Libraries

The Scripture Testimony Index idea came about when Thaine Norris was given a large library from a late beloved mentor in the Lord. There were hundreds of books, more than could practically be read by one person.

Since Thaine is a software developer, it seemed obvious to use data science to read the books programmatically and mine them for great stories and valuable lessons. During the course of this project, the size of the library has more than doubled as each book or bibliography has led to even more books.

Open Library is a project of the non-profit Internet Archive which seeks to have one web page for every book ever published. It is an excellent source of public domain books, with thousands of Christian titles from the 19th century.

The Missiology.org.uk website has been an essential resource to us for discovering missionaries and missionary literature. It is well organized, with extensive content about all things missions. While some of the texts listed on the website are found at other public domain sites such as Open Library or Google, many unique titles are hosted by Missiology.org.uk.

The Plymouth Brethren have been profoundly used by God in taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth, having influenced missionary giants from Anthony Norris Groves to George Müller, Hudson Taylor to Jim Elliot, and myriad more.

The Brethren Archive website is a well-organized portal into public domain books and documents, and has been invaluable to our research.