Personal Summary

Certain aspects of pastoral work were very rewarding, while others were very frustrating. After serving as a pastor for nine years, I decided that the frustrations outweighed the rewards. With the help of two friends who are professional career counselors, I went in search of a new career. As a result of this process, I earned a second Master's degree in Library Science, and am now an academic librarian. Despite my change in vocation, I am still interested in theology and spiritual discussions. As a result, I am gathering links to helpful resources in the area of Religion and Theology. Here are some of the ones I have found so far:

Denominations and Organizations

• Evangelical Covenant Church.

• Unitarian Universalist Association.

• United Church of Christ.

• The United Methodist Church. The official home page.

• The United Methodist Church Resource Page. An "unofficial" home page.

• The Vatican Homepage

• World Council of Churches.

Religious Discussions and Resources

• Christianity for the Third Millennium, Inc. "C.T.M. has been formed by Christians who believe that contemporary biblical and historical scholarship can and should become an integral part of the basis of their faith in Jesus Christ. We believe that only a conscientious reexamination of the Christian symbols will enable our cherished faith tradition to survive into the third millennium." If you are interested in liberal alternatives to Christianity and religion, you should check out C.T.M.

  Although not officially connected to C.T.M., Bishop John Shelby Spong represents and supports the views of this group (his wife, on the other hand, is the secretary of C.T.M.). C.T.M. also shares similar perspectives with the Jesus Seminar (see below). On a personal note, I really appreciate Spong's approach. I have read a number of his books, and have found them to be very helpful to my spiritual journey. Spong's most recent book, Why Christianity Must Change or Die (1998), clearly articulates the views motivating the work of C.T.M. (I highly recommend it).

• Ecclesiastical Calendar. Provides dates, information, and history regarding the Church calendar. Covers Eastern and Western traditions. Not just facts, but interesting reading.

• Fides Quaerens Internetum: A Christian Theology Page.

• Finding God in Cyberspace: A Guide To Religious Studies Resources On The Internet. "This guide provides a selective listing of Internet resources of interest to religious studies scholars and students of religion." A useful resource for finding academic religious resources.

• Galaxy Guide to Religion. A very helpful collection of links and resources. (Part of the broad collection of subject resources found at the Galaxy Resources site.)

• Jesus Seminar Forum. The home page for this interesting -- and controversial -- scholarly group provides information about them, as well as papers and reports. The following helpful summary is from their page: "Convened in 1985 by Robert W. Funk, the Jesus Seminar has become a lightning rod for international debate about the "historical Jesus" -- that is, the real facts about the person to whom various Christian gospels refer. The Seminar's on-going project has been to evaluate the historical significance of every shred of evidence about Jesus from antiquity (about 30-200 CE). Over the past dozen years more than 100 scholars from North America & beyond have participated in its semi-annual meetings."

• Magellan's List of Religion and Spirituality Topics.

• Online Religious Magazines:
  

  • Union Seminary Quarterly Review. An on-line version of this reputable journal. Covers a variety of religious studies topics, including: history, philosophy, biblical studies, comparative religion, and theology.