Abstract:

Reinhold Niebuhr was a famous theologian and political philosopher in America. Owing to his efforts the theology in America continued to develop and took on a new look during the age of crisis. Admittedly, Niebuhr's reinterpretation of the traditional Christian doctrine of original sin and his emphasis on self - sacrificial love as Jesus' ethic are regarded as his greatest contributions to the twentieth -century theology. The Christian realism advocated by Niebuhr has profoundly influenced the life and thought of Americans. One of central ideas in Christian realism is the basic difference between individual morality and collective morality. Niebuhr believed that the Liberal Movement both religious and secular seemed to be unconscious of the difference. As a result, many liberal moralistic approaches to the political order were irrelevant.

Key words: Christian realism, collective morality, sin