The War of the Lamb: The Ethics of Nonviolence and Peacemaking

by John Howard Yoder, Mark Thiessen Nation (Editor), Glen H. Stassen (Editor)

John Howard Yoder taught at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary and was later professor of theology and ethics at the University of Notre Dame. He is known especially for his influential book The Politics of Jesus. Glen Stassen (Ph.D., Duke University) is Lewis B. Smedes Professor of Christian Ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Mark Thiessen Nation (Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary) is professor of theology at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Matt Hamsher is working toward his Ph.D. in Christian ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Christian Non Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2009

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

[Aeisele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here are more excellent essays by Yoder. He repeats a lot of things here, but the best essays include "A Theological Critique of Violence," wherein he discusses Rene Girard's thesis on mimetic violence; and the entire Part III, where he talks about the actual practice of non-violence.

[Pathway Midland · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The War of the Lamb" by John Howard Yoder and edited by Glen Stassen, Mark Thiessen Nation and Matt Hamsher is a collection of essays. The book is thus written on an academic level as you would expect from such a brilliant and well studied person. Yoder has a great grasp of the topics he covers and writes as a scholar. "The War of the Lamb" covers a large variety issues concerning war, peace making, violence, non-violence, power, coercion, conflict, and Just War Theory. Yoder considers such issues from a couple different viewpoints including social science perspectives, political outlooks, theological beliefs and historical practices and outcomes. Yoder does a great job bringing in the history behind such movements and views; he considers what the church has taught, how it has actually acted, what it has historically believed as well as some Jewish history, beliefs, etc. In addition, Yoder gives scriptural references throughout his work and much of the book is infused with the teachings of scripture. Due to the advanced writing this is a book that is geared more for those who wish to examine these topics deeply and aren't out for an easy pleasure read. I struggled through much of this book and wished I had a greater understanding of what Yoder was trying to communicate. I would love to have a group with which to read and discuss this book as I am sure it would enhance my enjoyment of the read and assist me in grasping the concepts.

-Curtis

[Curtis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a collection of essays and is thus written on an academic level as you would expect from such a brilliant and well studied person. Yoder has a great grasp of the topics he covers and writes as a scholar. "The War of the Lamb" covers a large variety issues concerning war, peace making, violence, non-violence, power, coercion, conflict, and Just War Theory. Yoder considers such issues from a couple different viewpoints including social science perspectives, political outlooks, theological beliefs and historical practices and outcomes. Yoder does a great job bringing in the history behind such movements and views; he considers what the church has taught, how it has actually acted, what it has historically believed as well as some Jewish history, beliefs, etc. In addition, Yoder gives scriptural references throughout his work and much of the book is infused with the teachings of scripture. Due to the advanced writing this is a book that is geared more for those who wish to examine these topics deeply and aren't out for an easy pleasure read. I struggled through much of this book and wished I had a greater understanding of what Yoder was trying to communicate. I would love to have a group with which to read and discuss this book as I am sure it would enhance my enjoyment of the read and assist me in grasping the concepts.

[Kate W · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the best book I've read on peacemaking.

[Jon Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Preparing to write a paper defending Christian nonviolence as a viable option for today's Christian.