Arthur Katz
Encyclopedia
Arthur "Art" Katz was an author and Christian
preacher who traveled the world teaching an alternative to what he described as today's "make nice" Christianity
. Born to Jewish parents, he was a self-proclaimed Marxist/atheist who was converted to Christianity while taking a year sabbatical from his Oakland, California
, teaching job and traveling through Europe in 1963.
, New York
. Raised in Brooklyn, he then attended Santa Monica City College, University of California, Los Angeles
, and the University of California, Berkeley
, earning B.A. and M.A. degrees in history and an M.A. degree in theology
at Luther Seminary
, Saint Paul, Minnesota
.
, added:
Katz became a Christian shortly thereafter and married a Danish woman he met on the trip, Inger, with whom he raised three children. Katz made his mark as a preacher during the 1970s, appearing on such television programs as Kathryn Kuhlman
's I Believe in Miracles. He continued preaching up until the year he died. Whilst during his early years Katz preached against what he described as the lack of character, seriousness and proper motivations of Christians, Katz spent his later years talking about what he called the coming destruction and redemption of the Jewish people and their relationship with Christians.
Katz was a founder of the Ben Israel Fellowship in Laporte, Minnesota
, in 1975 (ref. Ben Israel Newsletter Summer 1975) with this stated vision: "a rugged discipleship training camp for end-time ministries (particularly to the Jewish people); a year-round convocation center for the preparation of God's people; a permanent community of committed believers out of which ministries will be nurtured and sent forth and finally, a refuge for entire Jewish families whom we expect to be swept into the Kingdom at a soon-coming time."
Except for a sabbatical from late 1985 to early 1987, Katz lived at Ben Israel (when he wasn't ministering worldwide) until his death in 2007 and hosted a summer-long "prophet school" where people from around the world would come, live together in a communal setting and learn from Katz and others about the prophetic life Katz believed Christians were called to.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
preacher who traveled the world teaching an alternative to what he described as today's "make nice" Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. Born to Jewish parents, he was a self-proclaimed Marxist/atheist who was converted to Christianity while taking a year sabbatical from his Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, teaching job and traveling through Europe in 1963.
Early life
Art was born to Jewish parents Ester and David in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Raised in Brooklyn, he then attended Santa Monica City College, University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, and the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, earning B.A. and M.A. degrees in history and an M.A. degree in theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at Luther Seminary
Luther Seminary
Luther Seminary is the largest seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America . Located in the Saint Anthony Park neighborhood of St...
, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
.
Conversion and ministry
In his book Ben Israel: Odyssey of a Modern Jew, Katz describes encounter after encounter with Christians who defied the stereotype he held, and, after reading a portion of the New TestamentNew Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, added:
The law said that the woman must be stoned. Yet Jesus had been teaching forgiveness, and earlier in the Book had actually said, "God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." Jesus was trapped.
... What would I say in Jesus' place? I searched my mind, exhausting my resources of logic and reason and finally conceded there was no answer. Fully expecting the worst, I reopened the book and read on. I found Jesus bending over, poking His finger in the dirt.
... And then came His answer, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." I gasped. A sword had been plunged deep into my own being. It was numbing and shocking, yet thrilling, because the answer was so utterly perfect. It defied cerebral examination. It cut across every major issue I had ever anguished upon in my life. Truth. Justice. Righteousness. Integrity. I knew that what I had read transcended human knowledge and comprehension. It had to be divine.'
Katz became a Christian shortly thereafter and married a Danish woman he met on the trip, Inger, with whom he raised three children. Katz made his mark as a preacher during the 1970s, appearing on such television programs as Kathryn Kuhlman
Kathryn Kuhlman
Kathryn Johanna Kuhlman was an American faith healer and evangelist.-Early life:Kathryn Johanna Kuhlman was born in Concordia, Missouri, to German-American parents...
's I Believe in Miracles. He continued preaching up until the year he died. Whilst during his early years Katz preached against what he described as the lack of character, seriousness and proper motivations of Christians, Katz spent his later years talking about what he called the coming destruction and redemption of the Jewish people and their relationship with Christians.
Katz was a founder of the Ben Israel Fellowship in Laporte, Minnesota
Laporte, Minnesota
Laporte is a city in Hubbard County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 111 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, in 1975 (ref. Ben Israel Newsletter Summer 1975) with this stated vision: "a rugged discipleship training camp for end-time ministries (particularly to the Jewish people); a year-round convocation center for the preparation of God's people; a permanent community of committed believers out of which ministries will be nurtured and sent forth and finally, a refuge for entire Jewish families whom we expect to be swept into the Kingdom at a soon-coming time."
Except for a sabbatical from late 1985 to early 1987, Katz lived at Ben Israel (when he wasn't ministering worldwide) until his death in 2007 and hosted a summer-long "prophet school" where people from around the world would come, live together in a communal setting and learn from Katz and others about the prophetic life Katz believed Christians were called to.
Books by Katz
- Ben Israel: Odyssey of a Modern Jew
- Reality with Phil Chomak
- Spirit of Truth with Paul Volk
- The Holocaust: Where Was God?
- Apostolic FoundationsApostolic Foundations"Apostolic Foundations" is a book by the late Arthur Katz in which the author probed the attributes of "Apostolic" Christianity. First published in 1999 while Katz was still alive, the written work was culled largely from Katz's spoken messages on the subject spanning over 30 years of ministry...
- The Challenge of Living an Authentic Christian Life - The Spirit of Prophecy
- True Fellowship
- The Prophetic Call: True and False Prophets
- The Anatomy of Deception
- The Temptations of Christ: A Call to Sonship and Maturity
- What a Jew does with Jesus
- And They Crucified Him: Some Thoughts on the Cross
- The Mystery of Israel & the Church (forthcoming)
External links
- Art Katz Ministries. Includes his recorded sermons and articles
- Katz' biography from Art Katz Ministries website
- Video of Katz' story
- More sermons and videos of Katz preaching or being interviewed, Sermon Index
- A series of messages entitled "The Mystery of Israel and the Church" that came out of Art's sabbatical of 1985-1987, Zion Christian Press
- http://www.newbereans.com/2009/12/05/apostolic-foundations-arthur-katz/