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About
John Howard Yoder, author of The Politics of Jesus (1972), was best known for his writing and teaching on Christian pacifism. The material in Theology of Mission shows he was a profound missiologist as well. Working from a believers or free church perspective, Yoder effortlessly weaves together biblical, theological, practical and interreligious reflections to think about mission beyond Christendom. Along the way he traces the developments in the theology of mission and argues for an understanding of the church that is not merely a corrective but a genuine alternative. The church is missionary by nature, called to bear witness to the coming kingdom, because it serves the missionary God of the Bible "who comes, who takes the initiative, who reaches across whatever it is that separates us. "Decades later, these lectures read just as fresh and relevant as if they were written today. As the editors state in their preface, "those who have followed Yoders work over the years will find this book to be some of his most striking unpublished material since The Politics of Jesus." Not just a volume for Yoder enthusiasts, Theology of Mission is for anyone who cares about the mission of the church today. It only reinforces Yoder's status as one of the most important and prophetic theologians of the last century.
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Reviews
"The true genius of the book is a methodological model for constructing an integrative approach-one that probes the usefulness of any theology of mission based on the rootedness and missiological significance of its ecclesial tradition."
Matthew Krabill, The Mennonite Quarterly Review 89, January 2015
"Theology of Mission models Yoder's Anabaptist thinking in an area that has universal Christian import. As such it has value both as an Anabaptist perspective on a theology of mission, but it also is an example of how Anabaptist values integrate into areas of theology that are not uniquely Anabaptist concerns. . . . It is recommended for anyone interested in a theology of mission and for those who would like to know how central Anabaptist values speak to broader Christian concerns."
Henry Friesen, The Messenger, Fall 2014
"This is a major work. Whether read in order to better understand Yoder or as a book on mission, it satisfies both readings. Those familiar with Yoder will find fresh theological developments--developments that are perhaps implied elsewhere but finally made explicit here. The significance of this book is difficult to calculate, but I suspect in the future it will become one of the crucial books necessary to understand John Howard Yoder."
Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics, Duke Divinity School