Ecclesiology

Abstract This essay argues that Reinhold Niebuhr had a rich and theologically informed ecclesiology. The argument begins by briefly considering criticisms of Niebuhr’s ecclesiology before turning to a close reading of his writings on the American church. These writings are practical in nature and brief, which perhaps explains why they have received relatively little attention. In them, it becomes clear that Niebuhr embraced several doctrines associated with the Reformation churches, including a high view of the sacraments and the persistence of sin. For Niebuhr, grace and sin are central to the church’s identity as a communion of grace. Grace, he claims, has profound implications for the church in the United States. In a culture that emphasises merit, grace should give the church a critical task. Niebuhr’s vision of the church, then, is a sect-church, at once sacramental and critical. The essay concludes by sketching how Niebuhr’s ecclesiology relates to and informs contemporary American churches.