This website is dedicated to the works of the Reverend Doctor Daniel A. Kolke and all those who he has served through ministry since 1960. On this website you will find collections of writings, sermons, articles, pictures and more from Pastor Kolke and family. We hope that these writings inspire you to explore your faith and daily pursuits.
After a disabling accident, he became a pastor, teacher and author. In his views, Dan represents Religion through the eyes of different cultures. He holds three post-graduate degrees in Biblical Studies. In his blog, he urges us to Stop and Think!
We want to welcome you and introduce you to his writings.
Dan passed away in his home on June 24th, 2021. He was 91 years old.
Biography
Daniel A. Kolke Sr. was born in 1930 to Dutch-German parents in former Southeastern Poland, in a village now part of the Ukraine. During World War I, Dan’s parents were exiled to Siberia while grandfather and mother’s brother served in the Czar’s army. At the onset of World War II, the Russians traded Dan’s people to the Germans to manage Polish farms in Western Poland. At the end of the war, Dan and his people became homeless refugees in Germany. Dan lived in Germany for six years. At that time, Dan’s education was two years Polish, and four years of German.
Dan immigrated to Canada in 1951. Six months later, he was severely burned in a fire that would disable him for life. After eighteen months of reconstructing surgery and recovery, Dan resumed his studies to become a pastor, a teacher and a author. He attended the Christian Institute in Edmonton, Alberta for two years to qualify for College entrance. Three years later, Dan graduated from the University of Manitoba (United College). Dan received his Bachlor of Divinity from Sioux Falls Seminary, South Dakota. He studied “Biblical Hebrew” at Princeton, New Jersey. Dan studied “Islam” under a Palestinian guest professor at the University of New York. Dan graduated from Biblical Seminary in New York, New York with a Master in Sacred Theology. He transferred to Emmanuel College in Toronto, Ontario for a doctoral program sponsored by seven institutions: Emmanuel, Knox, Trinity, Wycliffe, St. Michaels, Regis, St. Augustine’s Colleges. Dan studied at the first four Seminaries in Toronto. In 1971, he earned a Doctor of Theology from Victoria University, within the University of Toronto, Ontario.
Daniel has served thirteen Churches, taught for two colleges and at three seminaries. Dan has published one book, “The Church And Her Walls,” as well as a number of articles in News Papers and Journals. Dan also has published over 900 articles on his weekly blog entitled, “Stop and Think.” Dan represents religion and ideologies through the eyes of different cultures and languages.
He, himself, was a victim of persecution, excluded from the mainstream of life, and at the age of twenty-one, he was disabled by a fire. All these things, have helped Dan to view events and interpretations differently, which are governed by “cause and effect.” Dan is a biblical scholar and a competent exegete, able to translate several languages. This experience allows him to let History and the Bible speak for themselves without adding or reinterpreting their intentions.
Daniel was married to Selma Fahl for sixty-one years. Selma also comes from the Ukraine, which was under Russian control at that time. She lost her father in the Bolshevik persecution, when she was only two years old. Her background and difficult experiences have added immensely to Dan’s life and thought. Selma has been Dan’s most ardent supporter.
Together, they have raised three dedicated purposely oriented sons, who have given them eight grandchildren to enjoy. In spite of the odds against them, they have been blessed beyond measure.
Related Posts and Pictures:
Stop and Think - Rev Dr. Daniel Kolke 