John Kiesler, OFM

Biography

“But then I must remind myself we are living creatures- we have religious impulses- we must- and yet into what cracks do these impulses flow in a world without religion? It is something I think about every day. Sometimes I think that it is the only thing I should be thinking about.” (273-274). Douglas Coupland, Life After God (N.Y.: Pocket Books, 1994)

I was born and raised in Southern California. After college, I worked in the retail industry while doing volunteer work for literacy programs and political campaigns. I joined the Franciscan Friars of St. Barbara Province in 1983 and, after a time on the Akimel O’odham Reservation (Arizona), went to the Netherlands for five years to pursue a theology degree focused on missiology. I have been teaching at the Franciscan School of Theology since 1997.

Degrees

• Ph.D. Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen (now Radboud Universiteit)
• MDiv Franciscan School of Theology
• BA California State University, San Bernardino

Courses

God and Trinity

This is an introductory course in the theology of God that reviews the development of trinitarian doctrine within the Church and historical attempts to deepen its meaning.

Perspectives: Intro to Theology

An introductory course in theology from a Roman Catholic perspective that will cover sources of theology, the relationship of the Church to the modern world, interpretation of magisterial documents, and other contemporary issues.

Christology

This introductory course in Christology reviews the biblical sources about Jesus, the formation of dogmatic understandings in the early Church, and several modern Christologies.

Select Publications

Books

Signs and Instruments of Liberation (Kampen: Kok, 1991).