How Far Down Does the Elephant Go? - Paperback

by Hugh P. Kemp (Author)

Coming out of eight years teaching at a high school in Auckland, New Zealand, this book explores big questions that teenagers themselves generated in Christian Education classes and in a course called Theory of Knowledge in the International Baccalaureate Diploma. In thirty letters to his students, Hugh Kemp addresses their big questions, noting that many conversations are unfinished and that ""we grow in the direction of our questions."" All the letters are creatively generated but do represent real questions that students actually asked, revealing the inner lives and priorities of twenty-first-century teenagers. Kemp demonstrates a warmth and love for his students but also a critical edge, always challenging them to examine their assumptions, to see ""how far down the elephant goes.""

Author Biography

Hugh P. Kemp has taught across both high school and university sectors in a variety of educational modes and countries for more than thirty-five years. He has a PhD in religious studies and a MTh in Christian mission history. He is the author of Steppe by Step: Mongolia's Christians from Ancient Roots to Vibrant Young Church (2000) and One Step Guide to World Religions (2013). Kemp continues to engage with thinking students in a high school in Christchurch, New Zealand. He speaks and publishes across the fields of Asian history and Christian mission, education, and religious studies. He lives in a village near Christchurch with his wife, Karen Kemp, who teaches practical theology and coaches leaders. They have three adult daughters.