Catalyst Publications
Publications by Category
It is not enough to say that you believe in God. What is important finally is the kind of God in whom you believe. Metaphors matter. The images you use to speak of God will not only shape how you think about God, but will also shape your li…
Nov/01/2002
The Cartesian legacy continues to haunt the church’s encounter with Scripture. His anthropological reduction of the human to a “ghost in the machine” entails a correlate hermeneutical reduction of the Bible to a “message in the bottle.” The…
Nov/01/2002
Wisdom literature (Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes) speaks with a distinctive voice in Scripture. Its accent on human experience has proven enigmatic for any wishing to understand the OT either as a witness to Jesus Christ or a rehearsal of…
Nov/01/2002
Friedrich Schleiermacher, the nineteenth century parent of liberal theology, argued that Christianity is most fundamentally not a believing or doing but a feeling — that is, an experience of God. Some have seen John Wesley as making a simil…
Nov/01/2002
In John Wesley’s sermon, "The General Spread of the Gospel," he describes his vision of a Christian world. His depiction is not of a world in which everyone is a member of a church, much less one that has legislated Christian morality. It i…
Apr/01/2002
Quite a lot! And much excitement is being generated, as always when foundations are shaken, old paradigms and subject-divisions questioned, and new vistas emerge from the mist. The shape, though, of this “biblical theology,” looming out of …
Apr/01/2002
It is notoriously difficult to preach on the Psalms. Some think, moreover, that it is inappropriate to try because the Psalms have a different, quite distinct function in the liturgy. I am, nonetheless, assigned the topic, so here are four …
Apr/01/2002
“I don’t know if all this makes any difference.” The sentence fell out of Ron’s mouth as he slid into the restaurant booth to join me for lunch. “What are you talking about?” I asked. “Being a youth pastor,” Ron muttered. “Does it really ma…
Mar/01/2002
In approaching a prophetic text in sermon preparation, all of the standard methodologies apply. The correct reading of the text must be established with the use of textual criticism. The beginning and ending of the text must be found by the…
Mar/01/2002
Theology is a scary word to many people. It smells of dusty old ideas that are difficult to grasp, counter-rational, useless, abstruse, and even harmful. When I inform someone that I teach systematic theology, the response is usually, “What…
Mar/01/2002
With apologies to Martin Luther, some eighteen months ago, I created “Table Talk,” a center for threaded discussion on our seminary’s Intranet. Open to staff, students, and faculty across our three campuses, “Table Talk” has become the locu…
Feb/01/2002
Learning to preach biblical texts requires an enormous investment of time and energy, and preachers must be patient with themselves as they grow in the discipline of sermon preparation. Moving from text to sermon with the OT narratives is n…
Feb/01/2002
Getting Involved
News & Events
-
A Foundation for Theological Education (AFTE) John Wesley Fellowships have been awarded to three doctoral stud…
-
Announcing that 2026 John Wesley Fellowship Scholarship Applications are now being accepted. Please see the at…
-
JWF and Friends of AFTE, we look forward to you joining us Thursday-Sunday, January 15-18, 2026, for the AFTE …
-
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."