Thirty-four years after The Politics of Jesus challenged Christians to shoulder their responsibility as witnesses for peace, the author of that epoch-making work finally receives intelligent scrutiny from an insightful biographer. Beginning with an in-depth look at the Mennonite world in which Yoder grew to understand peace as a divine imperative, Nation chronicles the remarkable development of a theologian capable of putting the principles of Anabaptist pacifism at the very center of the twentieth century's ecumenical dialogue. Readers see how Yoder gave scriptural substance to a religious peace movement previously dismissed as mere naivete laced with sentimentality. But in reinforcing Christians' shared commitments, Yoder never ignored serious doctrinal differences, which he sought to resolve through intense engagement with scripture, not through the polite evasions acceptable to some ecumenical thinkers. It is this tough-minded integrity that Nation identifies as central to the legacy Yoder left to the theologians and activists who now carry on his work. A biography of great worth to Christians still struggling to understand how faith can open a path to peace. -- from the ALA BOOKLIST