Few recent Christian thinkers have been as widely influential as John Howard Yoder (1927-1997). Encompassing a teaching career of more than thirty years and such landmark publications as The Politics of Jesus, Yoder's life and thought have profoundly impacted students and colleagues from a broad range of disciplines. The Wisdom of the Cross is the only book to provide valuable secondary essays engaging Yoder's central theological concerns, together with a biographical reflection on his life and legacy. Written by scholars both from within and outside of Yoder's Mennonite community, these essays develop the most significant aspects of Yoder's thought - from his powerful defense of Christian pacifism to his seminal analysis of the politics of Jesus to his challenging contributions to Christian social ethics, ecclesiology, and theological method. The book also includes a previously unpublished essay on moral ""absolutes"" by Yoder himself.