With broad teaching and research interests in both historical studies of Christian thought and contemporary methods of theological analysis and construction, in recent years Dr. Bessler has offered courses including Introduction to Theology, the Doctrine of God, Christology, the Doctrine of the Church, Comparative Theologians, Constructive Theology, Law and Theological Ethics, and Theological Themes in the Contemporary Novel.
Among his publications are "Becoming Langdon Gilkey: The Theological Significance of Shantung Compound," in The Theology of Langdon Gilkey, ed. Jeff Pool and Kyle Pasewark (Macon: Mercer University Press, 1999), "The Theological Risks of Taking Jesus Seriously," Forum (Fall 2001), "Truth as Empire: A Problematic Metaphor in Christian Theology," Encounter (Spring 2004), and f Law and Theology: Cases and Readings, co-edited with Martin Belsky of the University of Tulsa Law School, forthcoming from Carolina Academic Press.
A lay theologian in the Roman Catholic Church who has contributed to projects sponsored by the Westar Institute, Dr. Bessler is a member of the American Academy of Religion and the Association of Disciples for Theological Discussion. He joined the PTS faculty in 1992.