Resources for new believers

[Meg]

Post links, book recs, etc. here that would benefit new believers. Please include a short summary of the resource!


IMPORTANT GUIDELINES:

• Use the strictest discernment in determining what resources to share. All books/authors, speakers, websites, etc. should be thoroughly tested against Scripture before posting. They should represent only absolute Biblical truth, and not interpretation based upon denominational tradition or doctrine.
• Remember that these are resources for new believers, and should therefore concentrate mainly on basic Christian beliefs and studies. Avoid recommendations that delve into esoteric or marginal subject matter.
• If you have any question as to whether or not you should post a specific resource, in all probability you should not. However, feel free to contact any of the mods about a recommendation about which you are uncertain.
• Bear in mind that the admins and mods will be monitoring this topic very closely, and if we deem a resource to be scripturally unsound or at odds with the GodlyGals statement of faith, it will be removed.

[elltotheoh]

I find http://www.biblegateway.com to be totally invaluable. If you're ever curious what the Bible has to say on a certain subject or topic, there's a keyword search, and they also provide you with reading plans (http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/readingplans/) to help you study Scripture a bit more effectively on your own.

[lilies_n_roses]

I find http://www.biblegateway.com to be totally invaluable. If you're ever curious what the Bible has to say on a certain subject or topic, there's a keyword search, and they also provide you with reading plans (http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/readingplans/) to help you study Scripture a bit more effectively on your own.

I'd also like to add that the website provides different commentaries for verses you may be having trouble with.

[Jolene]

I personally like http://www.blueletterbible.org. I like the search engine, and there are links to multiple translations and many commentaries.

[princess_peas]

One book from my shelf that I recall being enormously helpful in the time when Christianity was still new to me is by a man named John Stott, and the book is called Why I am a Christian.

From the back cover:

Now John Stott tells his spiritual story, and gives the reasons for his first life-changing step of faith on the path he has followed since that day. It was not so much that he found Christ, as that Christ found him. Not because the Christian faith is attractive, but because it is true. Not because he deserved to be saved, but because Christ took his sins, and ours, upon himself. It is because the answer to the paradox at the heart of our humanness, because the key to true freedom and fulfillment, are to be found in Jesus Christ alone. And he who extends the greatest of all invitations to each one of us waits paitently for our response.

I don't recall there being too much denominational bias in it. One may argue that nothing is ever completely free of it because the person writing does have a denomination, and it might come through, but a quick skim through it now doesn't seem to indicate any. The chapter headings are

1. The Hound of Heaven
2. The claims of Jesus
3. The cross of Christ
4. The pradox of our humanness
5. The key to freedom
6. The fulfilment of our aspirations
7. The greatest of all invitations

and he really lays out an arguement properly and works through it, including defeating all of the counter-points that he can think of. It's not even a large book either, so ideal for most people to read. The ISBN number of it is 0-85111-407-5.

I will aim to reread this in the next few months just to check that it is suitable for new believers, but everything I recall about it says that it is

[etimodnar]

I would also like to endorse http://www.Biblegateway.com!
http://www.boundless.org is good. It's a webzine published by Focus on the Family aimed at young adults (18-35ish).
http://www.carm.org is the Christian Apologetics and Resource Ministry and it's rather good too.

[Elizabeth]

[elltotheoh]

I took a class this past fall at my church called Alpha -- it's a curriculum that addresses the basics of Christian doctrine and is useful for answering a lot of questions that new believers might have. It's offered by many different denonimations all over the world, so there may be a class near you if you are interested. If not, you can order the books online at their website. I'm getting ready to take another class in February based on New Testament scholar N.T. Wright's "Simply Christian", which I'm very excited about. I'll report back on that one when I'm done with it.

[Rose]

Lee Strobel's "The Case For" series is really great for beginner apologetics.

They include The Case for Christ, Faith (my favorite), a Creator, the Real Jesus and Easter.