The great reversal is not only the Lord’s unseating of the mighty and raising the humble; it is also our own repentance. — John Howard Yoder

Yoder on Conflict

“We have here a fundamental anthropological insight into the relationship of conflict and solidarity. To be human is to have differences. To be human wholesomely is to process those differences, not by building up conflicting power claims, but by reconciling dialogue. Conflict is socially useful; it forces us to attend to new data from new perspectives. It useful in interpersonal process; by processing conflict, one learns skills, awareness, trust, and hope. Conflict is useful in intrapersonal dynamics, protecting our concern about guilt and acceptance from being directed inwardly only to our own feelings. The therapy for guilt is forgiveness; the source of self-esteem is another person who takes seriously my restoration to community.”

—John Howard Yoder, Body Politics

30 September 2003 |
tags: John Howard Yoder

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Brian Hamilton recently completed his M.T.S. in historical theology at Notre Dame, and now teaches at Messiah College as an adjunct instructor in theology.

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