Catalyst Publications
Publications by Category
I sit on Ash Wednesday, a smear of ashes on my forehead, typing in a coffee shop. Lent has begun, and I feel unprepared. There are several good reasons for this – but the specifics don’t much matter. Does a clergyperson ever really feel pre…
Mar/17/2014
The size and richness of the book of Psalms means that good one-volume commentaries are few and far between. My choice of a one-volume commentary would be that of James Mays in the Interpretation series (Westminster John Knox, 2011), althou…
Mar/12/2014
Your dog doesn’t wear a watch and your cat doesn’t keep a calendar. Sure, they have a pretty clear idea about when it’s time for supper. But they don’t structure and arrange time in ways that then structure and arrange their lives; they don…
Mar/10/2014
Some Christians follow the Plan. We learn that we can lead. We have a desire to help people. So we become pastors and develop five-year plans based on reasonable options and clear procedures. Congregations follow the Plan as well, applying …
Mar/05/2014
In my last essay, I laid out the following agenda as the goal of my future essays:
The renewal of the art of catechesis in our time requires a rediscovery and retrieval of the resources of the baptismal catechesis of the ancient catechumen…
Mar/03/2014
Emerging Adulthood as a Distinct Stage of Life
Pastors, scholars, and educators have often viewed the years between age 18 and 30 as among the most formative period in the life course – a critical stage where gateway decisions about vocati…
Feb/26/2014
The Five Practices, the Four Foci, Three Simple Rules – Methodists love numbering things. Of course, the people of God have a long history of makings lists: Ten Commandments, seven gifts of the Spirit, four cardinal virtues, three theologic…
Feb/24/2014
I have argued that John Wesley could be said to have a “theology of love.” Wesley’s theology could with equal accuracy be called a “theology of grace.” Thomas A. Langford held that “the grace of God, as the redeeming activity of divine love…
Feb/19/2014
A year ago, our grown kids in Virginia invited us to go with them and our two grandkids on a Disney Cruise to the Bahamas. Well, I've been to the Bahamas several times and I live in Florida, but this was "with our grandkids," so, of course,…
Feb/17/2014
David T. Tsumura’s commentary on 1 Samuel (NICOT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007) should be in every evangelical student’s library. Of particular note is his helpful introduction, setting out key issues in the study of Samuel in a way that is…
Feb/12/2014
In the first installment to this three-part series, I began to sketch the broad contours of God’s story in the Bible, focusing on Creation and Fall. In the second, I noted how, in the OT, God calls forth a new humanity (Israel) to serve as …
Feb/10/2014
While teaching at a conference some years ago, I was startled when a participant announced that he could not imagine how any Republican could claim to take the Bible seriously. Not long afterward, I witnessed a repeat performance in another…
Feb/05/2014
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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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