Life at the End of Us Versus Them: Cross Culture Stories

by Marcus Peter Rempel

Our present moment can no longer sustain a stable “us” defined against an alien “them.” So say René Girard and Ivan Illich, radical critics of both Christianity and culture. If they are right, this makes our time an endtime. The end of us against them can deteriorate into the chaos of each against each, or it can open outward into freely chosen communion. It is an expectant—and apocalyptic—time. How does one live in this strange, endtime world? As a wanderer in the odd, cross-culture country Girard and Illich have mapped, the author finds himself in a surprising new place in relation to those who are his women, queer folk, refugees, Muslims, atheists, and Indigenous people. In this collection of essays, he blinks, looks around, and makes some field notes.

Genres: Religion

308 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2017

Reviews

[Darrell Grizzle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read some of the groundbreaking work of René Girard and Ivan Illich, but this book by farmer-philosopher Marcus Peter Rempel really makes their ideas come alive. Rempel uses real-life examples from his native Canada and the Ploughshares Community Farm where he lives, to apply the principles of radical, nonviolent Christianity and to help us see things from a totally new and life-giving perspective. I especially appreciated his very balanced insights into the LGBT community, in the chapter “Dance-Off With Dionysus.” Rempel draws on insights not only from Girard and Illich but from diverse voices like Bruce Cockburn, Cornel West, Nietzsche, fellow farmer and “geologian” Wendell Berry, and the openly gay Catholic priest James Alison. Rempel ties all these insights together by telling stories and drawing us in, making us feel like we’re listening to a master storyteller rather than an accomplished thinker. Rempel is both.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I confess to hating the title of this book but wanted to read it to engage local authors. It was much better than I expected. Rempel has a skill for introspection and self-awareness. However, I continued to stumble over the use of his main influences, particularly Girard (and the minor player Milbank), as deployed in his notion of life beyond us and them. These thinkers and Rempel's theology still seem to appeal to imagined origins that should inform today. I see these influences only, ultimately, getting in the way (by consistently establishing 'third-way' approaches to nearly every issue) of what otherwise seems like a healthy approach to his faith and community.
For those who might be interested I wrote an extended review here,
https://davidcldriedger.wordpress.com...

[Brenda Funk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one that I savored and read slowly, only one chapter at a time. It is beautifully written, and each chapter presents much material to be pondered, so it would be such a waste to hurry it. I am sure I will be reading it again shortly. The author addresses many current and contemporary issues with much wisdom and insight. I also enjoyed the descriptions of his little farming community and the way he has intentionally simplified his life, living it in a way that is sustainable and satisfying. Loved it!

[Andrew Marr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thoughtful book that doesn't fit any of the usual categories. It contains a lot of wise thought about life in ways that stimulate the reader to think. The two writers Rempel deals with the most are René Girard and Ivan Illich. Girard I am well familiar with, Illich, not very much. It's interesting to see these two thinkers put into dialogue with one another. Girard works from one idea, that of mimetic desire, the tendency of humans to imitate, not just the actions, but much more deeply, the desires of others. Girard demonstrates how shared desires can lead to serious social conflicts. As the title suggests, Rempel is concerned with the ways we divide ourselves from people who are -- well, Other, them, not part of us. Illich seems to be not so systematic but offers trenchant social critiques of the ways we subvert good intentions and even charity. He seems to have a lot in common with Peter Maurin, the man who shaped much of the thought of Dorothy Day. Illich, Maurin & Day put much emphasis on small community grass roots social actions. Violence, economic issues & much else is dealt with in creative ways that help us think outside of our boxes.

[Matt Wiebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awesome, in the awe-inducing sense of the word. I have never before come across a work so honest, so vulnerable, yet with such penetrating insight into everything that we’re struggling with in the world today. If you’ve never heard of René Girard or Ivan Illich, this is as fine an introduction as you’ll find, as their deeply illuminating thinking in Rempel’s hands light up topics as disparate as desire, colonialism, identity, patriarchy, Islam, (non)violence, sex, Jesus, community, culture, and more.

Now, back to my second reading. There may be a third.