R. Gustav Niebuhr

R. Gustav Niebuhr

Director of the Religion & Society Program, Syracuse University

Gustav Niebuhr is an associate professor of religion and the media, an interdisciplinary position in the College of Arts & Sciences and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Since June 2004, the “On Faith” panelist has directed the Religion & Society Program, an interdisciplinary undergraduate major. Niebuhr served as a visiting fellow/scholar in residence at the Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University from December 2001 to 2003. Supported by a Ford Foundation Grant, he conducted research on religious diversity and interfaith collaboration. Prior to his academic tenure, Niebuhr was a national correspondent for The Washington Post, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, writing feature and analytical articles, and reporting on news about religion. He won several awards, including the 1993 Templeton Religion Writer of the Year Award from the Religion Newswriters Association. His articles have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the New York Times Book Review, the Carnegie Reporter, the Christian Century, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review and Beliefnet.com. An experienced public lecturer,Niebuhr most recently spoke at Auburn Theological Seminary in May 2006 on “Is ‘Tolerance’ a Social Good?” and at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in May 2005, he lectured on “Religion as News.” Close.

R. Gustav Niebuhr

Director of the Religion & Society Program, Syracuse University

Gustav Niebuhr is an associate professor of religion and the media, an interdisciplinary position in the College of Arts & Sciences and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Since June 2004, the “On Faith” panelist has directed the Religion & Society Program, an interdisciplinary undergraduate major. more »

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January 2007 Archives



January 2, 2007 1:10 PM

"Religious" Conversations Needn't Be About Religion

As with some of the other panelists, I'm not convinced atheism is enjoying a "new vogue." That may be because in the various places I've lived--New England, California, Great Britain and, certainly, the Bible Belt--I've never had much trouble encountering people who not only didn't believe in a religious system but were not shy in voicing their unbelief.

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January 9, 2007 4:15 PM

A 19th Century Decision Resonates Still

I suppose if I had a "most formative religious experience," it didn't actually take place in my lifetime, but occurred to a teenage boy 126 years ago. He was my great-grandfather, Gustav Niebuhr, after whom I'm named.

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January 30, 2007 1:21 PM

Religion Should Not Crowd Out Other Formative Influences

If presidential candidates increasingly feel the need to speak about their religious faith, that isn't something happening in a cultural vacuum. It reflects the era in which we live, in which what was once considered "personal" and "private" has been pushed way into the public domain.

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