Journalists' online religion resources:

Online religion resources
Religion references online
Studying religion online
(There is some overlap of resources here.  Please be sure to look at each section to locate an online resource.)

Great new link for religion news from the RNA:  ReligionLink

123World Religion:
http://123world.com/religion/index.html
One clever way to get one's site at the top of a search engine is to name it 123. Despite that gimmick, this organization, which also provides indices to airlines, amusements, universities, etc., online, has some interesting links; although, it appears religion is not given the comprehensive attention of some of the other guides.

ACES Online:
http://www.acesonline.org/
An archive of the month's hot religion stories from around the world is compiled at this site. I believe this site originates in South Africa, but it solicits news from all over the globe.

Ascribe News Live Wire:
http://www.ascribe.org/onthewire/livewire.html
While not specifically religious in orientation, this "Public Interest Newswire" carries many stories related to faith and society, largely by keeping track of non-profit operations, a field generally neglected by the major news outlets in the nation.

American Theological Library Association:
http://www.atla.com/
For a hefty but reasonable price, scholars and others interested in theological journals can subscribe to scores of such publications online.

Anglicans Online:
http://anglicansonline.org
Not the official site of either the Anglican or the Episcopal Churches, but a valuable and well-done site sponsored by the British Society of Archbishop Justus. Especially important to journalists is its "News Centre."

Areopagus Online:  Site not accessible.  (04July2001)
http://www.areopagus.com/index.shtml
A fine review of religious news from the ecumenically minded, St. Paul, Minn.-based, Christian Mission to Buddhists.

ARIL - Association for Religion and Intellectual Life:
http://www.aril.org/
Among other things, this organization publishes Cross Currents, a magazine that challenges one's thinking in relation to faith. ARIL also provides a good set of reviewed links to important religion WWW sites.

Barna Research Group:
http://www.barna.org/cgi-bin/Home.asp
The Barna organization is the evangelical Christian parallel of the Gallup polling organization. Barna's group does all kinds of statistical surveys related to religion in the U.S., most of it concerning Christian groups. There's a monthly review posted here, but much of the research is for sale.

Beliefnet.com:
http://www.beliefnet.com
Started at the height of the dot-com boomdays, this classy and informative site has run upon financial hard times.  In May of 2002, Beliefnet filed for bankruptcy.  It is still fighting to hold its spot as the leading site for spiritual and religious news.  Its one-time staff of 69 has been cut to 12, and the uphill struggle continues.  Others, like the Religion Newswriters Association, are moving to compete with new religion news sites, such as ReligionLink.

BlackandChristian.com
http://blackandchristian.com
Calling itself "A voice for the African American Christian Community," this fine site offers links to African American churches, universities, seminaries, history and other areas, including a complete source of "news from Africa" about the Christian church.

Buddhist site of Thich Nhat Hanh,
(Vietnamese Zen Master):
http://www.parallax.org/
This "Community for Mindful Living" is essentially a promotional site for Parallax Press, publishers of Buddhist literature, especially the popular writings of Thich Nhat Hanh. From here one can access the Dharma Ring, a collection of Buddhist Web sites.
÷I'm advised by a librarian-follower of Thich Nhat Hanh that the two best Web sites for those interested in his views and ways are:
http://www.iamhome.org and
http://www.plumvillage.org, which is the site of the Unified Buddhist Church in France.

CBN:
http://www.cbn.org
Home page of the Christian Broadcasting Network, the mainstay of evangelist Pat Robertson's empire. News is reported here, but don't look for items such as the Scottish Bank breaking a deal with Robertson after he insulted Scotland. See Regent University, below.

Center for Public Justice:
http://www.cpjustice.org/
A Washington-based (physically in Annapolis, Md.) team of academic and policy consultants devoted to serving God, advancing justice and transforming public life.  CPJ devotes much time to articulating a Christian perspective in civic life without wedding itself to any political persuasion.  The best source of research and expression of CPJ's thinking comes from its published resources, a bi-weekly commentary, a journal, a newsletter and an e-mail bulletin.

Center for the Study of Global Christianity:
http://www.globalchristianity.org

The site is a Web version of the World Christian Database that appears in published form as the World Christian Encyclopedia, a $300 set of volumes produced by Oxford University Press.  One of the books' editors, Todd M. Johnson, has become director of the study center located at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts.  (In the interest of self-disclosure, I must say I'm an alumnus of Gordon-Conwell but have no official or financial connection with the school.)  The World Christian Database is a well-designed and comprehensive collection of information on religion around the world.

Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life:
http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/csrpl/
(Same as "Religion in the News" below)

Christian Daily News:
http://www.christiannews.org
The daily online news site of Christian Word Ministries, a Kentucky evangelism organization that claims to be bringing to the Internet reports of the good news.

