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===Niebuhr and Judaism===

===Niebuhr and Judaism===

Over the course of both his pastoral and academic careers Niebuhr made several bold assertions regarding Judaism.  As a pastor in Detroit (around 30 years of age), he favored conversion of Jews to Christianity, scolding the status quo of evangelical Christians who then by and large ignored them. He did so by speaking out against "the unchristlike attitude of Christians" and what he then saw as his fellow Christian's "Jewish bigotry." <ref> Fox, ''Reinhold Niebuhr" (1985)</ref> He wrote several articles regarding the pre and post World War II plight of European Jews: "Jews After the War" (in 2 parts ''Nation'' February 21 and February 28, 1942, pages 214-216 and 253-255), "It Might Have Been" (''Evangelical Herald'' March 29, 1923, page  202), "The Rapprochement Between Jews and Christians" (''Christian Century'' January 7, 1926, pages 9-11), "Germany Must Be Told" (''Christian Century'' August 9, 1933, pages 1014-1015, follow-up ''Letter to the Editor'' in to this article same journal May 27, 1936, p. 771). His 1933 article in the ''Christian Century'' was an attempt to sound the alarm within the Christian community over Hitler's "cultural annihilation of the Jews."<ref> Fox, ''Reinhold Niebuhr" (1985)</ref>  Eventually his theology evolved to the point where "He [became] perhaps the first Christian theologian with ecumenical influence who developed a view of the relations between Christianity and Judaism that made it inappropriate for Christians to seek to convert Jews to their faith." <ref> 1998 [[Encyclopedia Britannica]], Volume 8 of [[Micropædia]] article on Reinhold Niebuhr, pages 694-695 </ref>

Niebuhr made many bold assertions regarding Judaism.  As a young pastor in Detroit, he favored conversion of Jews to Christianity, scolding the status quo of evangelical Christians who then by and large ignored them. He did so by speaking out against "the unchristlike attitude of Christians" and what he then saw as his fellow Christian's "Jewish bigotry." <ref> Fox, ''Reinhold Niebuhr" (1985)</ref>  His 1933 article in the ''Christian Century'' was an attempt to sound the alarm within the Christian community over Hitler's "cultural annihilation of the Jews."<ref> Fox, ''Reinhold Niebuhr" (1985)</ref>  Eventually his theology evolved to the point where he was the first prominent Christian theologian to argue it was inappropriate for Christians to seek to convert Jews to their faith.<ref> He wrote several articles regarding the pre and post World War II plight of European Jews: "Jews After the War" (in 2 parts ''Nation'' February 21 and February 28, 1942, pages 214-216 and 253-255), "It Might Have Been" (''Evangelical Herald'' March 29, 1923, page  202), "The Rapprochement Between Jews and Christians" (''Christian Century'' January 7, 1926, pages 9-11), "Germany Must Be Told" (''Christian Century'' August 9, 1933, pages 1014-1015, follow-up ''Letter to the Editor'' in to this article same journal May 27, 1936, p. 771).</ref>  

 

As a preacher, writer, leader, and advisor to political figures, Niebuhr consistently and unambiguously supported Zionism and Israel. Unlike most Christian Zionists, he never discussed it from a theological perspective. The solution to anti-Semitism he propounded was a combination of a Jewish homeland, greater tolerance, and further assimilation in other countries.  Indeed his maximalist approach to the Palestinian question went beyond the Zionist position. As early as 1942, he advocated the total expulsion of Arabs from Palestine and their resettlement in other Arabic countries. His extreme position may relate to his religious conviction that life on earth is never perfect, to his outrage over the Holocaust, or to the example of Germans being forcibly removed from Eastern Europe after World War II. <ref> Eyal Naveh, "Unconventional 'Christian Zionist': The Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr and his Attitude toward the Jewish National Movement". ''Studies in Zionism'' 1990 11(2): 183-196; 1991 12(1): 85-88.</ref>

 

===Niebuhr and Communism===

===Niebuhr and Communism===

After [[Stalin]] signed a pact with [[Hitler]] in August 1939), Niebuhr severed his past ties with any fellow-traveler  organization having any known Communist leanings.  In the 1950s his position became so anti-communist that he believed McCarthy was a force of [[evil]] not so much for disrespecting civil liberties as for being ineffective in rooting out Communists and their sympathizers.<ref> Fox, ''Reinhold Niebuhr" (1985) p 252</ref> He thought the [[Rosenbergs]] should be executed, stating "Traitors are never ordinary criminals and the Rosenbergs are quite obviously fiercely loyal Communists....Stealing atomic secrets is an unprecedented crime".<ref> Fox, ''Reinhold Niebuhr" (1985) p 252</ref>.

After [[Stalin]] signed a pact with [[Hitler]] in August 1939), Niebuhr severed his past ties with any fellow-traveler  organization having any known Communist leanings.  In the 1950s his position became so anti-communist that he believed McCarthy was a force of [[evil]] not so much for disrespecting civil liberties as for being ineffective in rooting out Communists and their sympathizers.<ref> Fox, ''Reinhold Niebuhr" (1985) p 252</ref> He thought the [[Rosenbergs]] should be executed, stating "Traitors are never ordinary criminals and the Rosenbergs are quite obviously fiercely loyal Communists....Stealing atomic secrets is an unprecedented crime".<ref> Fox, ''Reinhold Niebuhr" (1985) p 252</ref>.