There are a vast number of christian resource and link collection sites on the web, along with many blogs and websites covering specific areas such as: end-time theology, prophecy, or exposing outright scams masquerading as christian ministries or businesses. You can also find the usual parade of false prophets and false teachers whose ultimate aim is to fleece the flock, rather than feed them.
I've tried in this section to provide links to resources and websites that I've found to be particularly valuable for one reason or another. The fact that I've included a site does not always mean I completely endorse and support everything you might find when you get there though. The links are intended more to "help you make up your own mind" on issues and disputed points of doctrine, not do all your thinking for you.
That means I've had to make "choices" about what to include. I've tried hard to be impartial and non-denominational in making those, so hopefully my own views don't intrude too much. Naturally the choices do reflect my own christian experience, much of which has brought me in contact with members of pseudo-christian cults and followers of both new age and occult teachings.
If you know of other useful resources around, or want to agree or disagree with any of the content in this section, you can leave a comment on my Christian Resources Blog. Feel free to have your say, or to tell us about other useful christian web resources you know of.
Media and advertising encourage us all to see "me" as the centre of everything, with the rest of
the universe revolving around "me". A huge shift in your view of the universe takes place, if you put
Jesus Christ at the centre instead of yourself.
So, as well as links to online bibles and concordances, I've also provided links that, hopefully, you
will find deal in a balanced way with some of the more important issues - both theological and denominational - that
christians may find themselves needing to consider at some point.
Online Bibles and Concordances
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Bible Gateway
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Bibles in many different languages. Mostly in plain text, but PDF and audio bibles are available for some versions. A variety of English language versions eg. King James,
New King James, Amplified, New International. A search tool enables you to look up or search for passages or key
words in your chosen version. |
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Strongs Concordance
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Online versions of this respected bible research tool are even more useful than the well-known published
version. You can search for multiple words and find all the verses with those words in it. For example you could search using
the two words 'beginning created' and find the 4 verses which contain both those words. |
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Which bible version should I use?
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Many different bible translations are available, and an obvious question is: Which version should I use? You will
find a helpful bible translations guide at Catholic Answers which nicely summarises the issues involved. A useful
tool to compare various translations against each other is available at BibleShark - you can view passages from
a variety of versions alongside each other to see which you prefer. Some more recent translations have been
criticized because of their adoption of gender-neutral language in places deemed inappropriate by some scholars, or
for creating perceptions in the mind of the reader that lead to a de-emphasis of the divinity of Christ
and/or Trinitarian related doctrines. Examples of this criticism (by a Lutheran church scholar) can be found
here. and a more general criticism can be found in Catholic writings here. |
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e-Sword
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If you don't want to go online every time you want to do some bible study or research, e-Sword is
an outstanding free resource. Maps, commentaries, bible versions, its got pretty much all you need. Its packed with features. You can download the package for free, or purchase it on CD for a small donation. (If you run a Linux based system there
is also a package called "BibleTime" which is available from many repositories). |
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Catholic Encyclopedia
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This is a comprehensive resource designed to present its readers with the full body of Catholic teaching. Its
an excellent scholarly source for anyone wanting to research the Catholic faith in detail, as is the next link below |
| Biblia Clerus |
Cross references scripture to Catholic liturgical texts and exegesis by doctors of the church and
commentaries by the Church Fathers. Uses the RSV and NAB versions. The entire body of works can be downloaded onto your own
computer. |
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Audio Bible
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You can use this site to listen online to any portion of the bible. As well, the text displays in
large print, which is helpful if you are visually impaired. |
Other Useful Resources
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What Are Your Spiritual Gifts?
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This online questionnaire will help you find what spiritual gifts you have been given. Its up to you to
answer the questions honestly though. |
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NZ Cults and Religious Groups
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Helpful information on New Zealand cults, sects, religions, christian organisations, and other groups. You may not always agree with the classification of some groups as cults, as only a small number of cult-like characteristics may be be immediately obvious. As well, groups can change their theology and behaviour over time for better or worse. "Successful'" cults - those which have been around for a long time - are adept a presenting a well constructed facade. An attractive wrapper, around a "lolly of truth", is used to draw you in. That lolly may sometimes be sucked on for a long time before you reach the tiny drop of poison at the centre that kills you. |
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Who Joins Cult Groups and Why
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According to Michael Langone, "Conversion to cults is not truly a matter of choice. Vulnerabilities do not merely lead individuals to a particular group. The group manipulates these vulnerabilities and deceives prospects in order to persuade them to join and, ultimately, renounce their old lives." Anyone, at any age, in a moment of confusion, personal crisis, or simply a life transition may become attracted to or drawn in by a cult's appeal. New in town, lost a job, recently divorced, a friend or family member just died, need a career change, feel a little blue? The unstable and anxious feelings experienced at such times make a person vulnerable, whether that person is twenty or seventy years old. A useful summary of the general characteristics of cult groups is also available here |
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Alleged Bible Errors and Contradictions
| Finding a seeming "contradiction" or "error" in scripture can be
disconcerting at first. Its even worse if some skeptic or unbeliever hits you with a big list of alleged errors and contradictions all at once. That can even cause some christians to question or lose their entire faith.
The difficulty is: Its relatively easy to take two verses and argue "These contradict each other" or exclaim :"Look at this! Its clearly a mistake! How much else is there that is just as wrong!". Its not always so easy to give a quick response that answers the allegation in a few brief words.
Such supposed "discrepancies" are well-known to theologians and bible researchers. They have been around ever since the first Gutenberg bible was printed in 1455 AD.
In a back-hand way, the fact that these seeming 'contradictions' are still there, to be discovered by any reader who cares to look for them, is glowing testimony to the honesty of the translators. No attempt to hide what the various ancient texts appear to say, or to change wording or numbers in order to avoid upsetting believers has been made. Nor have they simply been removed in an attempt to avoid "difficulties". The truth is that many are completely spurious, arrived at by wresting verses out of context, and none have any impact at all on New Testament doctrines.
There are a few resources around on the internet to help you sort these out for yourself. The link on the left is more a non-academic discussion, but a more scholarly treatment is available from Apologeticspress.org.
Its more than likely any skeptic pointing out these alleged errors in the bible found them on a christian website in the first place!
We also strongly recommend John Halley's very readable book below which is obtainable from Amazon at a low cost. It covers alleged errors and contradictions in even greater detail, and is a very useful addition to your own library
On the next pages, we deal with some of the more important 'debates and disputes' we find amongst christian believers and
even between whole denominations.
Click here to read on....
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