John Howard Yoder
Encyclopedia
John Howard Yoder 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.
where he studied under the influence of Mennonite theologian Harold S. Bender
. He completed his Th.D. at the University of Basel
, Switzerland
, studying under Karl Barth
, Oscar Cullman, Walther Eichrodt
, and Karl Jaspers
. 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.
After World War II
, 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
.
Yoder began his teaching career at Goshen Biblical Seminary. He was Professor of Theology at Goshen Biblical Seminary and Mennonite Biblical Seminary (the two seminaries that formed Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary
) from 1958 to 1961 and from 1965 to 1984. While still teaching at Associated Mennonite 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 for International Peace Studies
.
Yoder's personal papers are housed at the Mennonite Church USA Archives
.
allegations of sexual misconduct against Yoder circulated for decades and became known in wider Christian circles, but were never publicly acknowledged until 1992. After repeated institutional failures to address these abuses a group of victims threatened to engage in a public protest at a Bethel College conference where Yoder was to be a speaker. The college President rescinded Yoder's invitation, the student newspaper reported the story, and one of the victims reported that Bethel was "the first institution in the church that has taken this seriously" (Mennonite Weekly Review, March 12, 1992). The Elkhart Truth articles detail an extensive pattern of sexual assaults and harassment of students and others.
From the summer of 1992 to the summer of 1996, Yoder submitted to the discipline of the Indiana–Michigan Conference of the Mennonite Church for allegations of sexual misconduct. Yoder vaguely acknowledged misconduct but suggested that the Mennonite Church had instructed him not to formally apologize to any of his victims (Yoder communicated this to Barbra Graber - a friend of some of the victims). Yoder's writing in the unpublished 1995 book "The Case for Punishment" suggest he believed he was the innocent scapegoat of a conspiracy. Upon the conclusion of the process, the church urged Yoder "to use his gifts of writing and teaching."
Yoder is now cited as a typical example of an academic who engages in sexual misconduct.
. 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 has been made possible by the life, death, resurrection and teachings of Jesus. 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.
In bringing traditional Mennonite convictions to the attention of a wider critical audience, Yoder reenergized stale theological debates over foundational Christian ecclesiological, Christological, and ethical beliefs. (Following Barth,) Yoder rejected Enlightenment presuppositions, epitomized by Kant, about the possibility of a universal, rational ethic. Abandoning the search for a universal ethic underlying Christian and non-Christian morality, as well as attempts to "translate" Christian convictions into a common moral parlance, he argued that what is expected of Christians, morally, need not be binding for all people. Yoder defended himself against charges of incoherence and hypocrisy
by arguing for the legitimacy of moral double standards, and by pointing out that since world affairs are ultimately governed by God's providence, Christians are better off being the Church, than following compromised moral systems that try to reconcile biblical revelation with the necessities of governance.
, which he believed to be dominant in the day. Niebuhr argued for a Realist
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 ranked by evangelical publication Christianity Today
as the 5th most important Christian book of the 20th century.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
theologian, ethicist
Christian ethics
The first recorded meeting on the topic of Christian ethics, after Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Great Commandment, and Great Commission , was the Council of Jerusalem , which is seen by most Christians as agreement that the New Covenant either abrogated or set aside at least some of the Old...
, and Biblical scholar best known for his radical Christian pacifism
Christian pacifism
Christian pacifism is the theological and ethical position that any form of violence is incompatible with the Christian faith. Christian pacifists state that Jesus himself was a pacifist who taught and practiced pacifism, and that his followers must do likewise.There have been various notable...
, his mentoring of future theologians such as Stanley Hauerwas
Stanley Hauerwas
Stanley Hauerwas is a Christian theologian and ethicist. He has taught at the University of Notre Dame and is currently the Gilbert T...
, his loyalty to his Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
faith, and his 1972 magnum opus, The Politics of Jesus.
Life
Yoder earned his undergraduate degree from Goshen CollegeGoshen College
Goshen College, is a private Mennonite liberal arts college in Goshen, Indiana, USA with an enrollment of around 1,000 students. The college is accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities...
where he studied under the influence of Mennonite theologian Harold S. Bender
Harold S. Bender
Harold Stauffer Bender was a prominent professor of theology at Goshen College and Goshen Biblical Seminary. His accomplishments include founding both the Mennonite Historical Library and the Mennonite Quarterly Review...
. He completed his Th.D. at the University of Basel
University of Basel
The University of Basel is located in Basel, Switzerland, and is considered to be one of leading universities in the country...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, studying under Karl Barth
Karl Barth
Karl Barth was a Swiss Reformed theologian whom critics hold to be among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important theologian since Thomas Aquinas...
, Oscar Cullman, Walther Eichrodt
Walther Eichrodt
Walther Eichrodt was a German Old Testament scholar and Protestant theologian.He taught as a professor at the Basel University ....
, and Karl Jaspers
Karl Jaspers
Karl Theodor Jaspers was a German psychiatrist and philosopher who had a strong influence on modern theology, psychiatry and philosophy. After being trained in and practicing psychiatry, Jaspers turned to philosophical inquiry and attempted to discover an innovative philosophical system...