Christian Media News:
http://christianmedianews.org/
This site keeps track of the subculture of Christian music, videos, etc. Basically, it is a repository of news about Christians in the popular culture of America.

Christian Missions Network:
http://www.ChristianMissions.net
(see below at SIMS)

Christianity.net News:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ctmag/features/faith/
A quick link to the news in the latest Christianity Today, ostensibly the widest circulating (and most profitable) of all Christian periodicals.  Check its "hot issues" link and its "faith and thought" link.

Christian Reporter and CRNews:
http://www.pastornet.net.au/crnews/
An Australian organization acting much like a news service providing information about religious activities around the globe. Good information with a decidedly Christian missions bent.

CrossSearch:
http://www.crosssearch.com/
Major search engine for Christian and religious Web sites. Maintained by Gospel Communications Network, a Christian media organization best known for its Gospel Films productions but a company that has become a force in the evangelical presence on the WWW.
This site may well be the best search engine for religion news on the Web.

Ecumenical News International (ENI):
http://www.eni.ch
This Geneva, Switzerland-based organization is sponsored by several councils of churches and produces ecumenical information on those churches as they work on problems and politics around the globe.

English Literature and Religion:
http://www.inform.umd.edu/ENGL/englfac/WPeterson/ELR/links5.htm
Journalists and other popular culture enthusiasts should not be put off by this site's seeming academic references.  The site contains a wonderful index of resources for studying and researching religion.  Those of an Anglican or Episcopal persuasion will be particularly impressed by the historical and liturgical references to online sites.

Ethics and Public Policy Center:
http://www.eppc.org
A Washington think-tank that puts together seminars and studies. Of particular interest to religion journalists should be the seminars of the "Evangelical Studies Project" that brings together editors, writers, columnists, etc., to discuss key issues related to religion and the media.  Click on the "Programs" tab of the home page to find religion links.

Ethos Magazine:
The site previously linked here has been replaced or commandeered by an unsuitable site.  I am working on tracking down Ethos magazine.

Gegrapha:
http://www.gegrapha.org/
An online fellowship of Christian journalists. The site's opening question speaks volumes:  "Is it possible to be both a tough-minded, skeptical journalist and a committed follower of Jesus Christ?"  The group sponsors some fairly high-powered gatherings of journalists making a faith journey within traditional Christianity.  Site contains a particularly useful set of Web resources.

Georgetown U.
Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding:
http://www.cmcu.net
A Pew grant allows the study of Muslim life in American society.  Of particular interest is its Islamic Resources list.

God.com:
http://cgi.pathfinder.com/time/godcom/spiritual.html
This is Time magazine's guide to religion and spirituality, labelled a "Spiritual Bazaar." An excellent jumping-off spot for explorations of religion on the WWW.

Golden Compass:
http://www.ping.be/flanders_religion/world.html
A Belgian site offering links to religion news around the world.  Particularly good for linking with Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran and other news services on the Web.

Greenbelt Interfaith News:
http://www.greenbelt.com/news/ne.htm
A very comprehensive site with many links that makes a serious attempt to embrace other traditions than Jewish and Christian Web sites in its pages.

Hartford Institute of Religion Research
http://hirr.hartsem.edu/
Everything you ever wanted to know about the sociology of religion is likely to be available at this site or at one of its many links.  An exciting scholarly site.

Hebrew World:
http://www.hebrewworld.com/
Basically a means of learning Hebrew with CDs and other study helps.

Islamic texts on the Internet:
http://wings.buffalo.edu/student-life/sa/muslim/isl/isl.html
An academic resource on Islam maintained at the University of Buffalo.

JournalismNet -- Religion:
http://www.journalismnet.com/religion.htm
Canadian freelancer Julian Shur maintains an outstanding site for journalists. This particular page contains his links to religious resources for journalists. Well worth visiting.

"The Jesus Seminar" -- Westar Institute:
http://www.westarinstitute.org/
Whatever one may think of the scholarship of the popular "Jesus Seminar," one cannot ignore it, and the Westar Institute is the home base with lots of books and references.

Leadership U.
http://www.leaderu.com/menus/aboutus.html
Touts itself as a "one-stop shopping superstore" in the marketplace of ideas.  Heavily theological and philosophical in its orientation, Leadership U. does offer some online classes and campus sponsored forums but is not academic in the usual sense of the word.  Has close connections with Campus Crusade for Christ.

My Virtual Reference Desk: World Religion Resources:
http://www.refdesk.com/factrel.html
This page is part of a reference site maintained by Bob Drudge, the father of Cybergossip journalist Matt Drudge. The elder Drudge has a wonderful site, and his religion links are outstanding.

National Catholic Reporter:
http://www.natcath.com/ncr_onli.htm
An independent weekly that attempts to relate the Roman Catholic faith to the events in the daily news.

