Politics of jesus yoder pdf

Subscribe to posts. Cecil H. Lisa Miller. Hunter Lovins. Aneesa Khan. John Howard Yoder. Tradition has painted a portrait of a Savior who stands aloof from governmental concerns and who calls his disciples to an apolitical life.

But such a picture of Jesus is far from accurate, according to John Howard Yoder. This watershed work in New Testament ethics leads us to a Savior who was deeply concerned with the agenda of politics and the related issues of power, status, and right relations. By canvassing Luke's Gospel, Yoder argues convincingly that the true impact of Jesus' life and ministry on his disciples' social behavior points to a specific kind of Christian pacifism in which "the cross of Christ is the model of Christian social efficacy.

Following most of the chapters are new "epilogues" summarizing research conducted during the last two decades - research that continues to support the outstanding insights set forth in Yoder's original work. Theology Politics Religion Christianity More details. John Howard Yoder 59 books 59 followers. 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 magnum opus, "The Politics of Jesus".

Search review text. I don't usually review books that I didn't finish, but in this case I thought the reason I didn't finish it was relevant to a review. Yoder asserts that complete non-violence is an ethical imperative for every follower of Jesus.

In his view, noble ends cannot justify violence. Instead, we should act peacefully and trust the outcome of all our actions to God. We are obligated to lives of peace, fairness and love, and no end-goal can abrogate those obligations. At all times, we must put the welfare of others on par with our own. This may be visionary or this may be preposterous. Either way, it is not matched by the way Yoder practices scholarship.

His book seems instead focused on achieving a particular goal by whatever literary means possible. His readings of biblical text are often tendentious. He insists on plain, literal readings when it benefits his ideological goals; he insists as passionately on complicated spiritualized readings when they suit his ideological goals better. He denies the presence of any real problems in the text that have led to the interpretations of his opponents.

He summarizes the theology of opponents in ways they might not recognize. Fairness to others is a requirement in life; it is not, apparently, a requirement in writing theology. All of this is common in scholarship, and I probably wouldn't comment on it in most books. But it grew increasingly painful to read it here because it smacked so strongly of hypocrisy.

Maybe Yoder is right, and the refusal to regard our personal welfare is an essential part of a righteous life. But that is not the book he wrote. Jacob Aitken. While I think this book is wrong on several levels, it marked a valuable turning point in Evangelical ethical reflection.

To say Jesus's message was political is commonplace today. It wasn't when Yoder wrote. He sees Jesus in Luke 4 as inaugurating the New Jubilee. Bottom line: Those in the Kingdom must practice Jubilee. Corollary: to practice the Sabbath without practicing deliverance and Jubilee is not to practice the Sabbath.

Strong stuff. That could work but the evidence is slim. Romans 13 This is the most controversial chapter in the book.

Yoder is correct that Paul is not arguing for a positivist reading: i. Most controversially, he asserts that the sword, the machaira, is not a weapon as such but a symbol of authority.

Assuming that these powers are not self-existing, then yes, God did create them. But what of the soldiers who came to John the Baptist? What of the centurion whom Jesus commended so highly? In neither case were they told to quit their unjust professions. The state is said not to wield it in vain. Jesus reaffirms the death penalty in Matt. Yoder wants to posit a good creation with good structures as he should , but given Romans 13 and the fact that God commanded wars in the Old Testament, how can one then critique Just War Theory and the use of the sword?

To be fair, Yoder approaches this point He does hint at it on p. While correctly rejecting the Enlightenment project, Yoder uses a lot of its rhetoric. In fact, and most devastatingly, how does Yoder even know creation is good if we have no cognitive access to it? Modern History. World History. Mental Health. Contemporary Issues.

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Board Book. New Child. The Politics of Jesus. John Howard Yoder Buy the ebook: Logos. Christianity Today , Top 10 Books of the 20th Century Stanley Hauwerwas in Christian Century "I am convinced that when Christians look back on this century of theology in America, The Politics of Jesus will be seen as a new beginning.

Dennis P. McCann "When it was first published, The Politics of Jesus effected a coup de grace against neo-orthodox biblical theologies that had managed to depoliticize the ethical significance of Jesus' message.

This second edition is no less provocative in contesting the reevaluations of New Testament ethics emerging from recent scholarship on the historical Jesus. Yoder presses beyond the question of whether Jesus was political to ask what sort of politics is the mark of Christian discipleship.

Max L. Stackhouse "Although most Catholics, Calvinists, and Christian realists will remain skeptical of Yoder's view of Jesus and of politics, we are always challenged by him. This new edition includes acute responses to many critics. It will keep the discussion vibrant as Christians today decide how to engage our emerging cosmopolitan, global civilization. Don't Miss a Thing! Visit EerdWord to find daily posts from Eerdmans. Eerdmans is proud to publish many books that have remained in print for decades - true classics that have stood the test of time.

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