Theology of Mission: A Believers Church Perspective

by John Howard Yoder, Gayle Gerber Koontz (Editor), Andy Alexis-Baker (Editor)

2014 Best Texts of Missiology, from Byron Borger, Hearts and Minds BookstoreJohn 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their preface, "those who have followed Yoder?s work over the years will find this book to be some of his most striking unpublished material since The Politics of Jesus."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.

Genres: Theology

433 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 5, 2013

About the author

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".

Reviews

[Travis Sharpe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yoder's work is typically enjoyable and challenging, however, this particular work is a collection of class notes of a class he taught back in the 1970's to a college undergrad class. The information is helpful, but at this point, also very dated. It's also hard to know what he would have changed had he known he was putting this into a book form. Classes and books are different. It's probably not fair to compare class notes from the 1970's to where scholarship of Mission currently stands, however, since this was some of his students who found the notes after he died and published, it may be a fair critique. What was a great class 50 years ago, may not be the most up to date information to publish fresh today.