"By pairing his peerless
exposition of the intellectual roots of the
‘politics of Jesus’ with a discerning analysis
of Yoder’s constructive theology and the praxis of
peacebuilding that flows from it, Zimmernan has made a
contribution that extends beyond Mennonite scholarship to
the history of American theological ethics as well as to
peace studies." "This book is a treasure. It would
be well worth having for no other reason than its being a
well-told tale of an unusually complex life story. Beyond
that, it provides at least a partial answer to the most
heartbreaking response to Yoder’s call to pacifism:
‘Yes, we want to follow Jesus, but it’s just
not practical.’ The discovery that Yoder’s
commitment to pacifism came not from solitary hours in a
library but from engagement with the most practical tasks
in mending broken lives and broken ecclesial bodies in
post-World-War-Two Europe sheds quite a different, and
brighter, and more hopeful light on the path he urges us
to follow." "This fine book makes a number of
significant contributions to Yoder studies. One
contribution is the excellent use made by the author of
archival material to provide insight into the development
of Yoder’s thought and his relationship to mentors
and peers. Such extensive use of unpublished letters and
memos by Yoder helps to clarify key influences on the
development of Yoder’s thought, especially that of
Oscar Cullmann. Another contribution is the description
of the influence of Yoder’s thought on the
burgeoning field of peace and conflict studies, a whole
new academic discipline developed in the past few
decades. This influence makes it difficult for even
unsympathetic critics of Yoder to label his work as
‘sectarian.’ Another contribution is the
analysis of Yoder’s ecumenical influence on Roman
Catholic moral theology as it struggles with just war and
pacifism in the nuclear age. Overall, this book does an
outstanding job of advancing our understanding of the
significance of Yoder and his thought. It will be
indispensible for future interpreters of Yoder’s
theology and ethics." "Some of the best guidance I have
ever found to the ‘politics of Jesus’ came from
John Howard Yoder. I first met him when he came to see us
in the early years of the Sojourners community and John helped us
take our life seriously as an agency for transformation
in society and a political sign to the world. Practicing
the Politics of Jesus is a compelling study of the
origin, development, and practical application of
Yoder’s teaching. It is a significant new resource
for all of us who seek to follow Jesus and offer a
Christian witness to politics in the face of twenty-first
century challenges.
I commend it to those who are
familiar with Yoder as well as those for whom he is new. "While reading Zimmerman’s
analysis of Yoder’s intellectual development and the
theological underpinnings of The Politics of Jesus,
I repeatedly found it necessary to step away to revise a
lecture I was simulateously preparing on Christian
theology and peace. Elements I had thought through so
many times were shifting in my mind as I read, opening
new insight and new horizons of appreciation. Zimmerman
has articulated compellingly the ways that John Howard
Yoder, gifted as he was with extraordinary intellectual
capacity and heir of a rich lived experience of
particular Christian community, came to build the
theological and practical peacemaking heritage within
which so many both within and beyond the Mennonite
heritage now fruitfully work and grow only through lived
ecumenical encounter with the broader Christian world.
Zimmerman challenges us all to be worthy heirs of
Yoder’s legacy as ecumenists and as
peacemakers."
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