Power and Practices: Engaging the Work of John Howard Yoder
It is fitting that as John Howard Yoder's work is experiencing a kind of renewal in broader religious scholarship that the new roster of Yoder's interpreters includes members of new generation of Anabaptist thinkers. Standing in the gap between a generation of Yoder's own students and those who cut their theological teeth after his death, the essays gathered here voice questions and concerns that reveal how Yoder's work has paved the way to new and exciting interpretation, application, and critique. --Malinda Elizabeth Berry, Bethany Theological Seminary<br /><br />This collection of essays is fascinating because it shows that deep fissures are beginning to open up between rival interpretations of Yoder s thought among a younger generation of scholars. The standard interpretations are thrown into question by this book, both by those who applaud and by those who lament them. This book unsettles much. --Craig Carter, Tyndale University and College Seminary<br /><br />Younger scholars, devoting their time and research at the beginning of their careers, and looking from new angles, may be able to read Yoder more carefully than some older scholars who have not paid enough precise attention to the later prolific and posthumous writings of Yoder. These scholars have paid attention, and have new and important insights to offer. --From the Foreword by Glen StassenThis impressive collection of essays first presented at a 2007 conference in Toronto on the life and teaching of the late Yoder demonstrates his continuing influence on a new generation of scholars. Contributor Chris Huebner characterizes Yoder s theology as healthy tension between ongoing inheritance and evolutionary receptivity of one's tradition. Throughout a lengthy career Yoder did not transfer straightforward theology, but responded to societal surprises and ethical difficulties by engaging inherent Anabaptist values. While he remained true to his roots, Yoder longed for authentic receptivity to Jesus ministry and message for every Anabaptist (and Christian) generation. Now more than a decade after Yoder's death, young scholars wrestle with Yoderian theology in search of fresh yet enduring practices. Essayists review and assess Yoder s views on scholasticism, political engagement, sexism, racism, ecclesiology, social gospel, policing, and war. But take note; this is no simple endorsement of Yoder's life work. On the contrary, sympathetic contributors seek not only to embrace, but challenge and enlarge Yoderian application. For example, what does one make of Yoder s nonviolent Jesus in light of an apparently violent God? How might Yoder speak to growing discussions concerning Christian participation in just policing ? How should Yoder s concept of revolutionary subordination speak to Christians in complex governmental systems or women in oppressive contexts? Yoder surely ranks among the most influential theological practitioners of the twentieth century and will remain a critical dialogue partner for years to come. In this volume, readers will find substantial evidence that the conversation between Yoder and contemporary theologians is alive and well. --Martin W. Mittelstadt, Religious Studies ReviewThis collection of essays is fascinating because it shows that deep fissures are beginning to open up between rival interpretations of Yoder s thought among a younger generation of scholars. The standard interpretations are thrown into question by this book, both by those who applaud and by those who lament them. This book unsettles much. --Craig Carter, Tyndale University and College Seminary