John Howard Yoder is one of the most influential writers for the present Christian peace-maker movement. Yoder argued that being a Christian is a political standpoint, and Christians ought not ignore that calling. Thinking about that calling–what Christians are supposed to enact in this world, in every context in which we find ourselves–is difficult. Constructing an ethic supported by anything more than a theological exposition of the people of God attempting to continue the story of Jesus is difficult and perhaps unnecessary.

Theologically the ethic of the Gospel, or continuing the story of Jesus, compels one who is sincere to put off all acts of violence or vengeance, for such actions belong to God alone. Our call and vocation is to be and do for this world what Christ was and did for Israel. As Greg Boyd points out, the church or the body of Christ is to be a giant Jesus, showing the light of Christ and being the literal hands and feet of Christ to a world in despair. By entering into the suffering of the world in the arms of God, showing the injustice of power systems of governments, one becomes a Christian. But the lines between achieving our dreams and achieving God’s dreams, if we are attuned enough to respond to God’s dreams, is difficult to delineate.

I find Yoder’s eloquent portrait of Christians who are pro-life to the core, meaning that they are against militarism and violence in any form is a thoughtful and provoking insight. In an age where non-violent protest has become a fad, the message of the nonviolent Jesus can become blurred. The following section from Yoder, proposes a question that we must live in, when thinking about what Christians are to enact in this world:

What Jesus refers to in his call to cross-bearing is rather the seeming defeat of that strategy of obedience which is not strategy, the inevitable suffering of those whose only goal is to be faithful to that love which puts one at the mercy of one’s neighbor, which abandons claims to justice for oneself and for one’s own in an overriding concern for the reconciling of the adversary and the estranged. This is significantly different from that kind of “pacifism” which would say that it is wrong to kill but that with proper nonviolent techniques you can obtain without killing everything you really want or have a right to ask for. In this context it seems sometimes the rejection of violence is offered only because it is a cheaper or less dangerous or more shrewd a way to impose one’s will upon someone else, a kind of coercion which is harder to resist. Certainly any renunciation of violence is preferable to its acceptance; but what Jesus renounced is not first of all violence, but rather the compulsiveness of purpose that leads the strong to violate the dignity of others. The point is not that one can attain all of one’s legitimate ends without using violent means. It is rather that our readiness to renounce our legitimate ends whatever they cannot be attained by legitimate means itself constitutes our participation in the triumphant suffering of the lamb.

John Howard Yoder, the politics of Jesus…

This is insightful in a world where the term “non-violent resistance” has become popular for many groups whom are attempting to simply attain their own goals. As followers of Christ how do we enact parables as subversive speech in order that the light of Christ may reign in our communities and lives? Beyond this insight, there is a tension. When we think and speak about the Gospel, and about what being a follower of Jesus means, it involves a myriad of theological and existential propositions. But the suffering of Jesus on the Cross is such a large part of those propositions. The theological implications of the Cross compels us to have faith. To leave vengeance in the hands of God alone means that the followers of Christ must have faith in God’s vindication for the injustices of this present age. For as the Scriptures tell us, Vengeance is God’s alone.

A couple of questions to get the ball rolling:

1. As Christians attempting to continue the story of Jesus, how do we interact with a world that is far more interested in creating their own story?
2. How do we speak about a Gospel that is good news to the poor without marginalizing the sincere believers who find themselves addicted to the prosperity Gospel in America
3. How do we speak to our brothers and sisters in Christ about the non-violent Jesus as they take up arms to protect the nation in which they live?

About JoshuaDbauIII

Joshua David Bau is a Doctor of Ministry Student in social and economic innovation at Bethel Seminary in collusion with Trans4m University in Geneva, Switzerland. He lives in St. Paul with his beautiful wife Gracie. He enjoys long walks on the street, painting and cooking.