National Catholic Register:
http://www.ncregister.com/
The Register is a conservative Roman Catholic weekly newspaper owned and operated by Circle Media, a Connecticut-based group that also publishes magazines and operates the Catholic.net Web site.  From this site, one can link to the Catholic International News Agency out of Rome, Zenit.  The Register keeps a close eye (and generally sympathetic eye) on the Vatican.

Nation of Islam:
http://www.noi.org/
Contains special tribute to Elijah Muhammad and lots of information about the religious movement best known for its confrontational leader, Louis Farrakhan.

Newsroom.org: ***Good site for international religion news
http://www.newsroom.org/
A British-based site that attempts to relate the religion dimension to world news events. Up-to-the-minute reports here.

News Watch:
http://www.mcjonline.com/newswatch.htm
An online newsletter from the Maranatha Christian Journal that provides links to news around the globe.

New Testament Gateway:
http://www.ntgateway.com/
Theology professor Mark Goodacre (with a little help from his wife, Viola) of the University of Birmingham in England maintains this site of links to everything about the New Testament.  His links are like a kaleidoscope; one good link leads to another amazing link.  This is a valuable jumping off spot for religion researchers.  Goodacre also conceived and collected sites for the All-in-One Biblical Resources Search engine; another great diving board for those wishing to swim in Biblical research.

Om Sakthi Movement:
http://www.omsakthi.org/history.html
An eclectic and syncretistic humanistic religious organization out of India that encourages all religious thinking and belief with added assistance to those seeking personal spiritual advice.  One of the Om Sakthi site's contributions is a listing of relevant headlines to religion stories in the daily news around the world.  To go directly to the headlines page, click here.

Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/toc.htm
A group of essayists representing three different faiths who attempt to bring a balanced perspective to hot topics of the day. Includes a link to religious news sites.

Pluralism Project:
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/html/links.html
A fine resource for a wide variety of religious perspectives.  Designed as part of a Harvard University research project on religious diversity by Dr. Diana L. Eck of Harvard's Committee on the Study of Religion.

Psychology of Religion:
http://www.psywww.com/psyrelig/
Michael Nielsen, a psychologist at Georgia Southern University, maintains this excellent site on the psychology of religion. Especially valuable to journalists is Nielsen's page of links:
http://www.psychwww.com/psyrelig/links.htm
Nielsen's links go far beyond the psychology of religion, incidentally.

Publishers' Weekly Religion Bookline:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/about/bklnsample.asp
The magazine provides a free subscription via e-mail to news about recent religion publications.  A very valuable news source for religion reporters.

Quodlibet:
http://www.quodlibet.net/
Maintained by a graduate student at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill., this site aims to give online readers of theology a rigorous and doctrinally orthodox vision of historic Christianity.  A fine site for academic theologians.

Religion and Philosophy Resources on the Net
(Boston University School of Theology):
http://www.bu.edu/sth/library/
One of many theological libraries on the WWW that points to e-resources.  Its Religion and Theology page may get one to religion links more quickly.

Religion in the News:
http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/csrpl/
The Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life, located at Trinity College in Connecticut and supported by a Pew Foundation grant, publishes "Religion in the News," a highly articulate and thorough critique of the major news media's coverage of religion. Often includes commentary from working journalists. ***A key site for religion journalists.

Religion in the News links:
http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/rel/relnews.htm
Gene Thursby, a professor of religion at the University of Florida, maintains an outstanding reference site for those interested in religion and religious studies.  This page contains his set of links to news about religion.

Religion News Resources:
http://www.zondervan.com/newslink.htm
Zondervan is one of the largest religious book publishers, and is now a part of the massive Harpers publishing company. This site, maintained by Zondervan, is probably the best single link to religion news resources for journalists on the Web, though where it can show a bias it leans in a distinctly Protestant evangelical direction.

Religion News Service:
http://www.religionnews.com/
Owned by Newhouse, this is the place to find how the world's religions are making news. Anyone who thinks there's no news to be found in religion is sadly mistaken and ill informed. The two major Texas newspapers in Houston and Dallas have made serious commitments to religion news and keep online readers abreast as well. There's a mild disappointment in store for anyone coming to this site looking for research tools for doing investigations of religion news. The RNS is in business to sell stories, not necessarily to provide resources for journalists. For links, try "Scoop Cybersleuth" of the Evansville Courier, who points to a fine collection of "religious interest" links.

Religion Newswriters Association:
http://religionwriters.com/
A fine organization made up primarily of print journalists.  The RNA has greatly upgraded its Web site, offering a fine FAQ for young people interested in the religion beat, a compilation from about 20 or so of the nation's top religion reporters.  After several years of neglect, the organization is also paying more attention to Web resources and has compiled a helpful index of those.  Perhaps it took the bankruptcy of Beliefnet to awaken them, but a grant from the Pew Foundation has given RNA the impetus to launch ReligionLink, a great source of religion news.

