Niebuhr and nonviolence

I am not condoning violence. But I do appreciate Niebuhr as a Christian advocating fighting for justice, if only politically. And that just loving your enemy is not only ineffective but complicity when that enemy is fascism. From Chapter 8 of this book on the topic.

"As Niebuhr grew more and more sympathetic to the workers he served, he grew more and more doubtful that they could attain power through strictly nonviolent means. He began to suspect that he would have to choose between economic justice and nonviolence. [...]  So, for example, he pointed out that the widespread pacifism of the '20s helped to maintain the status quo, which served U.S. political and economic interests. The FOR [Fellowship of Reconciliation], by supporting the broader pacifist agenda, unwittingly served the same interests. To get justice, some violence would inevitably be necessary, since the rich would never be peacefully persuaded to share their riches. But if violence was the way to justice, so be it. Niebuhr resigned from the FOR and set about explaining his new direction in theological terms. The result was his classic book, Moral Man and Immoral Society (1932)."

"Liberal Christianity, at its most extreme, trusted that people could learn to become so reasonable that they would work together for the good of all, and create the Kingdom of God on earth. Niebuhr vigorously rejected this faith. As always, he argued on both practical and theological grounds. Practically speaking, he saw no grounds for utopian hope. With liberal democratic capitalism so imperiled by economic depression and rising totalitarianism, the optimism of liberal Christianity struck him as totally unrealistic. He wanted Christians to take a more 'realistic' approach to getting justice for the working class. The commandment to love must be acted out in real history, he asserted, in organized efforts to get justice for the oppressed. That means using the political system, which means pitting power against power, rather than always treating the powerful with perfect love."