Catalyst Publications
Publications by Category
“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter – it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” (Mark Twain)
As Christendom continues to fade away, God’s people in the US are be…
Oct/26/2015
One of the pivotal responsibilities of every Christian generation is to engage the Scriptures exegetically and theologically. A number of fine commentaries are available to assist this task. During the 2015-16 academic year, Catalyst will p…
Oct/21/2015
One of the most pressing needs in The United Methodist Church today is to reconnect with the world that God created and loves. As George Morris and Eddie Fox reminded us many years ago, the God of the Bible is a “missionary God.” God is see…
Oct/19/2015
When John Wesley penned “Predestination Calmly Considered,” he did not imagine that he was presenting the story of salvation in a renewed way. After all, he wrote from the ageless books of Scripture, restoring its description of salvation a…
Oct/14/2015
When thinking about catechesis, that is, oral instruction in the life of Christian faith, we often get caught in categories like creed, curriculum, lesson plans, and Bible study. We use them as tools or maps for navigating the biblical text…
Oct/12/2015
“Pastor, if I raise my finger, will God know which one I’m going to raise even before I raise it?”
Thirteen year-old Steve attended church every week with his parents, and he had stayed after church to get an answer to his pressing quest…
Oct/07/2015
As a professor in the theology department of a Christian university, I often watch as my graduating students prepare to attend seminary. I am always curious to see how God will shape and direct these men and women during their seminary year…
Oct/05/2015
Having spent my summer reading on the topic of homosexuality, I want to share some reading suggestions. I’ll use the terms “affirming” and “non-affirming” to distinguish the two sides in the debate.
Starting with the biblical material, t…
Sep/28/2015
Katherine Sonderegger begins her Systematic Theology, vol. 1, The Doctrine of God challenging modern theology. She writes, “Who is God? And what is God? (Qui sit et quid sit Deus). These are the questions of an entire lifetime” Yet, she con…
Sep/21/2015
He was, without a doubt, one of, if not the most, significant theologians of the second half of the 20th century. His command of things theological extended well beyond the norm, having written books on anthropology, the philosophy of scien…
Sep/14/2015
We live in a multifaith world. In many of our neighborhoods, we find the familiar landmarks of Jewish, Buddhist, and Muslim presence. Increasingly, both urban and rural settings are becoming microcosms of a larger pattern of emerging religi…
Jun/10/2015
We're building an annotated list of reading recommendations from some of our John Wesley Fellows. Happy reading!
Charles E. Gutenson
Author of Church Worth Getting Up For (Abingdon, 2014)
and other books, church consultant, affiliate…
Jun/08/2015
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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…
"The John Wesley Fellowship provides not only financial support, it is an extraordinary community of Christian scholars — and friends."