Advice

ERIC SPELLMANN

Christian resources are plentiful online, says ERIC SPELLMANN - if you know where to look

Many people equate the internet with an endless bookshelf, containing the sum total of all human knowledge.

While that belief is a little misplaced, it is not entirely incorrect. Over the years, thousands of books, especially those out of print, have been archived to sites around the net, making them available to anyone on the planet. And, as you can probably guess, the most sought after text is also the most popular "printed" tome: the Bible.

Whether you are a minister, Sunday School teacher, or just an ordinary believer, the Internet offers a wide array of online resources.

Bible Gateway

Of the bunch, my favorite is Bible Gateway (http://www.biblegateway.com). Its comprehensive but easy to navigate interface makes any religious search a breeze. You can hunt through a variety of Bible versions: NIV, KJV, NAS, plus 14 more. In addition, you can have them translated into 30 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, and Russian.

Their home page offers two basic search options: Passage and Keyword searching. The Passage blank allows you to type in a reference in standard book-chapter-verse format. For instance, typing Psalm 30:2-7 will give you that set of verses.

Using the Keyword blank is even easier. Simply type the word or words you want to search for and the system will display all the verses containing them.

For those of you needing more research options, click the "Advanced Search" link. If you like doing comparative studies (seeing the same verse in multiple Bible versions), you'll love the "Passage Lookup" area. Simply enter your verse reference and check all the versions you want to contrast. It's that easy.

"Word Search" also gives you many options. The drop-down list below the blank gives you many ways to adjust your search. Basically, it allows you to find verses that only contain ALL of the words or verses that contain ANY of the words.

If you are trying to find a specific quote, type in as much as you know and choose "Exact Phrase". "Approximate phrase" is a little more lenient in what you type in. By the way, "Lenient" is a normal-person word for what we geeks like to call "fuzzy logic".

Finally, have you ever wondered how your pastor knew how many times certain words were
used in the Bible? He chose the last option: "Count Verses with these words".

If you scroll down, you'll see other options to limit the books searched. For instance, in your search for the word "Love," you may want to limit the scope to "Song of Solomon". Be sure to scroll down far enough to see the "Find Whole Words Only" checkbox. I discovered how important this option was when I tried to search on the keyword, "ear." Without this option checked, the system returned verses containing earth, bear, hearing, etc.

The Sound of Scripture

One of the major sections of Bible Gateway is entitled "Audio Bibles". Here, you can listen to any verse read aloud in a variety of languages. While some of the files are MP3, most are in the Real Audio format, necessitating an installation of the free Real Player (http://www.real.com). If you click on the "Languages" link at the top (between "Advanced Search" and "Audio Bibles"), you can get a better idea of what's available.

The quality is impressive, but the verses I tested were being read by a British Shakespearean actor with attitude. I chuckled during a few of his "dramatic pauses".

Other sites

Finally, check out the "Study Tools" link. This page is one of the best collection of research links I've found on the Net. A number of great, non-copyrighted commentaries help shed historical meaning and insight on some of the more perplexing verses.

If you come across an unfamiliar word or person in the Bible, check out the vast number of lexicons, dictionaries, and encyclopedias. Some references even have audio clips giving the correct pronunciation.
For those of you needing a little inspiration every day, you can sign up for various e-mail "Verse-a-Day" services. And, if you choose to read the entire Bible yourself, you can find some great reading plans that will guarantee completion in one month, six months, or a year.

If discussion and debate is more your thing, check out the Study Bible Forum link. You can give your two cents on a variety of subjects.

However, be prepared to back up your viewpoint with biblical references. Started in 1993 by Nick Hengeveld, the Bible Gateway has quickly grown into the most popular site of its kind on the Net. You'll find that this site is an indispensable tool for clergy and laymen alike. Hey, it sure beats flipping through a 30 lb exhaustive concordance!

I'll see you in Cyberspace!

Eric Spellmann is the owner of Spellmann & Associates, a corporate technology training facility in Amarillo, Texas. Besides his weekly column, he produces technology segments for his local CBS television affiliate and speaks at numerous conferences. If you would like to receive the full transcripts of his columns as well as the television segments he produces for CBS, sign up for his FREE e-mail newsletter by sending a blank message to nl@ericspellmann.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject. Or, you can sign up at his website www.EricSpellmann.com

© Christian Family Network
is run by CPO, supported by
Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting,
Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.


