Free Information for Clergy   Tags: arts_&_humanities, homiletics, seminary, theology_&_religion  

Check with the alumni office of the seminary from which you graduated to see if that seminary provides free access to the ATLA Religion Database (with full text articles).   Moravian Theological Seminary does provide this free access.  

Clergy in the parish and in counseling have many information needs.  Listed in the next box are free websites that could be very useful.

Every pastor needs a personal library.  The following list would be very useful, but not all the books are in print.  Try to find them on alibris.com, the used books website. Used books, usually in excellent condition, are available for reasonable prices.  These titles have been selected from David R. Stewart's The Literature of Theology: A Guide for Students and Pastors (revised and updated, Louisville and London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003).

Cross, F.L., and E.A. Livingstone, eds. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.  3rd ed.  London and New York:  Oxford University press, 1997.

Hastings, Adrian, Alistair Mason, and Hugh Pyper, ed.  The Oxford Companion to Christian Thought.  Oxford:  Oxaford University Press, 2000.

Magill, Frank N., and Ian P. McGreal, eds.  Christian Spirituality:  The Essential Guide to the Most Influential Spiritual Writings of the Christian Tradition.  New York:  Harper & Row, 1988.

Vande Weyer, Robert, ed.  The HarperCollins Book of Prayer:  A Treasury of Paryer Through the Ages.  San Francisco:  HarperSanFrancisco, 1993.

Brown, Raymond E.  An Introduction to the New Testament.  New York:  Doubleday, 1997.  Very useful bibliographies are included.

Dowley, Tim, ed.  Atlas of the Bible and Christianity.  Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997.

Gugliotto, Lee J.  Handbook for Bible Study:  A Guide to Understanding, Teaching, and Preaching the word of God.  Hagerstown, Md:  Review and Herald, 1995.

Achtemeier, Paul J., ed.  The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary.  San Francisco:  HarperSanFrancisco, 1996.

Barton, John and John Muddiman, eds.  The Oxford Bible Commentary.  Oxford:  Oxford University Press, 2000. Excellent bibliographies included.

Mays, James L., ed.  The HaarperCollins Bible Commentary.  San Francisco:  HarperSanFrancisco, 2000

Chadwick, Owen.  A History of Christianity.  London:  Weidenfeld and Nicolson; New York: St. Martin's, 1995.

Childress, James F., and John Macquarrie, eds.  The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Ethics.  Philadelphia:  Westminster, 1986.

Russell, Letty M., and J. Shannon Clardson, eds.  Dictionary of Feminist Theologies.  Louisville:  Westminster John Knox, 1996.

Hunter, Rodney J., ed.  Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling.  Nashville: Abingdon, 2005.

Ideally, a multi-volume Bible commentary would be in the Pastor's Library.  Two suggested titles are:

Interpretation:  A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.  Louisville:  John Knox, 1982-.

Keck, Leander, ed.  The New Interpreter's Bible.  12 vols.  Nashville:  Abingdon, 1994-2002.