The American Roots of Non-Violence: King, Niebuhr, and the Crisis of Liberalism

This paper explores how Reinhold Niebuhr influenced the theological and organizational underpinnings of King’s non-violence. A major problem in the literature and public consciousness is the straight line drawn between Mahatma Gandhi and the non-violence of King and Lawson, which represents a fundamental misunderstanding of this syncretism and cultural translation. Historians question Andrew Young’s claim that King regarded nonviolence as “a Niebuhrian stratagem of power,” as King did not explicitly state this. However, if we take a closer look at what Young is saying and the theological and philosophical developmental of non-violence in the Kingian context, we see some undeniable truth in his assessment. Understanding Niebuhr’s influence on King allows scholars to disentangle the complexities and roots of King’s relationship to non-violence, liberal Christianity in America, and foreign policy.