Associates grieve the loss of Richard Gustav Niebuhr, faith reporter and teacher

(RNS)– Richard Gustav Niebuhr, a prominent acclaimed nationwide reporter turned college teacher who covered faith for The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and New York Times, passed away last month from problems of Parkinson’s Disease, his household revealed.

He was 68.

Niebuhr passed away Oct. 20 at his home, however his death was not extensively understood till today.

Born July 30, 1955, in Poughkeepsie, New York, religious beliefs was his household’s service. Niebuhr’s grandpa, H. Richard Niebuhr, taught faith at Yale; his great-uncle Reinhold Niebuhr taught at Union Theological Seminary; while his great-aunt Clara August Hulda Niebuhr was a famous Christian teacher and the very first lady teacher at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. His dad, Richard, taught at Harvard Divinity School for more than 4 years.

When he started his journalism profession, Niebuhr covered politics, doing so at the Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

When a good friend informed him that the Atlanta-Journal Constitution was looking for a religious beliefs press reporter in the late 1980s, he leapt at the chance, Niebuhr remembered in 2010.

“She just discussed it, however it captured my attention in a significant method,” he informed seasoned religious beliefs press reporter Richard Dujardin in a 2010 profile. “I recognized then it was precisely what I wished to do.”

Eventually, he was covering a doctrinal civil war raving in the Southern Baptist Convention and the growing impact of evangelical Christianity in Central America.

His success at the Journal-Constitution resulted in a series of deals to cover religious beliefs on the nationwide phase– initially at The Wall Street Journal, then The Washington Post, and lastly The New York Times– where his work made a variety of awards from the Religion News Association.

Among the last significant stories he covered at the Times was the attacks of 9/11. He was headed into New York on the early morning of Sept. 11, he later on remembered, and saw the World Trade Center towers in flames.

“My train was the last one from New Jersey to make it to Penn Station,” he informed Dujardin.

Previous coworkers explained him as kind and generous.

“The thing I observed and valued about him was that he constantly had time for his rivals, he was constantly ready to assist others out and he never ever believed he was too essential to assist to other press reporters,” stated previous Religion News Service editor Kevin Eckstrom, who was a young press reporter throughout Niebuhr’s prime time.

“Gus specified the faith beat at its finest and actually assisted set the requirement for what great faith journalism appears like: wise, incisive, considerate however not deferential. He had a special capability to link the dots to inform a bigger, more crucial story. And he was a hell of a good guy while he did it.”

Long time religious beliefs reporter and author Cathleen Falsani explained Niebuhr as a coach and a pal, calling him a “kind, mild, amusing, client and sensible guy,” who comprehended that faith shapes every part of the world around us.

“He cared deeply about such things and instilled that care in me,” she composed on her Facebook page, in grieving Niebuhr’s death. “I understand I am not alone in having actually experienced Gus as motivation, guide, coach, sounding board, cheerleader, voice of factor.”

In late 2001, Niebuhr, with a growing household, left the Times very first to end up being a fellow at Princeton’s Center for the Study of Religion and later on to Syracuse, where his other half, Margaret, was a teacher. There he taught both journalism and courses on the history of faith.

“You can not comprehend the history of America without comprehending spiritual history,” he stated in 2010.

A graduate of Pomona College and Oxford University, Niebuhr was the author of 2 books: “Beyond Tolerance: Searching for Interfaith Understanding in America” and “Lincoln’s Bishop: A President, a Priest, and the Fate of 300 Dakota Sioux Warriors,” about a clergyman who assisted encourage Abraham Lincoln to spare the lives of a group of Native American males.

In 2010, Niebuhr got the William A. Reed Lifetime Achievement Award from the Religion News Association. At the time, he stressed that papers were cutting down on faith protection to their hinderance: “You can’t discuss the modern-day world without learning about religious beliefs,” he stated at the time.

A homage to Niebuhr stated his love for his household and his passion for travel, in spite of his disease.

“A soft-spoken male with a mild, dry wit, Niebuhr well balanced severe intellectual pursuits with heat and kindness of spirit acquired from his mom, Nancy Mullican Niebuhr,” the homage read.

Survivors include his other half, Margaret; his 2 boys; his sis Sarah; 2 nieces and 4 grandnieces and nephews.

A service is prepared for Dec. 29 at Syracuse University.