Catalyst Publications
Publications by Category
The latest mass murders, the opioid crisis, and the dozen or so tornadoes that recently ripped through the area where I live seemed to objectify a growing, gnawing angst in our land. Notwithstanding the very good things many people are doin…
Oct/21/2019
Have you ever studied a Robert Silvers photograph? When Silvers was a student at the MIT Media Lab in the 1990s, he invented an art form. He merged ancient mosaic with modern photography and state-of-the art computer technology to create th…
Oct/16/2019
I was recently visiting my son who is away studying at university, and we attended Sunday worship at a church near his school. After the service, quite a few people stopped us to thank us for showing up to church. The congregation was made …
Oct/14/2019
A friend of mine works at an elite liberal arts college in the US. All employees were required to attend a mandatory training on inclusivity led by the school’s “diversity officer.” The lecture was about the cutting edge du jour in some qua…
Oct/09/2019
It is God’s desire not to have anyone perish but to come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9). You would think, then, that God’s existence would be more obvious. It is striking to note that the theme of the hiddenness of God is not infrequent in Scrip…
Oct/07/2019
The first eight books of the Bible set the stage for God’s grand narrative in Scripture. The following commentaries provide readers with access to the current breadth and richness of scholarship and theological reflection on these books.
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Oct/02/2019
This fall I celebrate my thirtieth year as a follower of Jesus. It was my third year of college in Virginia. I grew up in Florida and had heard the gospel story many times and heard countless sermons about it. But it was my third year of co…
Sep/30/2019
As a new school year begins and I look at my students, most in my classes for some liberal arts requirement, I find myself making the same opening day plea once more: “Yes, church history really does matter.” Even to my Christian Ministries…
Sep/23/2019
The question was asked with a mixture of incredulity and indignation. He could not believe what he had been asked to repeat. Featured in a video “gone viral,” a young male UM pastor struggled to read the script in front of him. He was not a…
Sep/16/2019
This summer congregations that follow the Revised Common Lectionary were forced to grapple with one of Jesus’s more unsettling pronunciations: “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!”…
Sep/09/2019
Despite best efforts to design the most attractive, impressive, and appealing programs for people to grow in Christian faith and discipleship, there is nothing more effective at transforming persons for Christ than the Wesleyan small group.…
Aug/19/2019
People sometimes ask me for advice on how to get more young adults to come to church. Frequently, their church is warm and friendly, but is made of up older and/or elderly adults. They sometimes speak passionately about their desire to see …
Aug/12/2019
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A Foundation for Theological Education (AFTE) John Wesley Fellowships have been awarded to three doctoral stud…
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Announcing that 2026 John Wesley Fellowship Scholarship Applications are now being accepted. Please see the at…
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JWF and Friends of AFTE, we look forward to you joining us Thursday-Sunday, January 15-18, 2026, for the AFTE …
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Twenty John Wesley Fellows, spouses, and friends were able to experience a trip of a lifetime. The travel itin…
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