Concordia Books & Coffee Discussion on Niebuhr’s “Moral Man and Immoral Society”
ANN ARBOR, Mich., August 25, 2008 – On Tuesday, October 14 at 4:00 p.m., Michael Kalmes, associate professor of social science at Concordia University, will lead a Books and Coffee discussion entitled “Reconciling Politics and Religion: Reinhold Niebuhr’s ‘Moral Man and Immoral Society.’” The discussion will be held in the living room of the Earhart Manor on Concordia’s campus.
“The 2008 presidential campaign raises again the potential paradoxes inherent in the relationship between religious beliefs and political action. Can we be political and religious? Are overtly moral ends for government even practical, much less desirable? Are some religious identities particularly suited to public affairs? Or do public concerns effectively undermine religious witness and moral values? In his 1932 book ‘Moral Man and Immoral Society,’ pastor, social activist, and public intellectual Reinhold Niebuhr attempts to reconcile the moral imperatives of religious commitment expressed in the drive to make society righteous with the practical realities of politics as an exercise of force. Niebuhr’s framing of the questions and his deep understanding of both faith and governing are helpful to a discussion today that is often more heated than enlightening.”
The theme of this year’s Books and Coffee program will revolve around a series of classic texts—books that everyone knows about, has read in high school or college, or always thought they should have read, even if they have not yet. In a format aimed at a general rather than an academic audience, we discuss the continued relevance of some of these works. This year, we have selected texts that resonate to our theme of “Reconciliation.”
The Earhart Manor is located at near the entrance to Concordia’s east campus. Concordia University is located at 4090 Geddes Road in Ann Arbor, MI, just west of US-23 at exit 39.
Visit the cua2rts website for more events and information: http://www.cuaa.edu/kreftarts.
Concordia University Ann Arbor is a liberal arts institution of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. With a Christian environment and an academic community dedicated to excellence, CUAA offers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. CUAA is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) and by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). CUAA Family Life Program is approved by the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). CUAA’s Athletic Program is a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Champions of Character institution. CUAA is listed as one of America's Best Private Colleges®. For more information on CUAA, visit: www.cuaa.edu.
