This week in Christian history: English pope dies, ‘Christ and Culture’ author born, early church baptism controversy

Richard Niebuhr born – Sept. 3, 1894

This week marks the anniversary of when Helmut Richard Niebuhr, a prominent American Protestant theologian and professor, was born in Wright City, Missouri.

Niebuhr was the youngest of five children and the son of a Protestant minister from Germany and his wife, who was born in the United States.

He held degrees from Elmhurst College, Eden Theological Seminary, and Washington University, and was ordained as a pastor in the Evangelical and Reformed Church in 1916.

Niebuhr was notable for his theological works, including The Kingdom of God in America, The Responsible Self, and, perhaps most famously, Christ and Culture.

“During his distinguished career, Niebuhr was awarded many honorary degrees. He participated in ecumenical work, contributing to major study documents drawn up for World Council of Churches assemblies,” explained Encyclopedia.com.

“He was an architect of the United Church of Christ, formed in 1957 by a merger of the Congregational Christian and the Evangelical and Reformed Churches, and helped draft its Statement of Faith.”