H. Richard Niebuhr, Radical Monotheism and Western Culture (1960), p. 11
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The chief rival to monotheism, I shall contend, is henotheism or that social faith which makes a finite society, whether cultural or religious, the object of trust as well as of loyalty and which tends to subvert even officially monotheistic institutions, such as the churches.

— H. Richard Niebuhr on Monotheism

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The chief rival to monotheism, I shall contend, is henotheism or that social faith which makes a finite society, whether cultural or religious, the object of trust as well as of loyalty and which tends to subvert even officially monotheistic institutions, such as the churches." in the context of "H. Richard Niebuhr, Radical Monotheism and Western Culture (1960), p. 11" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Monotheism" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
H. Richard Niebuhr

About H. Richard Niebuhr

H. Richard Niebuhr (September 3, 1894 – July 5, 1962) was a Christian theological ethicist. He was the the younger brother of theologian Reinhold Niebuhr.