Guide to Resources in Theology
As the world’s largest religion, it is important to understand the beliefs and practices of Christian theology. This is no easy task, for while all Christians are united on certain basic beliefs, there are differences in theology among the various different Christian denominations. Knowing where to go to find sound information on Christian theology is essential for rightly understanding Christian teaching Angelican/Episcopalian Resources Often called a “middle way” between Roman Catholicism and more radical Protestantism, the Anglican Church is a Protestant denomination whose constituent churches are in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. One of the world’s largest Christian denominations, the Anglican Church is active in some form in all of the lands formerly controlled by the British Empire and elsewhere. • The Anglican Communion — homepage for the worldwide Anglican Communion • Anglican Theological Resources — dozens of links to Anglican theology resources • The Episcopal Church — official homepage for the Episcopal Church, the North American branch of the Anglican Communion • N.T. Wright Page — site devoted to the writings of the bishop of Durham that focuses on biblical studies, Anglican theology, and more • Prayer Book Society — collection of resources emphasizing the importance of the historic Anglican prayer book Catholic Resources With over one billion adherents, Roman Catholicism is such an important religion that it even has official diplomatic representation at the United Nations. Made up of those churches who submit to the authority of the Pope or the Bishop of Rome, Roman Catholic teaching is influential in the lives of people and societies all over the world. • Catholic Encyclopedia — extensive, searchable encyclopedia of Roman Catholic and other Christian theological resources • Catholic Resources — gives tools for the study of the Bible, liturgy, art, and theology from a Catholic perspective • Moral Theology — a wide variety of links to important Catholic works for moral theology • Spring Hill College Theology Library — many links to documents and treatises on Roman Catholic theology, worship, liturgy, and much more • The Vatican — official homepage of the Vatican, which sets the doctrinal direction of the Roman Catholic Church Orthodox Resources All of the forms of Latin or Western Christianity (Protestants and Roman Catholics) do theology in similar ways. The Eastern or Greek church, however, sometimes seems to speak an almost entirely different theological language than the West. A collection of self-governing churches in communion with the Patriarch of Constantinople, Eastern Orthodoxy is the second largest branch of Christianity in the world today. • About Orthodox Christianity — Orthodox Church in America explains Orthodox Christianity and links to several other online resources • Ecumenical Patriarchate — official homepage for the patriarch of Constantinople • Orthodox Christianity — audio files on Orthodox teaching as well as a collection of important Greek theology texts like the Philokalia • Orthodox Theology — well-written articles on Eastern Orthodox Theology • Theology and Spirituality — articles in different languages about Orthodox theology, the page also links to a catechism and more Protestant Resources Martin Luther’s emphasis on the apostle Paul’s teaching on justification by faith alone resulted in the Protestant movement, which is today made up of several different constituent Protestant denominations. Lutherans, Presbyterians, Wesleyans, Pentecostals, and more are all considered Protestants. • The Anabaptist Voice — multitudes of articles and resources for the study of Anabaptist theology • Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics — many important documents and articles for the study of Reformed Protestant theology • General Council of the Assemblies of God — homepage and theological resources for the Assemblies of God denomination, one of the largest Pentecostal denominations of the world • Lutheran Theology: An Online Journal — online journal of Lutheran theology • Southern Baptist Convention — homepage for one of the largest Baptist denominations that represents Baptist theology well • Wesleyan Theological Society — website for a society Wesleyan scholars that features links to Wesleyan theology articles and more Evangelical Resources Evangelicalism is a movement, comprised mostly of Protestant Christians, that emphasizes the necessity of being “born again” and having a personal relationship with Jesus. Their political influence in the United States and worldwide missionary effort make them a group whose thinking demands to be understood. • Christianity Today — the flagship magazine of Evangelicalism, with both free and subscriber-based content • D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Recording Trust — free and paid materials from the eminent British evangelical preacher • Evangelical Theological Society — homepage for an important scholarly society of American Evangelicals • Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals — Wheaton College’s page on American Evangelicalism, with articles, biographies of important figures, and much more • National Association of Evangelicals — umbrella member organization for North American Evangelical denominations • Spurgeon Gems — online writings from Charles H. Spurgeon, the great English Baptist preacher from the nineteenth century Ecumenical Resources Seeing the division that presently exists in the church, many Christians have sought to reunite the various branches of Christianity. The ecumenical movement is devoted to such unity, and in its most extreme forms it also advocates unity with other religions. • Journal of Ecumenical Studies — scholarly journal that promotes interreligious dialogue and studies issues related to it • National Council of Churches — North American organization dedicated to cooperation among American Protestants • Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance — information on this site can help foster ecumenism • World Council of Churches — worldwide fellowship promoting ecumenical unity between the major branches of Christianity • World Alliance of Reformed Christians — organization made up of Reformed Christians from hundreds of different denominations worldwide Manuscripts/Papyri Much of Christian theology is based on the Bible and other texts written hundreds and even thousands of years ago. Textual criticism seeks to establish the original text of these works from the hundreds of copies that are now extant in the world. Fortunately, there are more and more manuscript study resources online each year. • Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts — online photos of the major manuscripts of the Greek New Testament • Early Manuscripts at Oxford University — several different online manuscripts of theological texts and more • Institute of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts — homepage for an institute to photographing and catalogue all known Hebrew manuscripts of the Bible and more • NT Textual Criticism — handy resource for comparing Greek texts and doing text critical work • Princeton Papyrii — images of some of the papyrus collection at Princeton University Textual Resources The Internet has enabled people all over the world to have access to theological texts that they might not otherwise enjoy. A growing collection of Christian theological primary sources now exists online, and more are on their way. • Bible Gateway — look up any verse in nearly every English translation of the Bible here • Christian Classics Ethereal Library — many classic texts on Christian theology are online here • Christian Theology Reading Room — links to dozens of online Christian theological works, some are only partial versions Miscellaneous Resources There are various other Christian ministries, resource sites, and other tools on the Internet that do not fit neatly into any of the above categories. This is just a small representation of the scores of Christian theology-based websites that do not fit into the above groups perfectly. • Association of Theological Schools — find a good seminary to study theology at this homepage of the accrediting agency for theological schools in the United States and Canada • Liberation Theology Online Resource Center — a page devoted to liberation theology, a controversial theological movement • Ligonier Ministries — a large collection of free teachings and resources for sale from a theologian devoted to introducing the world to Reformed theology • Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations — homepage for a large Messianic Judaism denomination, with theological position papers and more • Works of John Frame and Vern Poythress — theological writings from two important, contemporary Protestant theologians All these tools make it easier than ever to understand Christian theology. Readers who use them will benefit from their study, whether they are pursuing the information so they can teach it to others or just because they have a personal interest in it.
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