John Kolstoe

John Kolstoe
Born	April 24, 1931
Died	June 3, 2021
NSA member	Alaska 1959 - 1960 1963 - 1985 1993 - 1997
Works •  Media

John Erling Kolstoe (April 24, 1931 - June 3, 2021) was an American Bahá'í author. He served as Chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska.

Background

John was raised in a Lutheran family, and studied psychology at University. He and his wife, Beverley, became Bahá'ís in 1953 and John attended the New Delhi Intercontinental Teaching Conference the same year. He had been intending to conduct research in the field of Psychology on cognitive modalities, but felt that pioneering for the Faith was more important after attending the Conference, and volunteered to pioneer to Alaska. John and Beverley moved to Alaska in 1953.

John was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska in the late 1950's and served on the body until 1960, when he and Beverley pioneered to Fort Yukon, where they lived for three years. He went on pilgrimage to Haifa in 1960 and met Ruhiyyih Khanum, and told her a story about meeting Dr. Hubert Parris, which she encouraged him to put in writing. He eventually did so when he wrote the book Crazy Lovers of Bahá'u'lláh

In 1962 he co-wrote a pamphlet on the Faith titled Bahá'í Teachings: A Light For All Regions with Peter Simple, the second Athabascan Indian to become a Bahá'í in Yukon. The Kolstoes moved from Yukon to Fairbanks and John was re-elected to the Alaskan National Assembly in 1963. He was elected Chairman of the Assembly in 1972, and represented the Assembly at the Dedication of the Matthew Kaszab Institute in November that year.

In 1975 he wrote twelve articles on the Covenant for Alaska Bahá'í News which eventually served as the basis for the book The Covenant and You. In July 1976 he opened the International Bahá'í Conference held in Anchorage. The Kolstoes left Alaska in 1985 and pioneered to St. Lucia in the Caribbean.

John's wife Beverley passed away in Alaska in 1996. In 2001 John re-married, marrying Janet J. Smith.

Publications

• 1962 - Bahá'í Teachings: A Light For All Regions (with Peter Simple)
• 1985 - Consultation: A Universal Lamp of Guidance
• 1995 - Developing Genius: Getting the Most Out of Group Decision-making
• 2008 - Roadmaps to the Future
• 2011 - Compassionate Woman: The Life and Legacy of Patricia Locke
• 2014 - Pondering the Fire Tablet: Reflections on Bahá'u'lláh's “Fire Tablet”
• 2015 - Crazy Lovers of Bahá'u'lláh: Inspirational Stories of Little Giants
• 2015 - The Covenant and You
• 2016 - Healing and Beyond: Exploring the Long Healing Prayer
• 2017 - Deliver This Clear Message: The Tablet of Ahmad as a Practical Guide and Mandate to Teach