Resource Recommendations

Resource Recommendations

Why should we leverage extra-biblical resources?

Before recommending two extra-biblical Christian resources that will help you in your walk as a Christian, I endeavour to answer the ‘why’ question. Why should I bother with these theological resources? If I’m not a professional theologian, why should I consider digging deeper into theology? Why can’t I just read the bible? These are legitimate questions, and this preface will not comprehensively answer all those questions, but my simple answer is this: why would you not want to be helped to grow in your knowledge and love of God? We are commanded by God in the Scriptures to love him with all our mind, heart, soul, and strength, and that our lives are transformed by our knowledge of Christ. As such, why wouldn’t I leverage every possible resource to help me in becoming more like Christ? That being said, these extra-biblical resources are not a replacement for our communion with Christ, and our communal fellowship in the local church. These resources serve as paraministries that supplement the local church for a peculiar purpose. 


Favourite Resource: Ligonier Ministries

What is Ligonier?

The mission of Ligonier is to proclaim, teach, and defend the holiness of God in all its fullness to as many people as possible. Founded by Dr R. C. Sproul (1939-2017), a pastor, professor, author, and a significant influence in the revitalisation of Reformed Theology in our day, Ligonier’s teaching standards are faithful to the Bible. Through various mediums such as books, sermons, lectures on theology, philosophy, church history, Christian living, online articles, and the like, you can access a plethora of online resources for your edification. 

Over the last five decades, Ligonier has evolved from a secluded study centre in Pennsylvania, to a worldwide network of trusted biblical teaching material. Most of what Ligonier offers is free on the Ligonier Ministries App. However, to get the most out of Ligonier Ministries, I will list multiple distinct categories and mediums that Ligonier exists on:
  • Renewing Your Mind (daily accessible and in-depth Bible teaching from R. C. Sproul or another trustworthy pastor-theologians on Spotify and the Ligonier App)
  • Tabletalk Magazine (subscription-based monthly study magazine featuring articles, daily devotionals, and book recommendations)
  • Ligonier Connect (online learning platform that provides a deep learning library of interactive video courses that can be done individually or as a group)
  • Reformation Study Bible (thorough theological and exegetical commentary congruent with the historic Reformed faith)
  • Reformation Bible College (distinctly Reformed classical tertiary educational institution located in Sanford, Florida)
  • RefNet (streaming biblical preaching and teaching twenty-four hours a day) 

Why do I love Ligonier?

I love Ligonier because it is biblical, comprehensive, and accessible.
  1. Biblical: Ligonier defends and propagates the inerrancy, authority, sufficiency, clarity, and sufficiency of God’s Word. Upon these foundations of a high view of God’s Word, the teaching material is a robust articulation of the unwavering truth as revealed in Scripture. The Word is not “improved” by adapting the message to fit the accepted cultural norms; instead, Ligonier expounds and applies the truth of God into the context of our contemporary age. 
  2. Comprehensive: As opposed to the deficient reductionistic Christianity that is satisfied with a minimalistic understanding of God, self, and salvation, Ligonier unpacks the Scriptures and applies them to all of life. Ligonier teaches church history, apologetics, philosophy, theology, and Christian living to help people grasp how Christ impacts all of life. Such breadth reveals the overwhelming riches of God in ways that push me to be in holy adoration of who he is and what he has done.
  3. Accessible: Though the teaching at Ligonier is deep and comprehensive, the content is packaged in language, explanations, and illustrations that are targeted at laypeople, not for specialised academics. This doesn’t mean that complicated concepts, words, or old Latin phrases are avoided; rather, they are broken down so that people can be equipped to understand and wrestle with such ideas. 
To summarise, I strongly recommend Ligonier Ministries to every Christian that I meet, and I hope you are strengthened in your faith through this resource.  

Who would enjoy this resource?

Although I genuinely recommend Ligonier Ministries to ALL Christians, these groups will benefit most from this resource:
  • If you are new to studying theology
  • If you want your mind to be shaped like Christ for all of life
  • If you want to refine how to articulate big truths in an accessible way

Recent Discovery: Down Under Theology 

What is Down Under Theology?

Down Under Theology is a weekly podcast that equips and encourages Australian Christians to get down and under the theology impacting the life and mission of the church. Sponsored by Christ College, Sydney, Down Under Theology is theologically Reformed and contextually relevant. The host, Allister, is your “ordinary guy” asking questions and prompting discussions for Dr Cam Clausing (Lecturer in Applied Theology and Missional Engagement) and Murray Smith (Lecturer in Biblical Theology and Exegesis) to unpack. The format of the podcast is conversational, thereby making it easy to follow and access for anyone. 

Why do I love Down Under Theology?

In the first season (March 2021 to November 2021), the group worked their way through the topics covered in the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF), a summary of the Christian faith—and the official teaching standard of the Presbyterian Church of Australia (PCA). Each week, they tackled one chapter of the WCF, using that theme as a starting point and framework for their conversation. Though they did not strictly expound on every section of every chapter of the WCF, they did reference it and helpfully apply its relevance to contemporary Australian Christians. I believe that even a preliminary grasp of the WCF is edifying for the Australian church, and this season does a great job at introducing this theological masterpiece. I also love the balance of systematic and biblical theology in these episodes which challenge me to think more deeply about the topics discussed.

In the second season (February 2022 – present), Allister, Cam, and Murray are now journeying through each book of the Bible. Starting with Genesis, they articulate the structure of the book, key themes, its connection to the rest of Scripture, and how to read and teach it well. This broad overview has significantly benefited my devotional reading of Genesis, while also helping me to synthesise how each book of the Bible fits together with the rest. This big picture panoramic view of Scripture in simple, accessible language excites me to joyfully uncover the riches of God’s revelation in the Old Testament. Any resource that can motivate me to go back to the Bible is one that I highly recommend, and this podcast is no exception. 

Who would enjoy this resource?

Although I genuinely recommend Down Under Theology to ALL Christians, these groups will benefit most from this resource:
  • If you are a Christian in Australia
  • If you want to have a better grasp of how the Bible fits together
  • If you want to be challenged to discover the depth of each book of the Bible

Conclusion

My prayer is that Ligonier Ministries and Down Under Theology will be help you glorify God and enjoy him forever. May these resources help you to live Coram Deo—to live all of life in the presence of God to the glory of God. 



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