Githieya Francis

Biography

Francis K. Githieya is an Assistant Professor of Theology and Religion at Saint Leo University since 1999. Prior to joining the Department of Philosophy, Religion, and Theology, Githieya served as a full time Academic Advisor at the Saint Leo University Division of Continuing Education, Atlanta Center (1992-1998). He was also Adjunct Professor of World Religions and Christian Social Ethics at the University of Saint Francis (Joliet, Illinois) (1993-1997). Between 2008 and 2012, Githieya combined teaching with administrative duties at Saint Leo University, when he simultaneously served as a Full time Faculty and Assistant Director at the SLU Atlanta Continuing Education Center. He currently teaches graduate and undergraduate Courses at the three SLU Metro Atlanta Centers (Marietta, Gwinnett, and Morrow). He is the author of “The Freedom of the Spirit: African Indigenous Churches in Kenya” (Oxford University Press, 1999), in which he explores the ecclesiology of the African Greek Orthodox Church and the African Spirit Churches. He is also the author of several articles, among them is, “A New Vision of the Church: The Challenge of the African Independent Churches” in Henry Wilson and Nyambura Njoroge (eds.)“New Wine: The Challenge of the Emerging Ecclesiologies to Church Renewal” Geneva, WARC, 1994. Pp. 112 -134, and “The Church of the Holy Spirit: Biblical Beliefs and Practices of the Arathi of Kenya, 1926-1950,” in Thomas Spear and Isaria N. Kimambo (eds.) East African Expressions of Christianity. James Currey Publishers. Athens, Ohio,1999, pages 231-243. He is also currently working on a paper on the “Small Christian Communities in the Catholic Diocese of Nyahururu, Kenya,” in which he examines the metaphor of “Mwaki” (Fire) as a new igniting expression of the Church.

Research Interest

Githieya teaches a wide range of undergraduate courses, including Religions of the World, Foundations of the Christian faith, Christian Social Ethics, the New and the Old Testaments, Death and Meaning of life, Christian Spiritual Vision, History of Christianity, and the Senior Seminar in Religion. His current research focuses on Systematic theology (particularly the areas of ecclesiology, Christology, and Soteriology.) He is also interested in Christian Ethics focusing on the links between religion and morality. He is also involved in the development of a new graduate course in Black theology that examines the nature and method of Black theology in America. The course will also focus on gender and social justice issues emanating from the Womanist movement within the Black Church in America. His earlier research focused on African Theology, the indigenous African Churches, and the general religious pluralism in Africa.