. 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.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Yoder traveled to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to direct relief efforts for the Mennonite Central Committee
Mennonite Central Committee
The Mennonite Central Committee is a relief, service, and peace agency representing 15 Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and Amish bodies in North America. The U.S. headquarters are in Akron, Pennsylvania, the Canadian in Winnipeg, Manitoba.-History:...
. 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
Wooster, Ohio
Wooster is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio approximately SSW of Cleveland and SW of Akron. Wooster is noted as the location of The College of Wooster...
.
Yoder began his teaching career at Goshen Biblical Seminary. He was Professor of Theology at Goshen Biblical Seminary and Mennonite Biblical Seminary (the two seminaries that formed Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary
Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary
Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary is an accredited Christian seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, affiliated with Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA....
) from 1958 to 1961 and from 1965 to 1984. While still teaching at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, he also began teaching at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, where he became a Professor of Theology and eventually a Fellow of the Institute for International Peace Studies
Peace and conflict studies
Peace and conflict studies is a social science field that identifies and analyses violent and nonviolent behaviours as well as the structural mechanisms attending social conflicts with a view towards understanding those processes which lead to a more desirable human condition...
.
Yoder's personal papers are housed at the Mennonite Church USA Archives
Mennonite Church USA Archives
The Mennonite Church USA Archives was founded in 2001 under the denominational merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church...
.
Misconduct
According to articles in the Elkhart TruthElkhart Truth
Elkhart Truth is a daily newspaper published in Elkhart, Indiana. It is owned by a family in Elkhart and operates under the "Federated Media" banner. It has been in business for 120 years as of 2009.-External links:**...
allegations of sexual misconduct against Yoder circulated for decades and became known in wider Christian circles, but were never publicly acknowledged until 1992. After repeated institutional failures to address these abuses a group of victims threatened to engage in a public protest at a Bethel College conference where Yoder was to be a speaker. The college President rescinded Yoder's invitation, the student newspaper reported the story, and one of the victims reported that Bethel was "the first institution in the church that has taken this seriously" (Mennonite Weekly Review, March 12, 1992). The Elkhart Truth articles detail an extensive pattern of sexual assaults and harassment of students and others.
From the summer of 1992 to the summer of 1996, Yoder submitted to the discipline of the Indiana–Michigan Conference of the Mennonite Church for allegations of sexual misconduct. Yoder vaguely acknowledged misconduct but suggested that the Mennonite Church had instructed him not to formally apologize to any of his victims (Yoder communicated this to Barbra Graber - a friend of some of the victims). Yoder's writing in the unpublished 1995 book "The Case for Punishment" suggest he believed he was the innocent scapegoat of a conspiracy. Upon the conclusion of the process, the church urged Yoder "to use his gifts of writing and teaching."
Yoder is now cited as a typical example of an academic who engages in sexual misconduct.
Thought
Yoder is best remembered for his reflections on Christian ethicsEthics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
. Rejecting the assumption that human history is driven by coercive power, Yoder argued that it was rather God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
—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
Constantinianism
Constantinianism refers to those policies said to be enacted, encouraged, or personally favored by Constantine the Great, a 4th century Roman Emperor...
, 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 has been made possible by the life, death, resurrection and teachings of Jesus. 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.
In bringing traditional Mennonite convictions to the attention of a wider critical audience, Yoder reenergized stale theological debates over foundational Christian ecclesiological, Christological, and ethical beliefs. (Following Barth,) Yoder rejected Enlightenment presuppositions, epitomized by Kant, about the possibility of a universal, rational ethic. Abandoning the search for a universal ethic underlying Christian and non-Christian morality, as well as attempts to "translate" Christian convictions into a common moral parlance, he argued that what is expected of Christians, morally, need not be binding for all people. Yoder defended himself against charges of incoherence and hypocrisy
Hypocrisy
Hypocrisy is the state of pretending to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie....
by arguing for the legitimacy of moral double standards, and by pointing out that since world affairs are ultimately governed by God's providence, Christians are better off being the Church, than following compromised moral systems that try to reconcile biblical revelation with the necessities of governance.
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 NiebuhrReinhold Niebuhr
Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr was an American theologian and commentator on public affairs. Starting as a leftist minister in the 1920s indebted to theological liberalism, he shifted to the new Neo-Orthodox theology in the 1930s, explaining how the sin of pride created evil in the world...
, which he believed to be dominant in the day. Niebuhr argued for a Realist
Realism (international relations)
In the study of international relations, Realism or political realism prioritizes national interest and security over ideology, moral concerns and social reconstructions...
philosophy, which Yoder felt failed to take seriously the call or person of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
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
Gospel of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...
and parts of Paul's letter to the Romans
Epistle to the Romans
The Epistle of Paul to the Romans, often shortened to Romans, is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul to explain that Salvation is offered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
that, in his view, a radical Christian pacifism
Christian pacifism
Christian pacifism is the theological and ethical position that any form of violence is incompatible with the Christian faith. Christian pacifists state that Jesus himself was a pacifist who taught and practiced pacifism, and that his followers must do likewise.There have been various notable...