Religion Resources on the Net:
http://www.religiousresources.org/
A valuable search engine aimed at religious categories with more than 3400 listings. Journalists should find the publications category the most profitable, though its "news and newspapers" subcategory tends to be heavy on denominational sources.  I'm not certain how to interpret this, but at last check (04July2001), nine of the 10 top sites as listed by the site's editors were sites for downloading clip art!

Religion Today:
http://www.religiontoday.com/
Roanoke, Va.-based Media Management operates this site of religion news, most of it related to conservative Christianity. This site provides some links to key religious news sources.

Shamash -- The Jewish Internet Consortium:
http://shamash.org/
Shamash wants to be king of the Internet information for Jews -- and it may be.

SIM Traditional Missions Links:
(Now known as the Christian Missions Network)
http://www.ChristianMissions.net
Many would probably be surprised at the number of times missionaries to foreign countries are in the forefront of headline news. More would be surprised at the number of news items that can be gleaned from publications of the vast network of missionary societies around the world. Religion journalists haven't even started to tap this valuable news source. Of course, one may have to search deeply to find the news amids the proselytizing words.

Society of Biblical Literature:
http://www.sbl-site.org/
This site, quite naturally, encourages membership and joining of the society, but it also has some key links to electronic resources and other publications.  Of special interest to journalists should be the society's online newsletter that addresses many aspects of religious studies.

Speaking of Faith:
http://www.speakingoffaith.org
Minnesota Public Radio produces this fine discussion of religion as it affects culture around the world.  The Web site offers broadcasts, reading references, a forum and an opportunity for readers and listeners to express their views on the topics being discussed and their critiques of the guest panelists.  NPR broadcasts the show, but it may not be easy to find on the local line-up.

Urantia Book Fellowship:
http://www.ubfellowship.org/interfaith_links.htm
An ecumenical organization with an assorted index to religion links on the Web.  The Urantia Book, incidentally, is a kind of cosmic guide to spirituality that is studied in groups around the country and superintended by the home organization in Chicago.

World Journalism Institute:
http://www.worldji.com/home.asp
From this site's mission statement one gets a good sense of where these journalists see themselves in the profession:  "To help Christians apply the Bible to their understanding and response to everyday current events (Rom. 12:2). To achieve it by reporting the news in an interesting, accurate, and arresting fashion (John 21:24). To accompany reporting with practical commentary on current events and issues from a perspective committed to the final authority of the Bible as the inerrant written word of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 3:14-16). To assist in developing a Christian understanding of the world, rather than accepting existing secular ideologies (Luke 12:54-59)."  As sympathetic as one might feel for this perspective, it seems to totally ignore critical cultural questions that a Christian worldview must engage and examine.

Worthynews.com:
http://www.worthynews.com/
A digest of news from online sites around the world, including some of the nation's top newspapers. Seems to be selectively edited to support the manager's anxieties over Y2K, home schooling, microchip implants, and the coming of the antichrist; in other words, a bit of a haven for conspiracy thinkers.

Zondervan Church Source Online:
http://zondervanchurchsource.com/
A fine site with lots of links not only to curriculum and readings for Christian educators but several to religion in the news.  This is a site worth visiting often.
 

Religion References online:

Academic Info on Religion:
http://www.academicinfo.net/religindex.html
An annotated directory of information on the Web related to the academic study of religion. An excellent, extensive research site. Don't ask what is the difference between the "academic" study of religion and the non-academic study that we journalists lean toward -- serious religion journalism tends toward the academic. This may be the best single reference site on the WWW for information on religion.

Apologetics Index:
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/news.html
A neat guide to information on the WWW ostensibly aimed at a defense of the faith with a particular bias toward Christians confronting cults and non-historic religious traditions. A Netherlands-based site.

Bigchalk (see "Homework Central" below):

Biblical Archaeological Review:
http://www.bib-arch.org/bswbAbOnresource.html
The publication that sponsors this site maintains this list of professional Web links for anyone interested in archaeology and religion.  A fine set of references.  Journalists might be particularly drawn to the site called "Anthropology in the News" maintained by the Department of Anthropology at Texas A&M University; in fact, this site should be visited regularly by all science writers and journalists covering the science and religion beat.

Britannica.com:
http://www.britannica.com/
The online version of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Go here and click on its "religion" entry for a fine introduction to religious topics.

BUBL Link Religion Resources:
http://link.bubl.ac.uk/religion/
From an academic library in Glascow, Scotland. When it comes to categorizing, this is an excellent Web site. Navigate back to investigate other subjects. This link takes one to the religion resources.

