WesleyNexus emerged from the dialogue among a core group of dedicated clergy, academics, and lay persons in greater Washington, D.C. It was created in 2009 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to the dissemination of sound information about the dialogue between science and Christian faith within the Wesleyan tradition. This group now seeks to support others who share the conviction that science, religion, and theology should not be mutually exclusive. Instead, each field should inform the other on a whole array of contemporary issues.
WesleyNexus was formed out of the collaboration of five people in the Washington D.C-area who had been involved in science and religion discussions over many years. Our first president, Dr. Walter Shropshire, was a retired scientist and seminary professor whose efforts led to the development, through a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, of courses in science and religion at Wesley
Theological Seminary.
Founding member, Dr. Maynard Moore, is affiliated with Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church in Washington D.C., where he has developed an adult education program which meets each Sunday morning for in-depth study of numerous theological, religious, scientific and cultural topics addressing issues of science and religion.
Rick Barr became involved with science and religion when he attended a conference sponsored by the Center for Theology and Natural Sciences in Berkeley, CA. He was so energized by the program that when he came home to the Washington, D.C.-area
he searched for a science and religion discussion group to join, but to no avail. So, he started his own. It became the Montgomery County Science and Religion Discussion Group through which the founders of WesleyNexus got to know one another.
In late 2008, during a discussion of the status of science and religion within the United Methodist Church, the small group of five decided to start a nonprofit organization dedicated to science and religion within the Wesleyan tradition. WesleyNexus was born.