The legacy of John Howard Yoder can be found not only in his writings; he also had a knack for creating fora for intellectually-rich dialogue on issues involving deep personal values.

Many of these initiatives continue to the present day. A Kroc-ROTC discussion group that he helped to establish at Notre Dame continues to meet regularly during the academic year to discuss issues of ethics and the military. At Notre Dame's Tantur Ecumenical Institute, Yoder played a role in promoting interreligious dialogue. David Burrell, Professor of Theology and Philosophy and director of the study abroad program at Tantur, describes Tantur as "Father Hesburgh on the outside, and John Howard Yoder on the inside."

Yoder also made substantial contributions to the development of the "Believer's Church Conferences." The term "Believer's Church" was coined by Max Weber to emphasize the voluntary character of several radical Protestant groups, and the term gained currency in the literature by and about these groups. The conferences draw together theologians, ministers, and lay people, predominantly from Mennonite, Brethren, and Quaker traditions, and observers from other denominations, to discuss issues at the intersection of theology and practice. Yoder helped organized the first conference in 1967 and co-convened several subsequent conferences with D. F. Durnbaugh. It was thus a fitting tribute that the fourteenth conference, held at the University of Notre Dame on March 7-9, 2002, addressed the theme "Assessing the Theological Legacy of John Howard Yoder." The confer-ence, which attracted more than 300 participants, was co-sponsored by several academic institutions with which Yoder had been affiliated: the Institute for Mennonite Studies at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS), Goshen College, and the Kroc Institute and Theology Department at Notre Dame.

Mark Thiessen Nation of the London Mennonite Center opened the conference with a keynote address exploring Yoder as Mennonite, Evangelical, and Catholic. John Paul Lederach, Professor of International Peacebuilding at the Kroc Institute, described the influence of Yoder on his own approach to peacebuilding, noting how Yoder's expansive view of history as moving toward reconciliation has provided a basis for hope in the midst of seemingly intractable conflicts. David Burrell emphasized Yoder's communal model of doing theology as a corporate endeavor of "faith on the way."

In addition to plenary sessions, the conference featured presentations by more than 30 participants. Topics ranged from Yoder's views of the Nicene Council and his dismissal of Constantinianism to the influence of his views on Protestant ethics and contemporary ecumenism.

During a closing plenary session, panelists noted sever-al important themes which emerged at the conference. Gayle Gerber Koontz, Professor of Theology and Ethics at AMBS, observed that North American Mennonites can benefit from a stronger dialogue between pietism and evangelicalism. Michael Baxter, Assistant Professor of Theology at Notre Dame, highlighted the role Yoder played in identifying resources for peace in the Catholic tradition and at Notre Dame. "John pointed out things that were there that we didn't see," Baxter said, referring to Yoder's observation that the relics of Saint Marcellus, a third century centurion beheaded for refusing to serve in the Roman army, can be found beneath the altar at Notre Dame's Basilica.

Stanley Hauerwas, Professor of Theology at Duke University and a former colleague of Yoder, observed in his concluding comments that an important achievement of the conference was to put Yoder's ideas into dialogue with the classical tradition - including Augustine, Niebuhr, and others. "This is the start of some important work that still needs to be done," he said.

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