Jerry Dell Ehrlich

I began my adult life with the desire to be a Lutheran Clergyman, and after graduating from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, I served as a minister for 13 years, at which time I decided, that for personal satisfaction and intellectual growth, to return to the University of Missouri at Kansas City to earn a Master of Arts in history and then to the University of Missouri at Columbia and earned my Ph.D. in history with a minor in philosophy. Then I returned to the working world by teaching one year at California Lutheran University. But, for the sake of financial security, I worked in financial services for the next 16 years to solidify my retirement needs. That, in my estimation, was achieved by the end of 1997, so I decided that at that time I would become a writer about the things that interested me the most: philosophy, history, ethics and the spiritual life. I found the substance of the Platonic Tradition to be much to my liking and satisfaction. The following books that I wrote are listed in chronological order so that it is evident the way in which my intellectual life developed: Plato’s Gift to Christianity, Building a Life by Carpenter Jesus: with supplementary wisdom from both Western Classical and Eastern Sages, The Joy of Embracing God: humanity’s longing for the eternal, The Platonic Bible, Platonic Island, and the Profound Charm of Plato: a defense of his greatness. Four years ago I decided to open a bookstore and carry especially those books that pleased the learned and those who wanted to become learned. I started with my own library of about 4,500 books but now have an inventory of over 16,000 books. Because of my store, POSTMODERN BOOKSTORE, I have met some very wonderful people who have been well pleased to have such a bookstore in their area. I still do some writing and teaching for the sake of letting my spirit breathe through the printed and spoken word. Jerry Dell Ehrlich, M. Div., M.A., Ph. D.