The Catholic Encyclopedia:
http://www.knight.org/advent/cathen/
A project has been underway since 1997 to transcribe the massive print version into this online version. It appears to be going quite well, and it's done in a manner that seems appropriate to online encyclopedia development.

Christian Apocrypha
http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~xnapocry/
A site maintained at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash., dedicated to the scholarly study of the Apocrypha.  The Society of Biblical Literature is a partner in this informative site.  Part of this site is its list of links valuable to anyone investigating the Apocrypha.

Duke University Divinity School/Internet References:
http://www.lib.duke.edu/divinity/divlist.html
The library of one of the nation's leading schools of theology and religion posts this guide to religion and theology resources on the Internet.

Finding God in Cyberspace:
http://www.fontbonne.edu/libserv/fgic/fgic.htm
This comprehensive religious studies site is maintained by John L. Gresham, library director at Fontbonne College in St. Louis.

Guide to the Best
Religious Studies Resources on the Internet:
****A note warning that links are no longer being updated here suggests several sites listed may be outdated.  A visit, however, still may point to some longstanding good sites.  (04July2001).
http://fn2.freenet.edmonton.ab.ca/~cstier/religion/toc.htm
This Canadian-maintained site invites URL inclusions and attempts to cover the whole spectrum of world religions. Nothing extra for religion journalism, but it's a good basic research site. Its introductory page is particularly instructive to anyone doing general research in religion.

Gospel of Thomas Homepage:
http://home.epix.net/~miser17/Thomas.html
A site devoted to scholarly research and discussion of the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas, a collection of the sayings of Jesus.

Homework Central's "Religion" links (Now known as BigChalk):
http://www.homeworkcentral.com/college1.htp?sectionid=533
This fascinating educational site offers three levels of research guidance: grades 1 to 6; middle and high school; and college and beyond. This is the site's religion page entrance that opens links to hundreds of useful sites. Unfortunately, one finds many dead links in this category.

Internet Resources for the Academic Study of Religion:
http://www.muhlberg.edu/depts/religion/resourc.htm
The Internet reference page of the Department of Religion at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania.  This site also provides some interesting perspectives on why anyone should want to study academic religion.

Internet Public Library (Religion and Theology):
http://www.ipl.org/ref/RR/static/hum8000.html
The reference links here are quick, easy and informative. An especially valuable listing comes under the rubric "Leading Figures."

Judaism 101:
http://www.jewfaq.org/
Everything you want to know about Judaism, especially from an Orthodox perspective. This site is maintained by Tracey Rich and it amounts to an online encyclopedia of Judaism.

Mike's Religion Page:  Unfortunately, Mike's links seem to have dropped out of Cyberspace (04July2001)
http://www.servtech.com/~mcroghan/re970802.htm
A graphical approach to a glossary of world religions. Extensive links. Mike Croghan is a Rochester, N.Y., computer guru with an interest in religion -- among other things.

Not Just Bibles --
A Guide to Christian Resources on the Internet:
http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/christian-resources.html
An amazing number of links here, some of them remote to research. Still, a good index and some fascinating annotations make this a worthwhile place to browse. A distinctly evangelical Christian bias runs through this site.

Refdesk.com (My Virtual Reference Desk):
http://www.refdesk.com/factrel.html
At last count, this list of world religion reference links, maintained by Bob Drudge (father of gossip journalist Matt Drudge), was at 117.

Religion Newswriters Association References:
http://rna.org/references.html
The group that ought to know lists some key reference resources; unfortunately, these references are to strictly print materials not posted on the WWW.

Religion, Society and Culture in
Newfoundland and Labrador:
http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~hrollman
This prize-winning site is maintained by Hans Rollmann, a professor of religious studies at Memorial University in Newfoundland. Though heavy on provincial religion, the site provides a wonderful study in denominationalism and its influence in a small social setting. In addition, Rollmann writes a weekly column on religion for The Telegram, the daily newspaper of St. Johns, Newfoundland's largest city.

Religion Tips:
http://religion-tip.com/
An encyclopedic approach to finding information on the WWW about religion. Believe it or not, this site is run by IFBE, the International Federation of Butterfly Enthusiasts! Don't let that deter browsing, however; this is a fine research site.

Religious Education Network:
http://www.cant.ac.uk/renet/renetFP.HTML
From Britain's Canterbury Cathedral, a set of links for Christian Educators primarily, although its scope is extremely world-religion oriented.

Religious Movements Page:
http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/profiles/
Maintained at the University of Virginia, this site provides detailed profiles of the world's religions and their manifold expressions in society.  This is a massive and masterful glossary on religion in the world, and it is graphically pleasing and easy to browse as well.  Jeffrey K. Hadden, a professor of sociology at the university, is the guru behind this site.

