Langdon Gilkey's engaging style, a healthy dose of autobiographical reflection, and a lucid exposition of Niebuhr's theology mean that readers of this book will learn as much of Gilkey as of Niebuhr; and they will learn a great deal of both. This makes the book an excellent general introduction to two of the most influential theologians of the twentieth century-and a good entry point for understanding the kind of influence the discipline might exert in the twenty-first. Gilkey dismisses interpreters of Niebuhr who see his theological language as mere rhetoric and his understanding of history as "gloomy." For Gilkey, theological language is central, not peripheral, to Niebuhr's work. His theological emphasis on God and God's grace allowed him to abandon the liberal project without succumbing to cynicism. In an age as prone to cynicism as this one, Niebuhr's theologically informed ethical/political reflections are more relevant than ever. Gilkey has done a real service by making this material accessible to a general audience without sacrificing the academic rigor characteristic of all his work.