The biggest barrier to entry in theology is access to good resources. I remember when I first wanted to learn more about my faith. I didn’t know which resources were good and which ones were bad! I bought super-conservative stuff and super-liberal stuff and decent stuff and sketchy stuff, all because I had no idea what I was doing. If you’re someone looking to get into theology, here’s some resources that will get you on the right track. I’ll update this page occasionally with new good stuff that I find.
Christian Classics Ethereal Library– Do you want free copies of some of the greatest works in Christian history? Here they are. The translations aren’t always the smoothest, but they’re usually very readable, and it extends your theological library massively.
Christian History Magazine- This is the best free resource that people don’t know about. Years worth of easy to read, well-written, well-researched magazines about topics throughout Christian history and you don’t have to pay a dime. Wanna learn more about John Calvin in 10 minutes? There’s a John Calvin issue full of articles. Wanna learn more about women throughout Christian history? Download that PDF. An absolute gem for theologians at all levels of study.
JSTOR- Only use this one if you’re kinda hardcore or have a specific question you want to research. Up to 100 academic articles per month absolutely FREE if you make an account. Most of these are slogs to read through, but if you’re really intent on learning something specific, there’s always someone out there who wrote an article about it.
New Advent- Don’t judge this one by its homepage. Yes, it’s a Catholic news site, but click on that little tab at the top right that says “Fathers.” Boom. Free access to tons of good translations of the Church Fathers’ writings.
Classic Theology 