Religious Studies Web Guide:
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~lipton/
A University of Calgary librarian and a Library of Congress librarian have created this collection of resources aimed at researchers in the academic study of religion.

StudyWeb's Religion Dictionaries:
http://www.studyweb.com/refer/diction/dict_rel.htm
An internet indexing site out of Connecticut provides this list of religion references. Points to some interesting glossaries of various religions, e.g., Jainism, Scientology, etc.

Teachers Resources Links:
http://www.home.aone.net.au/aare/links/AARE30.htm
An Australian educators' site that provides interactive tours of Shinto shrines, Muslim mosques, etc., with several other valuable religion links.

Theology Web site (SOCTP):
http://www.theologywebsite.com/
This site is promoted as "everything you wanted to know about theology but were afraid to ask." A potpourri of theological and biblical knowledge and references.  The site is part of SOCTP -- the Society of Online Christian Theology and Philosophy -- and publishes an online journal called Quodlibet.

Virtual Religion Online (Rutgers University):
http://religion.rutgers.edu/vri/
The Religion Department at Rutgers maintains this site for researchers in the field of religion. An amazing set of links, this site is highlighted as a key online reference in Microsoft's Encarta Encyclopedia. Prof. Mahlon H. Smith, who teaches New Testament at Rutgers, is primarily responsible for this site. An active member of the Jesus Seminar, Smith has also been instrumental in developing the Web site of the Westar Institute, parent organization of the Jesus Seminar.

World Christian Database:
http://www.globalchristianity.org/wcd
(See Center for Global Christianity)

World Religions Information:
http://www-cgsc.army.mil/chap/courses/w-rel/index.htm
A set of links provided for chaplains in the U.S. Army. A particularly good set of links for information on new, unusual, or very localized religious practices. An especially valuable site is its "Religious Requirements and Practices," which is an online version of the 1993 Chaplain's Handbook. The handbook provides extensive and outstanding descriptions of groups such as Scientology, Rastafarianism, Wicca and the Church of Satan as well as major religious groups of the world.

Yale University Library Research Guide:
http://www.library.yale.edu/div/instruct/internet/bibframe.htm
This site begins with the basics of the Internet and eventually gets to some important and extensive links for the study of religion. This particular link is to research on Christianity.

Many colleges, graduate schools and seminaries offer religion courses online, most of them operating as arms of institutions promoting Christianity. Some even offer degree programs, usually with a component of on-campus study. Keep in mind that schools and seminaries are much like denominations; that is, their offerings come out of a particular theological tradition, be it conservative or liberal, Catholic or Anglo-Catholic, charismatic or sacramental, Trinitarian or Unitarian, liturgical or iconoclastic. One must examine carefully the doctrines and beliefs of the particular institution before committing to its online study program. I'd be wary of any institution whose Web site doesn't articulate clearly its host organization's doctrinal or theological position. Just as one would choose a college or seminary carefully before attending, so one should exercise equal care and diligence in selecting an online study program. Unfortunately, there is not a flourishing accrediting agency for online course offerings.

A cautionary note for online course seekers:  If a Web address contains the domain ending .edu, this means generally it is associated with a non-profit institution of higher education. Courses offered from Web addresses ending in .com, are more likely to be commercially operated institutions. Of course, this gets tricky with addresses outside the U.S. or with the recent  proliferation of Web extensions.  An address ending in .ca, for example, represents a Canadian organization, while an address ending in .au represents and Australian organization.  (The suffix .re represents not religion but the nation of Reunion, a tiny island nation east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.)  In addition, some sites use addresses ending in .org, which represents a non-profit--but not necessarily educational--operation. One should study fully a Web site and the online offerings before committing expenses to any online study.  And online study, by the way, is not cheap.

[Some specifically religious institutions and organizations may also be listed at this site under academic approaches to journalism.]

Please note: The list below by no means should be considered exhaustive; it is a mere beginning to listing online locations for the study of religion.  Incidentally, some of the best sites for online education are not institutions associated with religion; although, they may offer courses related to religion. Check out, for example, the online offerings of UCLA, the University of Washington, or Johns Hopkins University.

Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty:
http://www.acton.org/
A Grand Rapids, Mich., organization that weds economic thinking to faith. Most of its programs are aimed at intellectuals and students and aim to undergird the free enterprise system with religious values.

Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Ky.:
http://www.ats.wilmore.ky.us
Asbury offers an excellent site map for its online offerings, which it calls "extended learning." The seminary's home page offers a statement of Asbury's "Wesleyian-Arminian" theological position, which undoubtedly affects the teaching of theology in its courses. For online education, Asbury runs a pastoral institute that emphasizes online study.

