Binding and loosing, baptism, eucharist, multiplicity of gifts, and open meeting; these five New Testament practices were central in the life of the early Christian community. Some of them are still echoed in the practice of the church today. But the full social, ethical, and communal meaning of the original practices has often been covered by centuries of ritual and interpretation. John Howard Yoder, in his inimitably direct and discerning style, uncovers the original meaning of the five practices and shows why the recovery of these practices is so important for the social, economic, and political witness of the church today.

Long familiar to theologians and theology students, John Howard Yoder (1927-1997) is increasingly recognized as one of the most significant theologians of the later twentieth century. Yoder, hailed as a gifted proponent of Anabaptist social ethics, was also an astute and ecumenically-minded constructive theologian. Preface to Theology, initially developed as seminary course material, is key to understanding Yoder's theology and his ever central commitment to Christology. It provides an introduction to the traditional categories of systematic theology, suggesting Yoder's concern with our posture toward theological study and the importance of viewing this study as a vital, ongoing process. Preface to Theology, introduced by Stanley Hauerwas and Alex Sider, includes updated documentation of Yoder's sources. The approachable, student-friendly format makes this volume, now offically in print for the first time, ideal for both the beginning theology student and the advanced scholar. Readers in all Christian traditions will find it a penetrating introduction to theology; students of Yoder's thought will find it indispensable.

John Howard Yoder, author of The Politics of Jesus, was best known for his writing on Christian pacifism. This volume—based on lectures recorded in 1973—shows he was a profound missiologist as well. Yoder weaves together biblical, theological, practical and interreligious reflections to think about mission beyond Christendom.

John Howard Yoder (1927 1997) was a leading Christian witness against violence, articulating a theology from his own tradition so powerful that it compelled people from many other traditions to take notice. The war on terror, the temptations of nationalism, and the painful divisions between those who call themselves followers of Jesus signal our need to hear Yoder's voice again at the beginning of the twenty-first century. In his book Mark Thiessen Nation provides an insider's introduction to Yoder, demonstrating how a committed Mennonite could also be profoundly evangelical in his witness and broadly catholic in his Christian sensibilities. Taking us into Yoder's life and writings, Nation explores Yoder's context, his keen interest in the Anabaptist tradition, his sustained engagement with other Christians and other faiths, and his claim that pacifism is inherent to Jesus' message.

This book is a masterwork from a master theological craftsman. John Howard Yoder is perhaps the best worker in Christian theology in America today, though his modesty (and others' presumption) still hides his accomplishment from some. Here, answering the question raised by The Politics of Jesus, Yoder addresses the major challenge facing American churches--the authentic mode of Christian existence in society today. In full command of his material, Yoder provides a powerfully stated, radically catholic answer. --James Wm. McClendon Jr. Fuller Theological Seminary It has been Yoder's vocation to proclaim a gospel of biblical realism that challenges both the biblicism of many other self-identified 'evangelicals' and the pretenses of 'political realism' of many of his theological and secular contemporaries. He has insisted on a coherent witness that is at once 'sectarian' and 'catholic, ' even while it celebrates both the diaspora of Judaism-become-Christianity and the radical New Testament theology of the cross. These essays from several decades all testify to 'the politics of Jesus' that transforms conventional assumptions about both power and weakness. They combine to offer what Yoder calls 'one holistic, Christological, paradigmatic proclamation: servanthood, enemy love, forgiveness. --Alan Geyer Wesley Theological Seminar

One of the most important thinkers on just war and pacifism describes, analyzes, and evaluates various patterns of thought and practice in Western Christian history.