We love seminary, but we love theology even more. Maybe you’ve attended seminary and want to continue learning; maybe you can’t attend seminary at this point, or you merely want to dive into studying the Bible and theology on a deeper level. No matter where you find yourself, there are myriad resources available to you at zero cost to help you understand the Scriptures and your faith. The resources we’ve collected here are reliable, from top scholars, and with no catch what-so-ever. Enjoy!
The Gospel Coalition: Free Courses
Over the years, TGC has become a reliable staple of content (creation and curation) in the evangelical world (and particularly the Reformed world). Other than a veritable flood of blog posts on a regular basis and some conferences, they have also launched TGC Courses. These are free courses, in the vein of seminary courses (though without the requisite coursework, and without interaction with professors). The value here is curation. TGC is working with the likes of Westminster Theological Seminary and assembling a whole biblical and pastoral studies suite replete with lectures from top theologians and scholars, like G. K. Beale, Andreas Köstenberger, David Platt, and more.
If you want to check out a couple courses, try Bryan Chappell’s Christ-Centered Preaching, and G. K. Beale’s New Testament Biblical Theology.
The Bible Project
Over at TheBibleProject.com, Tim Mackie and Jon Collins have put together something that really has no parallels. One of their most popular resources is the podcast, where Tim and Jon have the conversations that lead their other popular resource, the videos. These videos are beautifully-animated, succinct explanations of nuanced and scholarly biblical themes and books.
Here’s an example of one of their videos, on the Old Testament concept of justice:
Free Courses at Dallas Theological Seminary
This education power-house offers select courses (some legacy, from retired or deceased professors) for free, and delivered in an online learning format. Lecturers include Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost, Dr. Mark Yarbrough, and Dr. Howard Hendricks.
As a starting place, check out the four-week class “How to Read the Bible Like a Seminary Professor,” or the one week mini-course by Dr. John Hannah titled “Luther.”
Gordon-Conwell: Dimensions of Faith
The Ockenga Institute has worked with Gordon-Conwell to create this learning program, and adapt it for an online learning format, offered to you for free. Audio lectures and a study guide are included, and there are options for a certificate if you want to make it a little more formal.
The program covers OT and NT, Hermeneutics, Missions, Church History, and Theology. Moving beyond just study guides and lectures, Dimensions of Faith students will also have quizzes to help them assess their own learning.
Reformed Theological Seminary: Courses and App
This multi-campus seminary in the Reformed tradition has a robust app platform to deliver 20+ free courses to anyone who wants them. You can listen and follow along on your computer or mobile device, or even on Roku.
Not only will you get free access to courses by the likes of Dr. John Frame and Dr. Mark Futato, but even RTS’ chapel messages will be available to get you plugged in to the spiritual life of the seminary, to some degree.