John Howard Yoder (1927–1997)

Not every Christian is a pacifist but it is hard to disagree with pacifism on moral grounds. Mostly people point to how impractical pacifism is in the face of real evil. Often people argue against pacifism by pointing to the position's so called Achilles heel, "What if some one attacked your wife/child/family/loved one?"

John Howard Yoder, the late Mennonite theologian wrote this book to answer that question. In part 1 he gives his own reasoned answer to this question. His answer illustrates the way this particular question over simplifies the issue and demands a deterministic response (i.e. violence is the only way to stop violence)In part 2 other pacifists give their answer to the question. Part 3 presents anecdotes from various sources of how the non-violent response actually worked to quell violence.

This was a very good and accessible response to the issue from an intelligent pacifist perspective. It is simple and certainly not Yoder's best or most creative work. But it certainly was good.
… (mer)