"This is one of Yoder's most-important and one of American Christianity's most-needed works. Simply outstanding."--Lee C. Camp, author of Mere Discipleship and host of TokensShow.com
John Howard Yoder was one of the major theologians of the late twentieth century. He wrote faithfully and with theological depth, particularly on the ethics of nonviolence and peacemaking. Before his sudden death, Yoder planned the essays and structure of The War of the Lamb, which he intended to be his last work. Now leading interpreters of Yoder bring that work to fruition.
The War of the Lamb covers pacifism, just war theory, and just peacemaking theory. It crystallizes Yoder's argument that his proposed ethics is not sectarian and a matter of withdrawal. Yoder also clearly argues that Christian just war and Christian pacifist traditions are basically compatible--and more specifically, that the Christian just war tradition itself presumes against all violence. Theology and ethics professors, students, and scholars will value this final work from Yoder.
Endorsements
"If any book well proclaims the very private and public, social and political goodness of the nonretaliatory love made incarnate in Jesus, The War of the Lamb is it. And if any book puts the final nail into the coffin of the false notion given us by Troeltsch, the Niebuhrs, and their students, that such love is publically irrelevant, The War of the Lamb is it. This is one of Yoder's most-important and one of American Christianity's most-needed works. Simply outstanding."--Lee C. Camp, author of Mere Discipleship and host of TokensShow.com
"Yoder's The War of the Lamb, the book he was working on at the time of his death, has been faithfully edited by close colleagues. Full of challenging insight--not least of which is the argument that just war and pacifist traditions are complementary--this culminating Yoder book is required reading for every Christian working for the peace witness of the church. Readers impressed by Bonhoeffer's Christian peace witness will be especially intrigued by Yoder's essays."--Clifford Green, executive director, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works
Reviews
"A long-gone-missing set of remarkable (and often alluded to) lectures by John Howard Yoder, the premier scholar of Mennonite non-violence, who died a decade ago. This was a book that he was working on when he suddenly died, and some have eagerly anticipated in what form it would come out, if ever. What an exciting publishing event. It is vintage Yoder--and it shows the serious, public relevance (contra Niebuhr!) of biblical nonviolence."--Byron Borger, heartsandmindsbooks.com
"Veterans of the debate will find new challenges and newcomers get a reasonable introduction to the theological contours of violence."--Milton Friesen, Comment Magazine
