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Overviews
Here are some solid resources for starting your theology research.
- Oxford Theological HandbooksBest Bet! Oxford publishing has a series of theology handbooks that will kick-start your theological research.
The Encyclopedia of Christianity by Call Number: Reference BR95 .E8913 1999 v. 1–5Comprehensive, exact descriptions of people and forces that shape the Western Christian tradition. You'll also find entries on countries, some unexpected, where Christianity is a growing religion, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Encyclopedia of Protestantism by Call Number: Reference BX4811.3 .E53 2004 v. 1–4If it's Christian without being Catholic or Orthodox, you'll find it in these four volumes.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation by Call Number: Reference BR302.8 .O93 1996 v. 1–4Use it online!
The 16th century changed the world of Christianity. These four volumes cover not just Martin Luther's work, but virtually every aspect of religious life in Europe during that momentous period.
Encyclopedia of Philosophy by Call Number: Reference B51 .E53 2006 v. 1–10Religious philosophy gets extensive treatment here, but see also the 10-volume
New and Enlarged Handbook of Christian Theology by Call Number: Reference BR95 .N393 2003Gives you not just Christian religions but the connections between them.
The Blackwell Companion to Modern Theology by Call Number: Reference BT75.3 .B58 2004Major themes in theology, from "The Practice of Faith" to "Drama, Film and Postmodernity."
The Oxford Companion to Christian Thought by Call Number: Reference BR95 .O94 2000Readable and panoramic, reflecting the diversity of opinion in this diverse and sometimes unorthodox field.
Creeds & Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition by Call Number: Reference BT990 .C64 2003 v. 1–4As the title implies, this is a comprehensive and sometimes personal look into what, exactly, a church and its members believe.
Find Books and Articles
Databases suited for tracking down Theology articles, book chapters, and more.
- ATLA Religion Database This link opens in a new windowBest Bet! The American Theological Library Association gives you access to more than 1,600 religion and theology journals, many of them full-text. During your search, be sure to use the subject list in the left-hand column if you want to narrow your results.
- Project Wittenberg: Selected Works of Martin LutherThe beginning of "an international electronic library of Lutheranism," this database from the Concordia Theological Seminary (Fort Wayne, Ind.) aims to do for Lutheranism what Project Gutenberg does for literature. You can read, for example, Luther's 95 Theses in the original Latin and in English, as well as in Turkish and Dutch.
Web Resources
- Christian Classics Ethereal LibraryFull text of classic Christian texts available to read online. Includes Early Church Fathers.
- Hymnary.orgAn index of hymns and hymnals, with information about authors, scriptural references, lectionary placement, tunes, etc. A comprehensive resource.
- Art in the Christian TraditionMore than 7000 visual images in this database represent the continuum of the practice of Christianity from the 1st century AD to the present. All of these images may be used for non-commercial purposes with attribution.