Mennonite Weekly Review

John Howard Yoder is one of the best-known Mennonite thinkers on peace.

But before Yoder there was Guy F. Hersh­berger, whose reflections on war, peace and violence not only helped Mennonites navigate perilous times in the early-to-mid-20th century but also laid the foundation for Yoder’s groundbreaking work.

“Up until the arrival of Yoder, Hershberger was the most important figure in the Mennonite Church for translating pacifism into practical life,” says Theron F. Schlabach, author of War, Peace, and Social Conscience: The Life and Thought of Guy F. Hershberger, a new book from Herald Press.

Among other contributions, Hershberger, who lived from 1896 to 1989, helped lay the foundation for what became the Civilian Public Service program in the United States during World War II. He played a key role in the creation of Mennonite Mutual Aid in 1945 and helped guide the Mennonite Church’s response to the civil rights movement — nudging the church toward greater openness to Martin Luther King Jr.’s call for justice for blacks.

Schlabach, formerly a professor of history at Goshen College, took time to reflect on the important role Hershberger played in the Mennonite Church in the last century — and why Mennonites and other Christians today should want to know more about him.

Why was Guy F. Hershberger such an important figure?

He came along at a hinge point in Mennonite history in the United States. It was a time when Mennonites were beginning to engage the world more, become more educated and more urban. Mennonites were also becoming more aware of the wider world and their role in it. He helped that generation to articulate their faith and beliefs and to see how they could practice them in the world.

But he wasn’t just important for the Mennonite Church. He had influence in other Mennonite groups and in other Christian denominations, too. Many people benefited from his thinking on a Christian response to issues like war, labor relations, economic justice, racial equality and capital punishment.

What was the special contribution Hershberger made to the church?

He offered Christians a biblically based rationale for pacifism, in contrast to pacifist approaches grounded in other rationales, such as socialism, humanitarianism or activism. He believed that Christians should actively seek peace in order to help people in need, but he felt strongly that our pacifism should be grounded in the Bible and in our desire to be disciples of Jesus.