John Howard Yoder
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| John Howard Yoder | |
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| Born | December 29, 1927 Smithville, Ohio |
| Died | December 30, 1997 South Bend, Indiana |
| Occupation | Theologian |
| Spouse | Anne Marie Guth |
John Howard Yoder (December 29, 1927 – December 30, 1997) was a Christian theologian, ethicist, and Biblical scholar best known for his radical Christian pacifism, his mentoring of future theologians such as Stanley Hauerwas, his loyalty to his Mennonite faith, and his 1972 magnum opus, The Politics of Jesus.
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[edit] Life
[edit] Academic studies
Yoder earned his undergraduate degree from Goshen College where he studied under the influence of Mennonite theologian Harold S. Bender.[1] He completed his Th.D. at the University of Basel, Switzerland, under Karl Barth. Anecdotally true to form, the night before he was to defend his dissertation on Anabaptism and Reformation in Switzerland, Yoder visited Barth's office to deliver an entirely different document: a thorough critique of Barth's position on war which he had written in the meantime called Karl Barth and the Problem of War.
[edit] Activities
After World War Two, Yoder traveled to Europe to direct relief efforts for the Mennonite Central Committee. Yoder was instrumental in reviving European Mennonites following World War II. Upon returning to the United States, he spent a year working at his father's greenhouse business in Wooster, Ohio.
[edit] Academic positions
Yoder began his teaching career at Goshen Biblical Seminary. He was Professor of Theology there from 1965 to 1984. While still teaching at Goshen Biblical Seminary, he also began teaching at the University of Notre Dame, where he became a Professor of Theology and eventually a Fellow of the Institute of International Peace Studies.
[edit] Thought
Yoder is best remembered for his reflections on Christian ethics. Rejecting the assumption that human history is driven by coercive power, Yoder argued that it was rather God -- working in, with, and through the nonviolent, non-resistant community of disciples of Jesus -- who has been the ultimate force in human affairs. If the Christian church in the past made alliances with political rulers, it was because it had lost confidence in this truth.
He called the arrangement whereby the state and the church each supported the goals of the other Constantinianism, and he regarded it as a dangerous and constant temptation. Yoder argued that Jesus himself rejected this temptation, even to the point of dying a horrible and cruel death. Resurrecting Jesus from the dead was, in this view, God's way of vindicating Christ's unwavering obedience.
Likewise, Yoder argued, the primary responsibility of Christians is not to take over society and impose their convictions and values on people who don't share their faith, but to "be the church." By refusing to return evil for evil, by living in peace, sharing goods, and doing deeds of charity as opportunities arise, the church witnesses, says Yoder, to the fact that an alternative to a society based on violence or the threat of violence is possible. Yoder claims that the church thus lives in the conviction that God calls Christians to imitate the way of Christ in his absolute obedience, even if it leads to their deaths, for they, too, will finally be vindicated in resurrection.
[edit] Book summaries
[edit] The Politics of Jesus (1972)
Of his many books, the most widely recognized has undoubtedly been The Politics of Jesus; it has been translated into at least ten languages. In it, Yoder argues against popular views of Jesus, particularly those views held by Reinhold Niebuhr, which he believed to be dominant in the day. Niebuhr argued a particular view of just war philosophy, which Yoder felt failed to take seriously the call or person of Jesus Christ. After showing what he believed to be inconsistencies of Niebuhr's perspective, Yoder attempted to demonstrate by an exegesis of the Gospel of Luke and parts of Paul's letter to the Romans that, in his view, a radical Christian pacifism was the most faithful approach for the disciple of Christ. Yoder argued that being Christian is a political standpoint, and Christians ought not ignore that calling.
The Politics of Jesus was named by evangelical publication Christianity Today as one of the most important Christian books of the 20th century.
[edit] Controversy
In 1997, after submitting to the discipline of the Mennonite Church for allegations of sexual misconduct, Yoder publicly acknowledged misconduct and apologized for his actions.[1] Whether Yoder's private conduct is relevant to his academic work is a matter of controversy within academic circles.[2]
[edit] Progeny
Yoder was a major influence on his colleague at Notre Dame, Stanley Hauerwas. Hauerwas now teaches at Duke Divinity School.
[edit] Selected works
- (1971) The Original Revolution
- (1972) The Politics of Jesus
- (1973) The Legacy of Michael Sattler
- (1977) The Schleitheim Confession, trans. & ed.
- (1983) Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution
- (1984) God's Revolution: The Witness of Eberhard Arnold
- (1984) The Priestly Kingdom: Social Ethics as Gospel
- (1985) He Came Preaching Peace
- (1987) The Fullness of Christ: Paul's Revolutionary Vision of Universal Ministry
- (1991) The Death Penalty Debate: Two Opposing Views of Capitol Punishment
- (1992) Nevertheless: The Varieties and Shortcomings of Religious Pacifism
- (1992) What Would You Do?
- (1994) The Royal Priesthood
- (1996) Authentic Transformation: A New Vision of Christ and Culture
- (1997) For the Nations
- (2001) Body Politics: Five Practices of the Christian Community Before the Watching World
- (2001) To Hear the Word
- (2001) When War Is Unjust: Being Honest in Just-War Thinking
- (2002) Preface to Theology: Christology and Theological Method
- (2002) The Christian Witness to the State
- (2003) Discipleship As Political Responsibility
- (2003) Karl Barth and the Problem of War, and Other Essays on Barth
- (2003) The Jewish-Christian Schism Revisited
- (2005) Anabaptism And Reformation in Switzerland
[edit] Articles & book chapters
- (1988) The Evangelical Round Table: The Sanctity of Life (Volume 3)
- (1991) Declaration on Peace: In God's People the World's Renewal Has Begun
- (1997) God's Revolution: Justice, Community, and the Coming Kingdom
[edit] See also
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[edit] External links
[edit] Book summaries
- A simplified summary of John H. Yoder's classic book: The Politics of Jesus by Nathan Hobby with James Patton
[edit] Obituaries
[edit] Online writings
- The Limits of Obedience to Caesar: The Shape of the Problem by John Howard Yoder
- Peacemaking Amid Political Revolution by John Howard Yoder
- The Racial Revolution in Theological Perspective by John Howard Yoder
- The Theological Basis of the Christian Witness to the State by John Howard Yoder
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Mark Thiessen Nation (July 2003). John Howard Yoder: Mennonite, Evangelical, Catholic. The Mennonite Quarterly Review. Retrieved on March 14, 2007.
- ^ Robert Rhodes (March 13, 2002). Thinker with a vast impact: Conference assesses the theology of John Howard Yoder. The Mennonite Weekly Review. Retrieved on March 14, 2007.
