John Howard Yoder: Mennonite Patience, Evangelical Witness, Catholic Convictions

By Mark Theissen Nation

John Howard Yoder (1927-1997) was a leading Christian witness against violence, articulating a theology from his own tradition so powerful that it compelled people from many other traditions to take notice. The war on terror, the temptations of nationalism, and the painful divisions between those who call themselves followers of Jesus signal our need to hear Yoder's voice again at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

In his book Mark Thiessen Nation provides an insider's introduction to Yoder, demonstrating how a committed Mennonite could also be profoundly evangelical in his witness and broadly catholic in his Christian sensibilities. Taking us into Yoder's life and writings, Nation explores Yoder's context, his keen interest in the Anabaptist tradition, his sustained engagement with other Christians and other faiths, and his claim that pacifism is inherent to Jesus' message.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802839401
• ISBN13: 9780802839404
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
• Length: 211 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.3" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Nation Is Knowledgeable Yet Slightly Dry

John Howard Yoder has contributed so much to the understanding of how Jesus offers the Christian community a social ethic that one would be at a loss if they did not read Mark Nation's overview of the life and writings of Yoder. Mark Nation is thoroughly acquainted with all of the writings and contributions of Yoder. He weaves together a good book through his knowledge of Yoder's ideas. The best part of the book, I thought, was Chapter 4 entitled, "The Politics of Jesus, the Politics of John Howard Yoder: An Evangelical and Catholic Peach Theology". This chapter gives a great background sketch as to why "The Politics of Jesus" was written (it was to be an ecumenical book), has a great summary of the book, and gives some great insight as to how and why Yoder organized some of his arguments in the book. On the negative side of things, the book is, to say the least dry and cumbersome at times and not that exciting of a read (which could also be the case with reading Yoder). But Nation's knowledge of Yoder makes up for the dullness of the book. If you are looking for a book that covers Yoder's background, his ideas, his methodology of interpretation, and highlights of his most significant contributions, this book will be a helpful read.