John Howard Yoder (December 27, 1927 – December 30, 1997) was an American

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

ethicist An ethicist is one whose judgment on ethics and ethical codes has come to be trusted by a specific community, and (importantly) is expressed in some way that makes it possible for others to mimic or approximate that judgment. Following the advice of ...

best known for his defense of

Christian pacifism Christian pacifism is the theological and ethical position according to which pacifism and non-violence have both a scriptural and rational basis for Christians, and affirms that any form of violence is incompatible with the Christian faith. Chr ...

. His most influential book was '' The Politics of Jesus'', which was first published in 1972. Yoder was a

and wrote from an

Anabaptist Anabaptism (from New Latin language, Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re- ...

perspective. He spent the latter part of his career teaching at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

. In 1992, media reports emerged that Yoder had sexually abused women in preceding decades, with as many as over 50 complainants. The

Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) is an Anabaptist Christian seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, affiliated with Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada. It was formerly known as Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary until its name ...

acknowledged in a statement from 2014 that sexual abuse had taken place and it had been tolerated partly because he was the leading Mennonite theologian of his day and partly because there were not the safeguards in place that there are today.

Life

Yoder was born on December 29, 1927, near Smithville,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. He earned his undergraduate degree from

Goshen College Goshen College is a Private college, private Mennonite Church USA, Mennonite Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Goshen, Indiana. It was founded in 1894 as the Elkhart Institute of Science, Industry and the Arts, ...

where he studied under the

theologian Harold S. Bender. He completed his

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiva ...

degree at the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis'', German: ''Universität Basel'') is a university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest surviving universit ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, studying under

Karl Barth Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Calvinist theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'', his involvement in the Confessing Church, including his authorship (except for a single phrase) of the Barmen Declara ...

Oscar Cullmann Oscar Cullmann (25 February 1902, Strasbourg – 16 January 1999, Chamonix) was a French Lutheran theologian. He is best known for his work in the ecumenical movement and was partly responsible for the establishment of dialogue between the Luther ...

Walther Eichrodt Walther Eichrodt (August 1, 1890 in Gernsbach, Baden – May 20, 1978 in Basel) was a German Old Testament scholar and Protestant theologian. From 1908 to 1914 he studied theology in Bethel, Greifswald and Heidelberg, obtaining his habilita ...

, and

Karl Jaspers Karl Theodor Jaspers (, ; 23 February 1883 – 26 February 1969) was a German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher who had a strong influence on modern theology, psychiatry, and philosophy. After being trained in and practicing psychiatry, Jasper ...

. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Yoder traveled to Europe to direct relief efforts for the

Mennonite Central Committee Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is a relief service, and peace agency representing fifteen Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and Amish bodies in North America. The U.S. headquarters are in Akron, Pennsylvania, the Canadian in Winnipeg, Manitoba. ...

. Yoder was instrumental in reviving European Mennonites following the war. 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 what is now called

) from 1958 to 1961 and from 1965 to 1984. While still teaching at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, he also began teaching at the

, where he became a Professor of Theology and eventually a Fellow of the Institute for International Peace Studies. Yoder sexually abused over 100 women during the 1970s and 1980s while at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. The abuse was widely rumored, but not acted upon even when board members became aware of the numerous accusations. ''

The Elkhart Truth ''The Elkhart Truth'' is a daily news organization based in Elkhart, Indiana, that covers Elkhart County in northern Indiana and was founded as a newspaper in 1889. History ''The Elkhart Truth'' was first printed October 15, 1889. It was founde ...

'' first reported on the allegations June 29, 1992. The seminary has acknowledged Yoder's crimes against women and has apologized for not acting on them at the time. Yoder died on December 30, 1997, one day after his 70th birthday. His personal papers are housed at the

Mennonite Church USA Archives The Mennonite Church USA Archives was founded in 2001 under the denominational merger of the (old) Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church. Prior to 2001, the two largest Mennonite denominations maintained separate archives: t ...

Thought

Yoder is best remembered for his work related to

Christian ethics Christian ethics, also known as moral theology, is a multi-faceted ethical system: it is a virtue ethic which focuses on building moral character, and a deontological ethic which emphasizes duty. It also incorporates natural law ethics, whic ...

. 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 Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

, nonresistant community of disciples of Jesus – who has been the ultimate motivational force in human affairs. When a 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 refers to those policies said to be enacted, encouraged, or personally favored by Constantine the Great, a 4th-century Roman Emperor. In particular, it may refer to any of the following: * Constantine's patronage of Christianit ...

, and he regarded this arrangement as a dangerous and constant temptation. He argued that the early Church was a socially subversive community because of their shared life focusing on the Kingdom of God rather than the kingdoms of any mere man, but later after the rise of

Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

the more worldly focused Church came to covet desire temporal power and political influence. Yoder called this the

Constantinian shift ''Constantinian shift'' is used by some theologians and historians of antiquity to describe the political and theological changes that took place during the 4th-century under the leadership of Emperor Constantine the Great. Rodney Clapp claims th ...

