Christ and Culture (Torchbooks) [Paperback]

H. Richard Niebuhr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 1956 | Series: Torchbooks

This 50th-anniversary edition, with a new foreword by the distinguished historian Martin E. Marty, who regards this book as one of the most vital books of our time, as well as an introduction by the author never before included in the book, and a new preface by James Gustafson, the premier Christian ethicist who is considered Niebuhr’s contemporary successor, poses the challenge of being true to Christ in a materialistic age to an entirely new generation of Christian readers.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Being fully God and fully human, Jesus raised an enduring question for his followers: what exactly was His place in this world? In the classic Christ and Culture, H. Richard Niebuhr crafted a magisterial survey of the many ways of answering that question--and the related question of how Christ's followers understand their own place in the world. Niebuhr called the subject of this book "the double wrestle of the church with its Lord and with the cultural society with which it lives in symbiosis." And he described various understandings of Christ "against," "of," and "above" culture, as well as Christ "transforming" culture, and Christ in "paradoxical" relation to it. This 50th anniversary edition of Christ and Culture, with a foreword by theologian Martin E. Marty, is not easy reading. But it remains among the most gripping articulations of what is arguably the most basic ethical question of the Christian faith: how is Christ relevant to the world in which we live now? --Michael Joseph Gross

Review

"...anyone...at all au courant with modern theological thought will certainly wish to become familiar with [this book]." -- Time And Tide

"A superb piece of analytical writing in tackling what is just about the toughest problem face by Christians..." -- Paul Hutchinson in The New York Times Book Review

"This is without any doubt the one outstanding book in the field of basic Christian social ethics." -- Paul Ramsey in the Journal Of Religion

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Harper & Row (September 5, 1956)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061300039
• ISBN-13: 978-0061300035
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dated . . . but . . . Foundational, March 25, 2004

By 

R. Kirkham "jrkirkham" (Rushville, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Christ and Culture (Torchbooks) (Paperback)

What do I mean by dated . . . but . . . foundational?

DATED
Christ and Culture has been around for over half a century now. When first penned it attempted to describe all the various ways in which Christians interact with culture, and make sense of it. The book was profound, for its time period. However, a lot of theology has been written since 1951 and culture has changed even more. At first glance the reader might find himself or herself toying with several ideas that are more recent than Niebur's.

FOUNDATIONAL
This book made such a splash that some Christian colleges adopted similar classes. This was the prevailing text. Therefore, most of the ideas on this subject that churn in the modern Christian reader's mind were formed in reaction to this book, even if the reader is unaware of it. Therefore, if the reader of today can grasp the concepts of this work, that reader will have a deeper understanding of his or her own beliefs.

RECOMMENDATION
This book is dated, but not outdated. Read it and compare it with newer works for a broader grasp of the subject. By the way, this is one of the most important subjects that today's Christian can wrestle with. Too many of our Christians react to culture with limited understanding of what they are doing or why they are doing it. We Protestants, of which I am one, are horribly weak in our understanding of what it means to be the Church of Jesus Christ in a fallen world.

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sacred and the Profane: 5 Ways of Relating, March 14, 2001

By 

Elderbear (Loma Linda, Aztlan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Christ and Culture (Torchbooks) (Paperback)

H. Richard Niebuhr writes as a Christian, but this work has meaning beyond the scope of the Christian faith. Here, he analyzes how the sacred can relate to the profane, the spiritual to the mundane.

After defining "Christ" (Mediator, involving double movement, from God toward man & from men toward God) and "Culture" (the artificial, secondary environment that man imposes on the natural), he dedicates a chapter to each of the five ways he sees the sacred & profane relating.

The first of these, "Christ against Culture," focuses on the opposition of the sacred to the profane. He examines the ekklesia, or "calling out" inherent in the sacred (that which is set apart, beyond the horizon). He critiques this approach by showing how ultimately it leads to an otherworldly Christianity which can have minimal, if any impact on the world.

Opposed to this is "The Christ of Culture." From this viewpoint, the sacred is discovered in culture. That which is most Christlike in culture is celebrated, the spiritual teachings which bring man into community, which find meaning in the "ordinary" take precedence. The danger of this approach, is that belief will merge with society, and the sacred will be, eventually, completely lost.

Adherents to the "Christ above Culture" motif compartmentalize the sacred and the profane. Christ is for church and bed-time prayers, culture is the realm of business. At best, spiritually informed morals guide behavior in culture. By compartmentalizing the sacred as separate from the profane, this approach de-vitalizes the profane and disempowers the sacred.

The "Christ in Paradox with Culture" approach sees man as sinful and grounded in culture. Man cannot escape the profane--this is part of his nature. Christ, on the other hand, calls man into the sacred. This is the paradox--called to the sacred, a part of the profane. The only resolution is seen as God's redeeming grace.

His final approach considers "Christ the Transformer of Culture." He presents the permeation of all life by the immanent presence of divinity. This lays a geis upon the believer to manifest the Divine within culture, leading to both spiritual and practical, political and social action.

He concludes by stating that we must make our decisions in faith, that not one of these five approaches can lay claim to being the "One True" Christian approach.

I find it interesting that he takes nearly an entire book to develop the "Christ the Transformer of Culture" idea. This is one which more modern Christian theologians (ie Matthew Fox) develop rapidly as a basis for further discussion. Starhawk, the noted author of Goddess thealogy, starts by assuming an immanent Divine presence, both sanctifying all of the "profane" and demanding that situations of injustice be confronted.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This classic is a must read for students of Christianity., June 16, 2003

By 

Allan M. Gathercoal "fdoamerica" (Norcross, GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Christ and Culture (Torchbooks) (Paperback)

Niebuhr's views, historical, cultural and religious, were solidly based in the context and culture of the late 40's and early 50's. He wrote as an ethicist who, in 1950, fully comprehended the cataclysmic failure of the German National Church. Now, over fifty years later, with the republishing of Niebuhr's book, his inquiry into the relationship of the Church and the contemporary culture remain valid, though the world and the church have dramatically changed.

In "Christ & Culture" Niebuhr describes five models of how the sacred & secular can interact. Ultimately he seeks to give insight into the question of "how shall we, as Christians, live?" I will not go into the five types, but of the five types, Niebuhr favors most the "Christ transforming Culture".

Faith, in Christ, Niebuhr believed, needs to go beyond separation, accommodation, adoration or polarization and engage dynamically the culture with the values of life that Christ espoused. Faith in Christ, through presence and social action, will transform the world. Thus, for Niebuhr, if Christ identified with the poor, we should too. If Christ took in the orphans and widows, we should too. If Christ healed the sick, we should too. Jesus is God-with-us, not to rescue us out of "all of this," but to redeem, transform, restore us and all of this. God's work of redemption is not at odds with God's work of creation. We live in the world, we create the world and we, through faith, are involved in bringing God's "kingdom come, here on earth as it is in heaven."

This is a must read for any student of Christianity. This is a serious read and it can be a bit dense and daunting at times, but it is non-the-less a Christian Classic that every pastor and thinking Christian should have in their library. Strongly recommended.