Baker's Christian Distance Learning Guide:
formerly the Christian Distance Learning Directory (Loyola College of Baltimore):
http://www.gospelcom.net/bakersguide/about.html
Legitimate distance learning sites of Christian online education are maintained here by Jason Baker, at one time an educational consultant at Loyola College, a Jesuit College, in Baltimore, Md. (Loyola, incidentally, is consistently listed among the top wired colleges in the U.S.)  Baker now teaches at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va., and is the instigator behind a program for an M.A. in "computer mediated communication" that can be completed entirely online.  (Regent in Virginia is the university founded by televangelist Pat Robertson and should not be confused with Regent College in Vancouver, B.C.)

Berean University, Springfield, Mo.:
http://www.berean.edu/catalog.html
Berean is an Assemblies of God institution, which means it comes out of the Holiness-Pentecostal tradition of Christianity in America. It has a long tradition of correspondence-course instruction that is now being made available as Web-based offerings. Berean calls its online study an opportunity for "annointed learning."

Bethany Bible College, Dothan, Ala.:
http://www.aldea.com/guides/gu/z272.html
As the Web site makes clear, this college and seminary is not connected to the Church of the Brethren's Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Indiana (see Trinity Theological Seminary, below). The Alabama school is more in the category of a Fundamentalist school (though it might prefer the less denigrating term, Dispensationalist) raising its voice against what it sees as a generally hostile culture.

Bethel College and Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.:
http://www.bethel.edu/
Bethel is a fully accredited college and seminary of the Baptist General Conference and represents one of a handful of Evangelical Christian institutions of higher learning that have in the last half of the twentieth century devoted themselves to the integration of faith and learning. Unfortunately, the Bethel site does not make it easy for browsers to find the school's online offerings.  Bethel is regionalizing its curriculum in conjunction with Seminary of the East.  For those who recognize subtleties, Bethel, a friend informs me, is planning a journalism program that places a premium on writing.

Bibletutor.com:
http://www.bibletutor.com/
This is basically a commercial venture, but the demonstration provides a pretty full view of what tutoring someone in basic Bible knowledge is all about. The site is sponsored by Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn.

BlackandChristian.com
http://www.blackandchristian.com/academy/study.html
This site on things African American and Christian provides a listing of academic institutions offering seminary training especially of interest to African American Christians.

Christian Distance Learning Directory
(Loyola College of Baltimore):
see Baker's Christian Distance Learning Guide (above).

Christian University GlobalNet:
http://www.gospelcom.net/cugn/
Closely related to the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C., this Littleton, Colorado, organization specializes in distributed education. Some believe this collaborative is the beginning of an evangelical national university.

CSB/SJU Libraries -- Internet Theology Resources:
http://www.csbsju.edu/library/internet/theosubj.html
The combined libraries of two small schools in Minnesota, the College of St. Benedict for women and St. John's University for men, have put together an amazing collection of Internet resources for students of theology. The list is nicely categorized for easy browsing.

Eastern Pentecostal Bible College, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada:
http://www.epbc.edu/
Eastern touts itself as Canada's largest denominational undergraduate theological institution. It has an extensive online offering of about 25 courses and offers a bachelor of theology degree, largely through distance education. The program advertises itself as one designed "to further equip men and women for effective Spirit-filled service." Those words should give browser's insight into Eastern's Pentecostal theological position.

Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, Calif.:
http://www.fuller.edu/
Fuller is the largest seminary in the United States and has been a leader of Evangelical theological education. Though it has for a long time offered extended and continuing education through satellite campuses and through distance-learning technology, it is just beginning to offer courses online, most of them designed by the seminary's School for World Mission.

George Fox University, Newburg, Oregon:
http://www.georgefox.edu/
This school represents a pacificist, Quaker heritage in the Evangelical Christian tradition (Evangelical Friends Church). This fully accredited liberal arts school ranks among the best in the Evangelical tradition, and is committed to a program of integrating learning with Christian faith.

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, S. Hamilton, Mass.:
http://www.gcts.edu/
This Evangelical seminary now has two additional campuses in Boston and in Charlotte, N.C. Its Semlink offerings include online study, which can lead to an M.Div. degree, although some on-campus study is required for the degree. Full disclosure demands that I reveal I'm an alumnus of GCTS, but I earned my degree long before online education was making itself known.

Harvard Divinity School
http://www.hds.harvard.edu/
Traditionally, the place for top academic explorations.  Originally founded as a Unitarian seminary, Harvard Divinity School is a graduate seminary with diverse offerings for almost all religious persuasions.

Institute for Pastoral Initiative (U. of Dayton):
http://www.udayton.edu/~ipi/
An academic institution for training clerics in the ways of the media and the interface with culture. Journalists should be particularly attracted to its "Media Education" pages.

