What is Catalyst?
Four issues of Catalyst are mailed each academic year to some 5,000 UM theological students in more than 100 seminaries in the U.S.A.

AFTE
Catalyst is a project of A Foundation for Theological Education AFTE).

What is the John Wesley Fellowship Program?
Each year AFTE awards up to five John Wesley Fellowships to assist gifted United Methodists in their doctoral studies at the finest universities.

Back Issues
Several back issues of Catalyst are now available on-line.

Subscriptions
Subscription is free for UM seminarians, and is available to all others for $5 per year.

SURFING THE SITES: CHURCH HISTORY

The Internet contains a wealth of freely-available resources for the study of church history, but one has to know where to look. Simply typing “church history” into Google is not enough (and, in fact, is not particularly recommended). Instead, start with one of the sites recommended below, and always make sure to ask a few evaluative questions about any website.

• Is the site recommended by a source I trust? Most of the sites listed below contain links to other useful sites. The church history department and/or the library at your institution may also maintain a page of recommended links.
• Who is responsible for the content on this site? Is it hosted by a university, denomination, or scholarly society? If it was developed by an individual, do they identify their qualifications or scholarly affiliation? Sites hosted by educational institutions or developed by people with clear credentials in the field are the best places to start.
• How professional does the site appear? Some of the best sites are not flashy, but clear instructions for use, thoughtful organization, and proper grammar and spelling are all signs of a reputable site.
• Does the site have an agenda (religious or otherwise)? This does not automatically disqualify it—many sites with a clear agenda have good collections of source material—but the purpose for which the site was developed should always be kept in mind.
  
  

Remember that the library at your institution probably subscribes to databases containing many more resources than those that one can find on the Web for free. Examples include the Church Fathers in Latin and Luther’s works in German, as well as extensive citations to helpful articles and books.

Begin Surfing Here

http://www.atla.com/tsig/atsrw/catalogedsiteslist.html
The American Theological Library Association regularly selects worthy websites in the field of religion and creates full catalog records for them which they make available to libraries for sale. The links to the sites, however, are available on this page for free. Visit the site periodically to see what has been added.

http://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/Internet/front.htm
The Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion hosts an “elective, annotated guide to a wide variety of electronic resources of interest to those who are involved in the study and practice of religion.” One will find links, syllabi, bibliographies, electronic journals, and countless other resources here. Begin with the “History of Christianity” section.

http://www.ccel.org/
The Christian Classics Ethereal Library (administered by a professor at Calvin College) is the grandfather of primary-source sites. As the site introduction says, “There is enough good reading material here to last one a lifetime, if one gives each work the time it deserves.” One will find comprehensive primary sources from the Church Fathers through the 19th century and a collection of useful reference books. Begin with the “What’s New,” “Classics,” and “Reference” links, and check out “Recommended” and “The Church Fathers.” The “Hymnary” contains both sheet music and MIDI files.

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/index.html
The Internet Sourcebooks were developed by a history professor at Fordham University. The Ancient Sourcebook has a section on “Christian Origins.” In the Medieval Sourcebook, look under the “Roman Church,” “Medieval Life,” and “Reformation” links, and also try “Crusades,” “Empire and Papacy,” and “Saints’ Lives.” The Modern History Sourcebook has religious material in the “Reformation,” “Enlightenment,” “Early US,” “19th Century Religion,” and “Post-War Religion” sections.

Early and Medieval Christianity

http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America hosts this site, combining informational articles on Orthodox history and practices with primary source documents (sayings of the Desert Fathers, summaries of church councils). Use the left-hand menu to zero in on topics of particular interest.

http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/jod/augustine/
This page is maintained by Georgetown professor J. O’Donnell (author of a new book on Augustine). One can find here the entire Confessions in full text, other full-text sources, images, a helpful bibliography, and other resources.

http://www.newadvent.org
This page links to the Catholic Encyclopedia (1913 version), the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas, and extensive writings of the Church Fathers. Taking its era and aim into account (this is not necessarily the place to start researching the Reformation), the Encyclopedia contains information on Catholic people, places, and topics impossible to find anywhere else.

Reformation to the Present

http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/wittenberg-home.html
Project Wittenberg, according to its developer (a librarian at Concordia Theological Seminary) is “home to works by and about Martin Luther and other Lutherans. Here one will find all manner of texts from short quotations to commentaries, hymns to statements of faith, theological treatises to biographies.” There is no search function, but the material is well-indexed if one starts on the Lutheran Electronic Archives page (http://www.ctsfw.edu/etext/).

http://justus.anglican.org/resources
This site is maintained by the Society of Archbishop Justus, a nonprofit organization dedicated to putting Anglican resources online. Visit http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp for all the versions of the Book of Common Prayer which copyright permits posting, and Project Canterbury (http://anglicanhistory.org/index.html) for full-text source material on Anglican history.

http://wesley.nnu.edu/index.htm
The Wesley Center for Applied Theology at Northwest Nazarene University has posted on this site extensive full-text works (many not available at CCEL) of the Wesleys, Fletcher, and other Methodist theologians. In addition, one can find the works of Arminius and a comprehensive collection of Holiness movement authors. The site’s organization is a little idiosyncratic.

http://www.nhc.rtp.nc.us:8080/tserve/divam.htm
This site contains short interpretive essays on American religion from the National Humanities Center designed to aid teachers in preparing lessons. It includes links to other online sites regarding American religious history.

http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm
The Vatican’s website, though difficult to navigate, has useful information on modern Catholicism. “The Holy Father” will take one to biographical information and papal documents for Popes from the 1870s to the present. The “Archive” button has links to other useful documents including the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Code of Canon Law.

Images of Church History

http://www.atla.com/digitalresources/
This site, hosted by ATLA, contains digitized images from the collections of libraries throughout the U.S., ranging from 1st c. coins and manuscripts to 19th c. photographs and postcards. All are public-domain and can be used in class or church presentations.

By Jennifer Woodruff Tait, Methodist Librarian, Drew University, and Edwin Woodruff Tait, Adjunct Professor of History, William Paterson University.