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Online communities are groups of people who identify each other on the Internet based on some affinity or subject. For instance, I participate with many others in discussing the "emerging church," a postmodern take on contemporary Christianity. To keep up on other current trends in theology, I employ several programs. In addition to Libronix and QuickVerse™, I often turn to the Zondervan NIV Bible Study Library. It contains many seminary-level volumes, as well as popular titles on theological and biblical subjects.

For instance, I recently worked through seven of the nine study Bibles in the New American Standard program to prepare for a discussion on the Sermon on the Mount. In addition, I used the Dictionary on Cults and Occult to counter a serious error being introduced by a new participant. In another discussion on Creationism, I used insights from the Dictionary on the Christian Church and the Dictionary on Bible Archeology. Often, community members will ask me to look up things in the study library. I now encourage them to buy their own.

Since desktop publishing software is now common, many Christians are utilizing this tool to keep up with all their friends. The NAS Electronic Bible Library is a simple and helpful program to keep the content sharp in your newsletters. Based upon the text of the New American Standard Bible, there are a variety of textbooks and study guides that make searching and finding Bible truths enjoyable. You could make reference to a Bible character in the newsletter and within seconds have all the background material necessary from the NAS Topical Bible, NAS Concordance, or Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary. All of this comes with the Libronix search engine capabilities and therefore can be pasted neatly into a newsletter.

Information travels faster today than ever before. Bible software and tools help you keep up with the pace by making research fast and easy. No matter how you are using Internet and web technology to communicate with others, you can be prepared with appropriate, relevant, and life-changing truth from the Bible.

Mike Phillips is a freelance author, counselor, and church planter living in Sacramento, California.

Copyright © 2006 by the author or Christianity Today, Inc./Your Church magazine.
September/October 2006, Vol. 52, No. 5, Page 30

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