As I start my MA (woop!) at St Johns College, Nottingham, I thought it might be good to recommend a few of the web resources that I've found helpful whilst studying theology, and have aided in helping me explain what on earth it is that I love, and why it matters. So, here goes, a few 'Accessible Theology Websites', which I hope will be of interest and use to someone!
By 'accessible', I mean a few things. Firstly, that it is free, and anyone can access to it. Secondly, that they are readable and well laid out so as not to be too confusing. Thirdly, that there is plenty of content for everyone. A good example of this is Theology Network, which has a difficulty level; "Starting Out" > "Getting Stuck in" > "Going On"
i - Theology Network
First up is a personal favourite, Theology Network. I have to admit some bias here - this site helped me immensely as an undergraduate, and I remain involved as an ASW supporting the Theology Network Group at Nottingham. Theology Network (TN) is all about equipping students to stay in love with Jesus, love theology, and do mission in their departments. One of the main ways that we do this is through the website, which is packed with helpful resources (videos, talks, articles, etc). Though perhaps a little 'brown' (both literally and metaphorically) in presentation, I would suggest that TN has one of the best ranges of and collections of theological material from an informed evangelical viewpoint. It is helpfully organised, and has a cross-section of articles, audio, and the odd video. Check out Theology Network here.
ii - thinktheology.org
Next up is the first of two 'Think Theology' websites. The one you can find at 'thinktheology.org' is run by my friend, Vineyard Pastor and SVS Member Luke Geraty, with a few others. It is a brilliantly designed, regularly updated site with a lively community of commenters. I find that it comes out as being part way between a blog and a website, there are also papers and resources there. ThinkTheology is great if you want to see an example of what Charismatic theology can look like if done well. Check them out here.
iii - thinktheology.co.uk
The second 'Think Theology' site is UK-based, and broadly associated with the NewFrontiers flavour of church. Regularly updated, and with a range of multi-author pieces, blogs, humour, and longer papers; Think Theology is another great model of thinking charismaticism. Contributors include Andrew Wilson, Matthew Hosier, and a whole range of other folk, including Mike Reeves and David Stroud. This is a great website to keep up with regularly, and has a good and lively commenting community. You can find them here.
iv - BeThinking.org
Bethinking is the second UCCF website in this list, and it is different from Theology Network. Bethinking is all about apologetics, and so is very accessible and readable. Following a similar structure to TN, it has an "Introductory" > "Intermediate" > "Advanced" sliding scale of resources, and is aimed at seekers and apologists alike. The site has a good range of content from a whole swath of apologists, leaders and theologians. They are going for a redesign which should be going live soon. Check out Bethinking here.
v - theologicalstudies.org.uk
The fourth site in this list is really a whole family of sites. Run by Rob Bradshaw, this is a labyrinthine wealth of content spread across several sites. In his website family, there are also archives of many journals, bibliographies, and lots of other gems. Rob works voluntarily on the site, and I'm a huge fan. I'd really encourage you to go and read this interview I carried with him on the blog. Then head over and check out this treasure trove here.
vi - Christian Classics Ethereal Library
CCEL is another wealth of content. The full name is the "Christian Classics Ethereal Library", and it does what it says on the tin. The website carries literally thousands of Christian classic writings - from the commentaries of John Calvin to collections of Roman Catholic poetry and mysticism. Searchable, and mostly free (you can purchase different formats, etc), this is rich trove of treasure for the theologically-interested mind to mine. You can visit the CCEL here.
vii - Centre for Reformed Theology and Apologetics
CRTA is another website with a wealth of content. Crossing some boundaries between theology and apologetics, this is a website that, for Reformed Christians, is fantastic. The design is a little dated, but it is simple enough to navigate and has some great content. Whilst I am Reformed, I wouldn't take everything on the site as necessarily being so, and some of the content is less helpful. Overall, though, this is a fantastic resource for Reformed Christians, with a heavy emphasis on historical and rigorous content. You can visit CRTA here.
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Good recommendations! I would also like to suggest the STEP Bible project by Tyndale House. I use it a lot. At its most basic you can use it as an online bible, or to compare two English translations. Click around a bit more and you can use it to read Greek and Hebrew Texts, compare Greek manuscripts or compare the Hebrew and LXX, look up vocabulary and morphology, and do fairly complex searches (including by Greek word or by lemma, which is always handy).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.stepbible.org
Hi Phil, thanks for the comment.
DeleteYou are right, that is a great site, and it is partly a product of Rob B's efforts. I've got a post in the pipeline about 'awareness' that people should have re biblical studies, so I'll make sure to drop something about STEP into that.
thanks again