Reviews

Christian Witness To The State by John Howard Yoder

davehershey's review against another edition

3.0

Yoder argues that nonviolent (pacifist) Christians (such as Mennonites) have a strong witness to the state. Often the assumption is that such a persuasion leads Christians to be completely removed from culture, Yoder's book shows such separation is not the case. Yoder's argument is that Jesus, by his death and resurrection, is Lord over both the church and the state. The state will never be perfect, and thus the Christian will always be able to call the state to something better. Yoder offers some examples of specific issues as well as comparing his view to other views (Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist, etc). This is a helpful book for any Christian seeking to understand how faith relates to the state. If you want to get into Yoder, start with The Politics of Jesus (which I want to re-read after reading this).