The Theology of Reinhold Niebuhr by Edward J. Carnell (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 317 The Theology of Reinhold Niebuhr. By EDWARD J. CARNELL. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951. Pp. ~50 with index. $3.50. The American school of neo-orthodox theology has appropriated the term realism for its doctrines. This school has been strongly influenced by modern liberalism as well as by the dialectical theology of Karl Barth on the Continent of Europe. Reinhold Niebuhr is at present its most influ~ ential representative. Mr. Carnell's book includes a clear presentation of the salient features of Niebuhr's thought and, at the same time, a very acute appraisal of it from the standpoint of early Reformation theology. The author devotes considerable attention to the anthropological and philosophical views which underlie Niebuhr's Ethics and Theology. Idealism and naturalism are sharply opposed to one another as impossible extremes, and intermediate positions, like that of Aristotle, are almost completely neglected. The anthropology which emerges from this dialectical discussion is strongly tinged with voluntarism. The will is " at the very center of human personality," and theoretical reason is not clearly distinguished from practical reason. (Human Nature, pp. 16 and ~60) Reason is viewed as a manifestation of freedom, the most fundamental and distinctively human trait. This freedom is almost unlimited and separates man from nature. The theory of natural law is rejected. " It raises ideology to a higher degree of pretension, and is another of the many illustrations in history of the force of sin in the claim of sinlessness." (Human Destiny, p. 253) Nevertheless, Niebuhr does admit "certain permanent norms such as monogamy which . . . are maintained not purely by Scriptural authority but by the cumulative experience of the race." (Human Nature, pp. 28~-3) He has a profound respect for " science," and often uses the supposed results of " science " to justify his sceptical doctrines. But for philosophy itself, especially metaphysics, he has no hope at all. This anti-philosophical philosophy runs through all of Niebuhr's work, and plays a crucial role in the development of his theological dialectic. Its key concepts are derived from an interpretation of the moral or " existential " experience of men, and the chasm which yawns between the ought and the is. According to Niebuhr, this chasm is sin, something for which we are responsible, and yet is ~at the same time inevitable. (Human Nature, ~50 ff.) It is caused by the persistent refusal of men to remain within their appointed limits. This may happen in two ways. On the one hand, men may hold to their unlimited freedom as an absolute, which leads to anarchy. On the other, they may identify the norm with some imperfect status quo, which leads to tyranny. "These twin evils ... represent the Scylla and Charybdis between which the frail bark of social justice must saiL ..." (Human Destiny, p. ~58) The only sound escape from this dilemma of moral experience lies in the recognition of a 318 BOOK REVIEWS transcendent, religious norm beyond history but sufficiently in history to clarify human possibilities and limitations. This dialectical tension between time and eternity is the heart of Biblical Christianity. According to Niebuhr, the interpretation of Biblical revelation is confronted by two dialectical extremes, liberalism which remains oblivious to the transcendent references and implications, and orthodoxy which takes th~m literally and reduces them to bad science and worse metaphysics. The truth is accessible only to an intermediate, dialectical position which takes Biblical concepts as symbols for what transcends all rational insight, and Biblical doctrines as myths. The truth is revealed, though in a confused and uncertain manner, in the inner, moral experience of men. The Bible must be interpreted in the light of this experience rather than vice versa. Thus the Jesus of history was a finite and imperfect creature. " It is not possible for any person to be historical and unconditioned at the same time." (Human Destiny, pp. 60-1) Christ is an abstract symbol. " Christ is the symbol both of what man ought to be and of what God is beyond man." (Beyond Tragedy, p. ~3) Any attempt to work out a coherent interpretation of the doctrine of the Incarnation is condemned as a metaphysical corruption of the purity of faith. " The logical nonsense is...