Night Journeys and Morning Light: Let Memory Speak

John Rempel pursues life with a passion. In this memoir he reflects on the people and ideas that have shaped him and does so with breathtaking candor. He grew up in the immigrant Mennonite world of Kitchener, Ontario. He extolls the sturdiness of being part of such a historical community. But that was not enough for him: he went on a quest to make sense of life's riddles, surprises, and suffering in a world loved by God. This led the author to graduate studies in the United States and the divided city of Berlin. As a college chaplain, a pastor, a liaison to the United Nations, and a theology professor, Rempel devoted himself to finding authentic ways of putting the gospel into words and deeds. This involved writing liturgical texts, especially for the Lord's Supper, as well as poetry. Along the way the author followed an anguished path toward self-acceptance as a gay man. As he tried to piece together the shards of his life, and that of postmodern society, he arrived at the concepts of "enchantment" and "disenchantment" as a seminal way to engage secular culture.