A Critical Review of Reinhold Niebuhr’s Thoughts on the Sin of Pride and Its Relevance to Korean Society
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This study aims to explore the meaning of pride in Reinhold Niebuhr’s The Nature and Destiny of Man, as well as its relevance to Korean society. Niebuhr presents the pride of power, knowledge, and virtue as causes of various conflicts in American society. His thoughts are helpful to apply for an understanding of the underlying issues concerning Korean society. Niebuhr asserts that the pride of power, prompted by a sense of insecurity, causes economic injustice in society, since it seeks an even greater gain in order to guarantee their security, inevitably at the expense of others. Niebuhr also points out that the pride of knowledge causes a cultural imperialism by a majority group over the minority groups. He then argues that moral pride is revealed in all “self-righteous” judgments, in which the other is condemned because he fails to conform to the arbitrary standards of the self. Niebuhr stresses that self-righteousness has been one of the major causes for racial, national, religious, and social struggles in history. In Korean society, the pride of power exists among the plutocrats who possess many companies in various economic fields. In addition to economic problems, there is also an issue of intellectual pride. This is expressed in the attitude of native Koreans towards international laborers. But just as America faces tension with its immigrant population, so does Korea not always fairly treat those who arrive enamored by its seemingly prosperous economy. One more problem with which Korean society struggles is moral pride. The exclusive attitude of Christianity towards other religions is shown among Korean Protestants. It is necessary for the Korean Protestant church to cooperate with other religions in order to resolve social issues. Niebuhr’s analysis, however, is not alone sufficient to provide a solution to social problems, given the lack of practicality in motivating believers for moral practice. The reason is that Niebuhr does not emphasize the work of the Spirit to motivate believers. He seems to simply say that faith in Christ is enough. This has been criticized by some scholars. An examination of the narrative of the superintendent of a railroad company in In His Steps supports my thesis. In addition, I have discussed the current influence of Min Joong theology on Korean society as a case study. In sum, personal spiritual growth cannot be disregarded in a discussion of Christian social ethics, since motivation from Jesus is crucial in the moment of an ethical decision, and this is not alone derived from knowing or believing him but from following him through an intimate relationship.
Abstract
This study aims to explore the meaning of pride in Reinhold Niebuhr’s The Nature and Destiny of Man, as well as its relevance to Korean society. Niebuhr presents the pride of power, knowledge, and virtue as causes of various conflicts in American society. His thoughts are helpful to apply for an understanding of the underlying issues concerning Korean society. Niebuhr asserts that the pride of power, prompted by a sense of insecurity, causes economic injustice in society, since it seeks an even greater gain in order to guarantee their security, inevitably at the expense of others. Niebuhr also points out that the pride of knowledge causes a cultural imperialism by a majority group over the minority groups. He then argues that moral pride is revealed in all “self-righteous” judgments, in which the other is condemned because he fails to conform to the arbitrary standards of the self. Niebuhr stresses that self-righteousness has been one of the major causes for racial, national, religious, and social struggles in history. In Korean society, the pride of power exists among the plutocrats who possess many companies in various economic fields. In addition to economic problems, there is also an issue of intellectual pride. This is expressed in the attitude of native Koreans towards international laborers. But just as America faces tension with its immigrant population, so does Korea not always fairly treat those who arrive enamored by its seemingly prosperous economy. One more problem with which Korean society struggles is moral pride. The exclusive attitude of Christianity towards other religions is shown among Korean Protestants. It is necessary for the Korean Protestant church to cooperate with other religions in order to resolve social issues. Niebuhr’s analysis, however, is not alone sufficient to provide a solution to social problems, given the lack of practicality in motivating believers for moral practice. The reason is that Niebuhr does not emphasize the work of the Spirit to motivate believers. He seems to simply say that faith in Christ is enough. This has been criticized by some scholars. An examination of the narrative of the superintendent of a railroad company in In His Steps supports my thesis. In addition, I have discussed the current influence of Min Joong theology on Korean society as a case study. In sum, personal spiritual growth cannot be disregarded in a discussion of Christian social ethics, since motivation from Jesus is crucial in the moment of an ethical decision, and this is not alone derived from knowing or believing him but from following him through an intimate relationship.
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