The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved (ePub)

It was his survival of a near fatal head-on collision in 1940 that turned Elkan
Kemps life around. After crossing the threshold of death twice while
hospitalized, he gained a new perspective on life and on death, as well.
During his six years in the Air Corps, he met his dream-girl while at Pearl
Harbor, and they were married. Elkan Kemp began his college education in 1946
at the University of Iowa. There he obtained both a BA and an MA degree,
with majors in Sociology and Religion. It was during this time that his interests
included in-depth studies of the Old Testament under Rabbi Judah Goldin. He
studied religion under Dr. Marcus Bach and Theology under several Jesuit priests.
He learned five dialects in Greek and received honors in Phi Eta Sigma, Eta
Sigma Phi and Phi Beta Kappa.
Reverend Kemps religious studies at the University of Iowa led him to three
years of graduate work at the San Francisco Theological Seminary which
included research in Greek and advanced Hebrew. He also went on to earn a
divinity degree and a Seminary Fellowship for study at the University of
Edinburgh, Scotland. His experience at the University of Edinburgh led him to
more advanced work in Hebrew and extensive studies of the Muslim religion.
With a Ph.D. thesis entitled, Life, Death and What Comes After, Elkan
Kemps education now led him to his lifelong devotion to pastoral work.
After teaching from the Bible for more than 60 years, Reverend Kemp became
aware of just how many thinking people have been frustrated by the walls of
religious myth, legend, creed and dogma that the churches and synagogues have
erected. His decision to write this book came out of a desire to ease those frustrations
by helping people to break down those walls. There was a practical
side to his effort. He sat with many deeply religious laymen and ministers who
came to that event we call death, with great anxiety. Reverend Kemp believes
that it is evident that the Judaeo-Christian religion is not working, for those
walls require a hand-me-down religion and this does not work. Reverend
Kemp states, We truly believe only what we know about our God first hand. I
hope, with this book, people will be able to find that experience and to have a
full life, and then come to death with a firm, happy confidence . . . not just a vague hope.