Disturbing Details About John Howard Yoder's Sexual Abuse Scandal
Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder, who died on December 30, 1997, was known throughout his lifetime for his unique perspectives on organized religion and the church's place in the community. As reported by The New York Times, Yoder specifically promoted nonviolence and pacifism. He also had a unique perspective on how religious organizations should or should not influence society as a whole, and he strongly believed everyone should embrace forgiveness, pacifism, and self-sacrificing love.
Yoder was also known for his participation in Mennonite relief projects around the world. In 1949, he traveled to France to assist children who were orphaned during World War II. In 1955, he led a Mennonite relief project in Algeria, which experienced a devastating earthquake and was also in the midst of a power struggle with France.
The New York Times reports Yoder ultimately married another relief worker, Anne Marie Guth, prior to returning to the United States in the 1960s. He went on to teach at Goshen Biblical Seminary — which later became the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary — for nearly two decades. He was then hired as a full-time professor at the University of Notre Dame.
He was a world renowned theologian
As reported by The New York Times, John Howard Yoder served as president of the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary from 1970 to 1973. Per Reading Room Archives, he also authored numerous books, including "The Politics of Jesus: Vicit Agnus Noster," "Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution," and "Theology of Mission: A Believers Church Perspective."
Peace Theology reports James William McClendon, distinguished scholar-in-residence at the evangelical Fuller Theological Seminary, said Yoder was "possibly the most creative and original Christian theologian at work in America today." Glen Stassen, professor of Christian ethics at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said he thought Yoder should have been "recognized as one of the dozen great theologians of this century (internationally)."
Although Yoder had a great number of accomplishments in his lifetime and was well-known and revered among Mennonites and other Christians, allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse ultimately overshadowed all of his achievements. National Catholic Reporter reports allegations of Yoder's sexual misconduct spanned several decades. However, the allegations were seemingly swept under the rug until the early 1990s, when several victims came forward to expose his predatory behavior publicly.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
John Howard Yoder conducted unusual experiments involving human sexuality
In 1979, Rachel Waltner Goossen reports John Howard Yoder wrote a letter to Marlin E. Miller, who was president of Goshen Biblical Seminary, as well as Yoder's colleague and supervisor. In the letter, Yoder outlined what he referred to as an experiment involving human sexuality.
Yoder admittedly subjected the participants, who he referred to as "sisters," to a number of inappropriate situations, including sitting on his lap, kissing, asking them to remove their clothing, and sexual touching. As part of his "experiment," Yoder said he would explain his "reasoning behind" the interactions to the women, and would also discuss "unrelated matters (her ministry, friendships, future vocational choices), or past experiences which made this experience helpful. ... Sometimes we talked about mutual friends. Usually we prayed."
Although the details of Yoder's experimentation were disturbing, Miller did not report him to authorities. In fact, Rachel Waltner Goossen reports Miller knew of at least two prior occasions where Yoder was accused of misconduct with female students.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
He was disciplined by the college, but was never reported to authorities
Instead of reporting the misconduct to authorities or terminating John Howard Yoder, Marlin Miller devised his own form of "punishment" for Yoder. As reported by Rachel Waltner Goosen, this was handled internally at the Goshen Biblical Seminary by a group of faculty and board members who referred to themselves as the "Covenant Group."
Between 1980 and 1997, seven different groups were appointed to investigate the accusations against Yoder. The groups also attempted to persuade Yoder to stop conducting his controversial experiments. However, their decision to counsel Yoder, as opposed to reporting him to authorities, was not effective, and he continued to perform the disturbing experiments — which he defended as being based on the writings of Paul and other texts from the Christian Bible.
By 1984, Yoder was forced to resign from his position at the Goshen Biblical Seminary. National Catholic Reporter reports he was then hired by the University of Notre Dame. Although Yoder did not have a criminal record at the time, it is believed that Notre Dame had at least some knowledge about the accusations of sexual misconduct.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
He was hired by the University of Notre Dame despite rumors of his sexual misconduct
National Catholic Reporter reports officials at the University of Notre Dame were made aware of the allegations against John Howard Yoder in the early 1980s. However, he remained employed by the university until his death on December 30, 1997. Five years before his death, eight of Yoder's former students provided an official statement about Yoder's inappropriate behavior toward them, which included showing up at their homes uninvited, asking them personal questions about their sex lives, discussing his sexual fantasies, and inappropriate touching.
According to National Catholic Reporter, the statement was covered by several publications, including the Chicago Tribune and The New York Times, and Yoder's inappropriate behavior was exposed publicly for the first time. However, the incident did not affect his employment with the University of Notre Dame. At the same time, the Mennonite community was conducting its own investigation into the decades of allegations against Yoder. National Catholic Reporter reports Yoder told Lawrence Cunningham, who was the head of the university's theology department, about the investigation. However, Cunningham said, "He came to me in confidence, so I said I would observe his confidentiality. As far as I know, there was no stuff going on at the level of this central administration because it was not a Notre Dame affair."
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
John Howard Yoder allegedly sexually abused between 50 and 100-plus women
In 2013, the Mennonite church contacted Rachel Walter Goossen to conduct a comprehensive investigation into all the allegations made against John Howard Yoder in the 25 years preceding his death. Although the precise number of victims may never be known, two mental health professionals, who participated in the Mennonite church's investigation into the allegations, estimate more than 100 women were sexually harassed or abused by Yoder. According to Goossen, others have estimated the number of victims was closer to 50.
In March 2015, the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (formerly the Goshen Biblical Seminary), invited women who were harassed and abused by Yoder, along with their friends and family, to attend a conference. During the conference, the leaders issued an apology to the victims and discussed measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
In 2018, AMBS issued a statement in which it acknowledged "a patriarchal church and seminary culture, as well as reverence for Yoder's intellectual power and prominence, led seminary leadership to minimize survivors' claims. Although AMBS colleagues and administrators challenged Yoder after learning of his abusive behavior, this largely took the form of private intellectual debates, which extended over many years. Meanwhile, Yoder continued abusing women, including seminary students. After it became evident that AMBS
disciplinary efforts were ineffective, Yoder was forced to resign quietly in 1984."
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).