Learn Greek Online:
http://www.ntgreek.org/
A certain amount of discipline is needed, not to mention time, but everything one needs to begin a study of New Testament Greek is located at this site. The force behind these instructional pages is Corey Keating, a West Coast computer systems engineer with degrees in classical studies and information systems and a passion for online teaching of the primary language of the New Testament.

Mount Allison University (Canada) Religious Studies:
http://www.mta.ca/faculty/humanities/religious
A rather obscure site for people living in the United States, but Mount Allison University in the Canadian province of New Brunswick has a fine religious studies department.  To check it out one might best look at a sample course called "The Bible in Literature."

Prairie Bible Institute, Three Hills, Alberta, Canada:
http://www.pbi.ab.ca/
A large Bible College growing out of interdenominational Evangelical pietism. It is now operating what it calls its eClass Pilot Program (go to home page and click "Distance Ed.") that allows the earning of an associate's or a bachelor's degree in religious studies and ministry fully via online study.

The Red Book:
http://www.theredbook.org/redbook/default.asp
Find any online church or school associated with the Episcopal Church at this specialized search engine.

Regent University, Virginia Beach, Va.:
http://www.regent.edu/
The school founded by televangelist Pat Robertson has its own School of Communications that strives to integrate Christian faith with modern journalism, especially broadcast journalism. According to its Distance Ed. page offerings, one can even earn a Masters degree in law from Regent (check requirements carefully). (N.B.:  Regent University in Virginia should not be confused with Regent College in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, an outstanding Christian Graduate School associated with the U. of British Columbia and a more reformed Anglican Christianity represented by two of its outstanding theologians, J.I. Packer and Alister McGrath.)

Syllabi Project (American Academy of Religion):
http://www.wlu.ca/~wwwaar/home.html
A wonderful learning concept is gathered here. Professors of religion post their syllabi, and in alphabetical splendor one can dig into an amazing array of religious topics. Whatever one's religious specialty, there's probably a course on it being taught somewhere, and this site might give one great insight into the content and approach to that specialty.

Temple University School of Journalism:
http://www.temple.edu/mj/religion.htm
One of the few J-schools offering an M.A. that concentrates on religion coverage.

Theological Education by Extension, Johannesburg, South Africa:
http://www.tee.co.za
This ecumenical and worldwide operation out of Southern Africa, offers courses designed to equip "anyone anywhere for ministry." Most of the courses offered appear to be in the area of practical theology (i.e., marriage, family, etc.) or with an emphasis on personal, devotional growth.

Trinity Episcopal School of Ministry, Ambridge, Pa.
http://www.tesm.edu/
Under its extension division label, one finds TEEM (Trinity Episcopal Extension Ministry), and there one finds a hefty offering of distance education opportunities. Trinity offers courses and some degree programs online.  Trinity, one of the seminaries under the accreditation of the Episcopal Church in the United States (ECUSA), is easily the most evangelical and conservative of the national Episcopal seminaries.

Trinity Theological Seminary, Newburgh, Indiana:
http://www.trinitysem.edu/
It's difficult to pin down the history of Trinity from its Web site. It began in 1969 and has been a pioneer in online education with an affiliation to the University of Liverpool in England and the Evangelical scholar John Warwick Montgomery. Much of its impetus appears to be aimed at Christian evangelism.  It is one of the few online sites advertising programs leading to doctoral degrees.

Union Theological Seminary and
Presbyterian School of Christian Education (Union/PSCE):
http://www.union-psce.edu/profdev/programs.shtml
This Web site says the independent study program is open to ordained clergy and Christian educators, but I'll bet the school would welcome a professional journalist who wanted to study at this seminary of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. located in Richmond, Va. (and now in Charlotte, N.C.).  Independent study can last from two days to two months, involves full participation in the daily life of the seminary, and is relatively inexpensive.  As far as I can tell the school is not yet offering any educational opportunities online.

University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB)
Religious Studies:
http://www.religion.ucsb.edu
A program for the study of religion worldwide. More of a reference site than an online study site. Contains a valuable links page.

Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill.:
http://www.wheatononline.org/
The largest and most well-known Evangelical Christian College in the U.S., Wheaton was once described to me as the "West Point of Evangelical Christianity." I'm not sure people at the school would accept that label, but the college has certainly trained many of the scholars and leaders in today's Evangelical Renaissance.  Wheaton also operates an online graduate division.

Christian University GlobalNet:
http://www.cugn.org/

Families Connect Online Internet Courses:
http://www.ala.org/ICONN

Get Educated!:
http://www.geteducated.com/

Online Learning:
http://www.onlinelearning.net/

Peterson's Distance Learning Channel:
http://www.petersons.com/dlearn

Public Domain Resources:
http://www.netbible.org/docs/public/readme.htm

University Continuing Education Association:
http://www.nucea.edu/

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