Theological Resources - The Reflecting Theologian

Introducing Theological Resources

In this page, I will share the theological resources that I have used over the past years. These resources are mostly free and you can easily access them from your computer or smartphone.

Logos Bible Software

I have introduced Logos Bible Software in this post. If used correctly, Logos can easily become your go-to software. Be it word studies, bible reading, studying the original manuscripts, doing parsing of biblical texts, Logos is fully capable of meeting the average person’s needs. For starter, you can opt for a basic package which is free.

However, if you have enough cash, you might want to consider investing in at least the Gold Package which will give you all the features of Logos – including the sermon drafter and other interactive resources. The full features of Logos will also allow you to do more advanced studies compared to the free basic package.

Nevertheless, if you are not prepared to invest, Logos does offer free resource on a monthly basis, and you can slowly build up your library from there.

So, why not take a look at Logos?

Bibleworks

I have never personally used Bibleworks before, but I have seen my lecturer demonstrating its ability to do in-depth exegesis. Most of the features are easily available in Logos, but I am also aware that there are at least two features that Bibleworks can do.

Firstly, if you are into textual criticism, Bibleworks’ critical apparatus will help to map out the different variant manuscripts on MS Word. This means that you get a glance of the earliest variant readings. For those who are studying passages where manuscripts have shown variants, this is an extremely helpful tool.

Secondly, I know that Bibleworks can generate its own grammatical diagrams of Biblical passages. This is something that Logos is lacking. More importantly, it allows you to alter its grammatical diagrams. While Logos allows its users to do grammatical diagramming, the features are limited compared to Bibleworks.

Nevertheless, I have not yet seen a free version of the software. And while they have a Mac native version, I understand that the software may not be as integrated as Logos. Moreover, I am slightly irritated by the fact that they believe that it makes sense to buy hard copy resources due to the future of electronic libraries. At the very least, I do think that Logos does a better job in ensuring the future of their electronic library in their software.

But still, Bibleworks is still a software that is worth looking into if you are only into exegetical work.

(Update as of 2 June 2018: Bibleworks will cease operations as of 15 June 2018. This actually makes Logos as the major Bible software provider in the market)

Bible Gateway and YouVersion

I am introducing Bible Gateway and YouVersion together as they serve the same function – to provide online bible reading to users on their desktop and smartphone. Each of them has their own smartphone apps. However, from my experience, I personally prefer using Bible Gateway rather than YouVersion.

For starter, YouVersion does trump Bible Gateway in its offering of Bible reading plans. The way they do their reading plans is way better than even Logos. And they do have excellent audio bible for listening purposes. However, I like Bible Gateway primarily because the website is faster. Furthermore, when you read the bible on their smartphone app, the app actually allows you to scroll to the next chapter. This provides continuity in reading the Bible. Compared to this, YouVersion’s app actually presents the chapters in pages which I personally do not like.

Nevertheless, it is up to the individual’s choice to decide which bible reading app they will adhere to. And the amount of bible translations that they make available is simply impressive. You can check them out if you need free online bible translations. They have it in most common languages too.

Best Commentaries

Given that there are so many resources and commentaries out there, it is often difficult for any layperson to know which commentaries to refer to. After all, not all commentaries are created equal. Some are more “equal” than the others, depending on the authorship. Bestcommentaries.com provides reviews from qualified people on the different commentaries and books available. They even rank the resources. However, you should exercise judgment in relying on the rankings. For the most part, the rankings provide a good gauge of the usefulness of the commentaries. But it is really dependent on the individual readers and their needs.

The Bible Project

The Bible Project is a website which aims to demonstrate that the whole Bible is a unified story leading to Jesus. Hence, they have released several Youtube videos on the big pictures behind each book in the Bible. On top of that, they have videos explaining how to read the Bible and several important themes in the Bible.

This is a credible website for those who want to learn the Bible as a whole instead of reading it in piecemeal. I have found this website to be useful. I sometimes disagree with some of their interpretations but it is a good starting point for anyone who wants to start studying the Bible.

Theological Journals

Journals are useful theological resources for research and reflections. I have listed a few websites where we can find theological journals online here.