2011 Brings Classes and Big Improvements to Theologika.net

“Be Careful What You Pray For . . .”

For some time now we have been eager to make changes to the “look and feel” of Theologika.net to improve your online experience.  Social media and online resources have changed enormously since we opened in early 2007. We can now move to more of a community type of online setting with a different type of discovery engine to tag and share your own recommendations and those of our Trusted Authorities. In 2011 we will begin offering online classes, seminars, and talks with our current and many new Trusted Authorities.

Beginning in early 2007, we have devoted our energies to:

• building the site with our search/discovery engine,
• encouraging people around the world to use it in their own ministries,
• reaching out to trusted authorities to share their insights, and
• reflecting on life and religious experience in our blog.

Throughout this endeavor we have received untold words of encouragement and hours of support from people in many walks of life and from many countries. The owners of Raw Sugar (the discovery engine we have been using) and Compassites (the website developers) have been particularly supportive. We are grateful to them all.

Recently we have been notified that Raw Sugar will not be continuing in its present form beyond the end of December 2010. This means that materials tagged in directories and watchlists will no longer be accessible in their current form. It does not mean the data will all be lost. However, owners of personal directories will need to take steps to secure the information they have identified and tagged. The process is not difficult and I’ll detail it in a separate post. We will do our best to make this change as seamless as possible.

We are happy to announce that Theologika.net will begin offering workshops and classes in collaboration with our trustees and other theologians, philosophers and social scientists in early 2011. These workshops and classes will be offered through a “Members Only” portal. Some of the offerings will be recordings of prior workshops. Some will be live, on-line courses or presentations. Some will be collections of readings or other resources for your own spiritual growth or use in your ministry that are not currently published or on the web. We will continue to provide free information on our discovery engine as well as scholarships and fee waivers for our online learning activities.

Insights from the workshops and classes will be shared through our blog as well, but for access to the full program, we will ask you to become members of Theologika.net.

Will we continue to offer our old services?

Theologika.net’s goal has always been to provide easy access to trustworthy, relevant information from trusted sources and authorities. We will continue to do this. We are working with owners of another database/search engine to accept the materials we currently have and provide ways for us to continue to collaborate with our trustees to identify more resources. Our blog will also continue.

We are excited about this transition and the changes that are coming. We welcome your thoughts and ideas for ways to enhance our ministry and our offerings. If there’s someone you’d like us to approach about offering a workshop, please send me a note. If there’s a specific topic about which you’d like to know more, let me know.

Please keep us and this ministry in your prayers. And we’ll keep you posted as we move through the transition. For the Greater Glory of God!