About the Author
Who is Yoder Fozzgood?
Yoder Fozzgood is the “person” credited with writing most of the articles found on our 1st John website. As declared on our About Page, Yoder is not a real person, but our ‘persona grata’ to whom we ascribe authorship for a specific reason. In this article we will share the origin of Yoder and what purpose he fulfills for all of us.
Historical Origin of the name “Yoder”
Yoder: from NameDiscoveries.com
- The surname Yoder is of Swiss-German origin and is derived from the personal name Jodocus, which was a Latinized form of the Germanic name Jodok. The name Jodocus itself is believed to have originated from the Greek name Theodokos, meaning “gift of God.” Over time, the name Yoder evolved as a patronymic surname, indicating descent from an ancestor named Jodocus or Jodok. Today, the surname Yoder is primarily found among the Amish and Mennonite communities in North America, particularly in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Historical Origin of the name “Fozzgood”
Fozzgood: from NameDiscoveries.com there is no result for Fozzgood, but under the name “Foz” and derivative Fozz, it gives the following origin of the name:
- The surname Foz is of Spanish origin and is derived from the word “foz,” which means “mouth” or “estuary” in Spanish. It is a toponymic surname, indicating that it was originally used to identify someone who lived near a river mouth or estuary. The surname Foz is relatively uncommon and is primarily found in the regions of Galicia and Catalonia in Spain.
We became aware, only recently, of the historical meanings of these names. Now we ponder their meaning considering how we are making use of this name, “Yoder Fozzgood” as a “gift of God” and “the mouth of a river”. Perhaps the seeds of our endeavor began 58 years ago? If so, to God be the glory!
When the name Yoder Fozzgood was first imagined
It was 58 years ago that the name Yoder Fozzgood was conceived by one of our members. The first name, Yoder, was adopted from the surname of a childhood friend. The last name emerged spontaneously without an origin to claim. Combined, “Yoder Fozzgood” was a name never forgotten all these years, but not applied to anyone, real or imaginary.
First Use of the name Yoder Fozzgood
This same member in 2019, began to delve deeply into the Bible on a mission to challenge a Christian doctrine he had been raised to believe. That doctrine was very denomination specific. He began documenting his research findings and signed them with this name, Yoder Fozzgood, used for the first time as the author.
Some of these papers were shared among friends. The door had been opened. Doctrines were called into question one after another. What started out as a single research effort became a passion, and has spread to others. Some doctrines evaluated were proven Biblically true. Other doctrines were found to be false when compared to Bible teaching.
Yoder Fozzgood in Use Today
We use the name Yoder Fozzgood as a pen name for authorship on our webpage, 1st John. We now publish articles representing truth-seeking research in the scriptures to uncover false doctrines commonly found in Christian churches.
From that first research effort in 2019, further research has been ongoing. An effort to connect with other people who share a common concern about false doctrines is underway. Exposing the harm false doctrines do to the Christian message is urgently needed, and from what we have seen, very under reported. This need not be a small undertaking.
We recognize the world we live in today is hyper-connected. Through this website we hope to reach many sincere Christians who have been deceived by their church doctrines. Yoder Fozzgood is fully dedicated to this effort.
Why we give authorship credit to Yoder Fozzgood at 1st John
We seek humility in everything we do. The last thing we want is notoriety for ourselves. We believe we are on an assignment from God to work faithfully, in the background, which is our sanctuary. Our goal is to work as a volunteer maintenance crew on the graveyard shift, busy setting things in order for each new day, making the main feature sparkle, clean, welcoming, purposeful and effective, at no cost to anyone.
We believe everything we need for salvation is right there in our Bible and we are shining a spotlight on “knowing” what our Bible teaches, sound doctrine. Our goal is to highlight this truth repeatedly without drawing any attention to ourselves. We are nothing more than an arrow pointing to Biblical truth, fulfilling the instruction found in Matthew 10:27-28. The very real person we focus our attention on is Jesus Christ, and His gift to the world, which we cannot attain through false doctrines.
