H. Richard Niebuhr was president of Elmhurst College, 1924-1927; Sterling Professor of Theology and Christian Ethics, 1954-1962 at Yale University (faculty since 1931); and was known for conglomerating neoorthodoxy, realism, and Christian existentialism. The collection contains 13 typescript essays thematically divided into four sections: Deity of God; Human bondage; Divine action and human response; and Catholic vision.
The Theological Discussion Group, meeting twice yearly in weekend retreat initially at Yale University, included Reinhold Niebuhr, Richard Niebuhr, Paul Tillich, Henry Van Dusen, James Luther Adams, Georgia Harkness and many other leading Christian thinkers. Papers were presented and critiqued, and issues concerning the evolution of Christianity and the modern world discussed. The collection contains typescript addresses presented to the Theological Discussion Group, as well as a small amount of administrative correspondence, including lists of members.