Catalyst Publications
Publications by Category
Many of us, and most people in our churches, encounter the Bible only in English translation. I remember well when working on the Common English Bible the many questions I received, like this one: “But why do you need to translate the Bible…
Oct/10/2018
The word “relational” gets thrown around a great deal when discussing evangelism. Just what that means deserves a closer examination. Allow me to illustrate one way I have in mind. I had many questions about faith before I made a decision t…
Oct/08/2018
A dear friend of mine, a capable, compassionate and responsible professional woman, thought she was going crazy after 9/11. She was not in New York on that dreadful day, nor in Washington D. C. Yet, in the weeks and months afterward, she ex…
Oct/03/2018
If the devil was given free reign on earth to do as much damage as possible to the unfolding of divine purposes, where would he begin? What more effective places to press his diabolical schemes than in the hearts of God’s people, and in the…
Oct/01/2018
Last year I wrote about three significant colleagues of John Wesley who had a major impact on early Methodism: Charles Wesley, William Grimshaw, and John Fletcher. To that list also belongs Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, who among other things wa…
Sep/26/2018
The most common misunderstanding about Christianity is to think that it is all about “being good.” According to this view, Christianity is seen as exclusively about will power and doing good things. In fact, however, the gospel’s central de…
Sep/24/2018
One of the key responsibilities of every Christian generation is to work with the Scriptures exegetically and theologically. A number of fine commentaries are available to assist this task. During the 2018–19 academic year, Catalyst will pr…
Sep/19/2018
There are thousands of podcasts available on just about every conceivable topic from cooking, finance, entertainment, news, and politics, to “Couples Therapy,” “Serial Klllers,” “Stuff You Missed in History Class,” and “Drinkin’ Bros.” You …
Sep/17/2018
Any notion of Christian perfection is quickly dismissed by most Protestants. The Wesleys are held in great regard, but heads shake over their teaching on what is usually referred to as “sinless perfection.” That is not helped by the way the…
Sep/12/2018
“The glory of God is a human being fully alive,” Irenaeus writes. “Practice resurrection” is Wendell Berry’s line. They’re basically the same thing, and it’s something the ancients emphasize when they talk about salvation. Ask an ancient wh…
Sep/10/2018
Because not all seminarians have undergraduate degrees in biblical interpretation, I normally start my hermeneutics courses with the basics of literary context and cultural-historical context (my specialty) before turning to specific genres…
Sep/05/2018
The church has done a lot of thinking about Christians going to war. Although some Christians are pacifists, saying “no” to all violence or the bearing of arms, the United Methodist Church has not completely embraced pacifism. The EUB Confe…
Aug/13/2018
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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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