Nov. 26, 2012 issue
Winning Jesus’ way
What would John Howard Yoder tell the Christian right?
The peerless Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder did more than write The Politics of Jesus, which ensured his immortality in college lecture halls. Less famously, he spoke to the people in the pews as well as the scholars.
We can hear Yoder’s popular voice in Radical Christian Discipleship, new from Herald Press. Fifteen years after Yoder’s death, it presents some of his magazine articles and sermons from the 1950s through the 1970s.
It is, as the back cover says, Yoder for the rest of us.
The book is planned as the first of three collections of Yoder’s work. The series theme, “Challenge to the Church,” declares that even 60-year-old articles, written when Yoder was still in his 20s, offer a prophetic word for the 21st century.
Of Yoder’s many memorable words, “politics” stands out. It’s what grabs attention in that celebrated title — the idea of a political Jesus. To say that Jesus was political is to assert that he is the model for our behavior in the organized community — the polis, to use the Greek word at the root of “politics.”
Today, when we think of politics, we fixate on elections and government. In an election year, some think of little else. Right now, the most intense pondering about faith and politics is happening on the Christian right. From the presidential campaign to Senate races to issues of abortion and same-sex marriage, Christian conservatives felt the cultural tide turn against them as the votes were counted.
Does John Howard Yoder have a prophetic word for the frustrated Christian right? He does, but it doesn’t hold the secret to success at the ballot box. In fact, Yoder rejects the idea that Christians ought to spend their time trying to be political winners.
Instead, he echoes the words of Jesus: Take up your cross and follow.
In The Politics of Jesus, Yoder writes: “The cross of Jesus is the extreme demonstration that agape [love] seeks neither effectiveness nor justice [for ourselves]… . Christians are to love like Jesus [and] know that in spite of the way things appear, God’s purposes will prevail with the coming of God’s kingdom… . With this assurance, Christians do not need to seek control, to make things come out right.”
Don’t let worldly political failure worry you, Yoder says. Be faithful, though you may not be effective. Direct your political energy where Jesus did: taking the side of the poor and oppressed. Show compassion and speak humbly. Leave the results to God, who will win in the end.
Yoder says Christians should not obsess over proving they are right. In a 1977 sermon, “Peace as Proclamation,” published in Radical Christian Discipleship, he says Christians are called to proclaim, not prove. To proclaim Christ is to live and love as he did. If our lives show Christ’s way, others will get the message.
Trying to prove you’re right is the essence of worldly politics. By that measure, the Christian right lost Nov. 6. Yoder points us instead to the politics of Jesus, who declared the winners to be those who love the most.
Comments
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YES! A thousand times "yes". Kingdom "politics" is a much different story. Time to live that different story.
From John 18:
Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here."
Why do we keep feeling the need to fight for Jesus? Thanks, Paul, for refocusing us to our proper stance.
Please note, that just because the Christian Left won this season does not mean that this doesn't apply to them, either. They won by the world's standards... but when it comes to Jesus' politics, even that is not winning.
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There is evidence to make one believe we have elected an anti-christian, anti-democracy president. Never has the cross been heavier in modern times. It is time for Christian soldiers to abandon having their moral ideologies invoked as law. Rather we should fight to promulgate the pure teachings of Jesus.
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cken, I'm stunned by your first sentence. (I wouldn't dare to be more specific about my response.) I wonder why you wrote it.
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I'm going to be a little more specific. Cken, I'm really, really curious about your contention that you have "evidence." Why don't you post it or ask Mr. Schrag if you can write an article. Laura may be stunned, but I'm betting it's all that old crazy conspiracy stuff from the last five years, reheated, rehashed and put out there, kind of like last week's tasteless Thanksgiving turkey.
P.S. Love your references to "soldiers" and "fighting" all mixed up in there (turkey stuffing?) with "cross" and "moral" and "pure."
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"Christians do not need to seek control, to make things come out right.”" Reminds me of a favorite scene from The Chronicles of Narnia:
In The Silver Chair, ... Scrub, Jill (nickname, Pole), and Puddleglum have been sent by Aslan to find and rescue a fellow citizen of Narnia. They have been instructed to memorize certain Signs that will give them direction during their journey as to what to do. Like us today in this dark world, they are in the Dark Castle. And the critical moment is upon them. They recognize the climatic sign for their mission and balk. “‘Oh, what are we to do?’ said Jill.” In the narration which follows that scene, C. S. Lewis asks, “What had been the use of learning the Signs if they weren’t going to obey them?” The heroic characters, two children and a Marsh-wiggle, are very fallible creatures. They have already “muffed” the previous signs, and, now, they stand before a very dangerous situation. The question which they raise—a very pragmatic question—is, will “everything come right” if they obey? (As Christians, we would do well to listen with great care to the answer, even to memorize it.) “‘I don’t know about that,’ said Puddleglum. ‘You see, Aslan didn’t tell Pole what would happen. He only told her what to do.’” --from http://textsincontext.wordpress.com/2012/11/11/love-prayer-and-forgiveness-now-also-in-ebook-format/
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