		ERIC SPELLMANN Christian resources are plentiful online, says ERIC SPELLMANN - if you know where to look Many people equate the internet with an endless bookshelf, containing the sum total of all human knowledge. While that belief is a little misplaced, it is not entirely incorrect. Over the years, thousands of books, especially those out of print, have been archived to sites around the net, making them available to anyone on the planet. And, as you can probably guess, the most sought after text is also the most popular "printed" tome: the Bible. Whether you are a minister, Sunday School teacher, or just an ordinary believer, the Internet offers a wide array of online resources. Bible Gateway Of the bunch, my favorite is Bible Gateway (http://www.biblegateway.com). Its comprehensive but easy to navigate interface makes any religious search a breeze. You can hunt through a variety of Bible versions: NIV, KJV, NAS, plus 14 more. In addition, you can have them translated into 30 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, and Russian. Their home page offers two basic search options: Passage and Keyword searching. The Passage blank allows you to type in a reference in standard book-chapter-verse format. For instance, typing Psalm 30:2-7 will give you that set of verses. Using the Keyword blank is even easier. Simply type the word or words you want to search for and the system will display all the verses containing them. For those of you needing more research options, click the "Advanced Search" link. If you like doing comparative studies (seeing the same verse in multiple Bible versions), you'll love the "Passage Lookup" area. Simply enter your verse reference and check all the versions you want to contrast. It's that easy. "Word Search" also gives you many options. The drop-down list below the blank gives you many ways to adjust your search. Basically, it allows you to find verses that only contain ALL of the words or verses that contain ANY of the words. If you are trying to find a specific quote, type in as much as you know and choose "Exact Phrase". "Approximate phrase" is a little more lenient in what you type in. By the way, "Lenient" is a normal-person word for what we geeks like to call "fuzzy logic". Finally, have you ever wondered how your pastor knew how many times certain words were used in the Bible? He chose the last option: "Count Verses with these words". If you scroll down, you'll see other options to limit the books searched. For instance, in your search for the word "Love," you may want to limit the scope to "Song of Solomon". Be sure to scroll down far enough to see the "Find Whole Words Only" checkbox. I discovered how important this option was when I tried to search on the keyword, "ear." Without this option checked, the system returned verses containing earth, bear, hearing, etc. The Sound of Scripture One of the major sections of Bible Gateway is entitled "Audio Bibles". Here, you can listen to any verse read aloud in a variety of languages. While some of the files are MP3, most are in the Real Audio format, necessitating an installation of the free Real Player (http://www.real.com). If you click on the "Languages" link at the top (between "Advanced Search" and "Audio Bibles"), you can get a better idea of what's available. The quality is impressive, but the verses I tested were being read by a British Shakespearean actor with attitude. I chuckled during a few of his "dramatic pauses". Other sites Finally, check out the "Study Tools" link. This page is one of the best collection of research links I've found on the Net. A number of great, non-copyrighted commentaries help shed historical meaning and insight on some of the more perplexing verses. If you come across an unfamiliar word or person in the Bible, check out the vast number of lexicons, dictionaries, and encyclopedias. Some references even have audio clips giving the correct pronunciation. For those of you needing a little inspiration every day, you can sign up for various e-mail "Verse-a-Day" services. And, if you choose to read the entire Bible yourself, you can find some great reading plans that will guarantee completion in one month, six months, or a year. If discussion and debate is more your thing, check out the Study Bible Forum link. You can give your two cents on a variety of subjects. However, be prepared to back up your viewpoint with biblical references. Started in 1993 by Nick Hengeveld, the Bible Gateway has quickly grown into the most popular site of its kind on the Net. You'll find that this site is an indispensable tool for clergy and laymen alike. Hey, it sure beats flipping through a 30 lb exhaustive concordance! I'll see you in Cyberspace! Eric Spellmann is the owner of Spellmann & Associates, a corporate technology training facility in Amarillo, Texas. Besides his weekly column, he produces technology segments for his local CBS television affiliate and speaks at numerous conferences. If you would like to receive the full transcripts of his columns as well as the television segments he produces for CBS, sign up for his FREE e-mail newsletter by sending a blank message to nl@ericspellmann.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject. Or, you can sign up at his website www.EricSpellmann.com © Christian Family Network is run by CPO, supported by Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting, Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.