. He further argued that Jesus himself rejected this temptation, even to the point of dying a horrible and cruel death. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead was, in this view, God's way of vindicating Christ's unwavering obedience, as well as setting the example of a life laid down in serving and loving others, for all who claim to follow Jesus. ''Constantine Revisited: Leithart, Yoder, and the Constantinian Debate'' (2013), edited by John D. Roth, is a collection of essays by Christian pacifists addressing the scholarly debate between Yoder and

Peter Leithart Peter James Leithart (born 1959) is an American author, minister, and theologian, who serves as president of Theopolis Institute for Biblical, Liturgical, & Cultural Studies in Birmingham, Alabama. He previously served as Senior Fellow of Theology ...

about the nature of the Emperor

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...

's impact on Christianity. In his book ''Constanttine Revisited'',' Leithart opposed Yoder's argument that God preferred Christians to focus on the spiritual needs around them and to build the Kingdom of God, rejecting coercion for a life of service, thereby remaining a politically powerless, physically defenseless minority. 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 such as caring for widows and orphans 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. The Kingdom of God comes to rule in a different way, by one heart at a time yielding to the love of God. 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 In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its polity, its discipline, its eschatology, and its leadership. In its early history, one of the Chu ...

Christological In Christianity, Christology (from the Greek grc, Χριστός, Khristós, label=none and grc, -λογία, -logia, label=none), translated literally from Greek as "the study of Christ", is a branch of theology that concerns Jesus. Differ ...

, and ethical beliefs. Yoder rejected Enlightenment presuppositions, epitomized by

Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...

, 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 is the practice of engaging in the same behavior or activity for which one criticizes another or the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform. In moral psychology, it is the ...

by arguing for the legitimacy of moral

double standards A double standard is the application of different sets of principles for situations that are, in principle, the same. It is often used to describe treatment whereby one group is given more latitude than another. A double standard arises when two ...

, 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''

Of his many books, the most widely recognized has undoubtedly been ''The Politics of Jesus'' (1972); 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 Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr (June 21, 1892 – June 1, 1971) was an American Reformed theologian, ethicist, commentator on politics and public affairs, and professor at Union Theological Seminary for more than 30 years. Niebuhr was one of America ...

, which he believed to be dominant at the time. Niebuhr argued for a realist philosophy, which Yoder felt failed to take seriously the call or person of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

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 The Gospel of Luke), or simply Luke (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Together with the Acts of the Apostles, it makes up a two-volu ...

and parts of Paul's letter to the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

that, in his view, a radical

was the most faithful approach for the disciple of Christ. Yoder argued that being Christian is a political standpoint and that Christians ought not ignore that calling. ''The Politics of Jesus'' was ranked by the

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

magazine ''

Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evange ...

'' as the fifth most important religious book of the 20th century.

Sexual abuse

According to articles in ''

'', allegations that Yoder had sexually abused, harassed, and assaulted women 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 (in

North Newton, Kansas North Newton is a city in Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,814. It is located between the north side of the city of Newton (separate entity) and the south side of Interstate I-135. ...

) 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". ''The Elkhart Truth'' articles detail extensive allegations of 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's writing in the unpublished 1995 book ''The Case for Punishment'' suggested 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." Despite the allegations of abuse, Yoder's obituary in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' did not mention any improprieties. Sixteen years after his death, in October 2013, ''The New York Times'' ran an article discussing the allegations, quoting one of the complainants Carolyn Heggen who claimed that more than 50 women "said that Mr. Yoder had touched them or made advances." The article also discussed the recent formation of a support group for victims. More recently, the Mennonite church and Christian peace theologians are actively trying to come to grips with the sexual abuse – and apparent institutional cover-up – which taints the legacy of John Howard Yoder. In October 2014, the governing board of

(AMBS) released the following statement: Seminary leaders held an AMBS-based gathering, including a Service of Lament, Confession, and Hope on the weekend of March 21–22, 2015. The historian Rachel Waltner Goossen was commissioned by

Mennonite Church USA The Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) is an Anabaptist Christian denomination in the United States. Although the organization is a recent 2002 merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church, the body has roots in the Radi ...

to produce a complete report chronicling Yoder's sexual abuse and church responses to it, which was published in January 2015.

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 Capital 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 Stassen 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) *''Theology of Mission: A Believers Church Perspective'' (2014)

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

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

The Yoder Index.
"A searchable index of the writings of John Howard Yoder" by John Nugent, Branson Parler, and Jason Vance. * by Nathan Hobby with James Patton
Remembering John Howard Yoder
by Stanley Hauerwas, ''First Things'' *
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)
John Howard Yoder Digital Collection
Primarily unpublished works by Yoder, (by Goshen College Mennonite Historical Library, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, and Mennonite Church USA Archives) {{DEFAULTSORT:Yoder, John Howard 1927 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American philosophers 20th-century American theologians 20th-century Anabaptists 20th-century Protestant theologians Academics from Indiana Academics from Ohio American Christian pacifists American Christian theologians American ethicists American Mennonites American tax resisters Christian ethicists Christian Peace Conference members Christian radicals Christians from Indiana Christians from Ohio Goshen College alumni Mennonite theologians Nonviolence advocates Peace and conflict scholars People from Elkhart, Indiana People from Smithville, Ohio University of Basel alumni University of Notre Dame faculty Anabaptist philosophers Mennonite writers