagement on the topic...Thanks for your thoughtful engagement on the topic. I'm still at the beginning phases of forming a political theology. Can you help me distinguish between the thought of Kuyper and Niebuhr? You state that you are more embracing of Niebuhr. Why?Bradhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18222669958299780117noreply@blogger.com