Niebuhr Center for Faith and Action

About the Niebuhrs

Our heritage

Reinhold and H. Richard Niebuhr, brothers from downstate Illinois, studied at Elmhurst College in the early 20th century. They went on to build careers as two of the century’s most original, influential, and socially engaged American theologians. Their work informed the thought and actions of Martin Luther King Jr., Jimmy Carter, and many other faith-motivated leaders. And their lives serve as individual examples of Callings for the Common Good.