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 ranked by evangelical publication Christianity Today
Christianity Today
Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...
as the 5th most important Christian book of the 20th century.
Selected works
- The Christian and Capital Punishment (1961)
- Christ and the Powers (translator) by Hendrik Berkhof (1962)
- The Christian Pacifism of Karl Barth (1964)
- The Christian Witness to the State (1964)
- Discipleship as Political Responsibility (1964)
- Reinhold Niebuhr and Christian Pacifism (1968)
- Karl Barth and the Problem of War (1970)
- The Original Revolution: Essays on Christian Pacifism (1971)
- Nevertheless: The Varieties and Shortcomings of Religious Pacifism (1971)
- The Politics of Jesus (1972)
- The Legacy of Michael Sattler, editor and translator (1973)
- The Schleitheim Confession, editor and translator (1977)
- Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution: A Companion to Bainton (1983)
- What Would You Do? A Serious Answer to a Standard Question (1983)
- God's Revolution: The Witness of Eberhard Arnold, editor (1984)
- The Priestly Kingdom: Social Ethics as Gospel (1984)
- When War Is Unjust: Being Honest In Just-War Thinking (1984)
- He Came Preaching Peace (1985)
- The Fullness of Christ: Paul's Revolutionary Vision of Universal Ministry (1987)
- The Death Penalty Debate: Two Opposing Views of Capitol Punishment (1991)
- A Declaration of Peace: In God's People the World's Renewal Has Begun (with Douglas Gwyn, George Hunsinger, and Eugene F. Roop) (1991)
- Body Politics: Five Practices of the Christian Community Before the Watching World (1991)
- The Royal Priesthood: Essays Ecclesiological and Ecumenical (1994)
- Authentic Transformation: A New Vision of Christ and Culture (with Glen StassenGlen StassenGlen Harold Stassen is a noted United States ethicist, professor and Baptist theologian. He is known for his work on theological ethics, politics, social justice, and for developing the Just Peacemaking theory in ethics on the question of war...
and Diane Yeager) (1996) - For the Nations: Essays Evangelical and Public (1997)
- To Hear the Word (2001)
- Preface to Theology: Christology and Theological Method (2002)
- Karl Barth and the Problem of War, and Other Essays on Barth (2003)
- The Jewish-Christian Schism Revisited (2003)
- Anabaptism and Reformation in Switzerland: An Historical and Theological Analysis of the Dialogues Between Anabaptists and Reformers (2004)
- The War of the Lamb: The Ethics of Nonviolence and Peacemaking (2009)
- Christian Attitudes to War, Peace and Revolution (2009)
- Nonviolence: A Brief History—The Warsaw Lectures (2010)
Articles and 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
See also
- Anabaptism
- Christian anarchismChristian anarchismChristian anarchism is a movement in political theology that combines anarchism and Christianity. It is the belief that there is only one source of authority to which Christians are ultimately answerable, the authority of God as embodied in the teachings of Jesus...
- Christian pacifismChristian pacifismChristian pacifism is the theological and ethical position that any form of violence is incompatible with the Christian faith. Christian pacifists state that Jesus himself was a pacifist who taught and practiced pacifism, and that his followers must do likewise.There have been various notable...
- Liberation theologyLiberation theologyLiberation theology is a Christian movement in political theology which interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of a liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions...
- Mennonite Church
- NonresistanceNonresistanceNonresistance is generally defined as "the practice or principle of not resisting authority, even when it is unjustly exercised". At its core is discouragement of, even opposition to, physical resistance to an enemy...
- NonviolenceNonviolenceNonviolence has two meanings. It can refer, first, to a general philosophy of abstention from violence because of moral or religious principle It can refer to the behaviour of people using nonviolent action Nonviolence has two (closely related) meanings. (1) It can refer, first, to a general...
- Peace churchesPeace churchesPeace churches are Christian churches, groups or communities advocating Christian pacifism. The term historic peace churches refers specifically only to three church groups among pacifist churches: Church of the Brethren, Mennonites including the Amish, and Religious Society of Friends and has...
- Radical Christianity
- YoderYoderYoder is a surname originating in the Canton of Berne in Switzerland. The surname is a shortened version of St. Theodorus, the first Roman Catholic bishop of Octodurum in present day Martigny, Switzerland. Theodorus—also known as St. Theodore of Grammont, St. Theodule, and St...
(surname)
External links
- A simplified summary of John H. Yoder's book: The Politics of Jesus by Nathan Hobby with James Patton
- Remembering John Howard Yoder, by Stanley Hauerwas, First Things
- Memorial Page on FindaGrave
- Articles and video of John Howard Yoder, New online articles and video of Yoder, by Jesus Radicals
- John H. Yoder Reading Room, Online texts by and on Yoder (Tyndale Seminary)