Zondervan’s Theologian Trading Cards offer an incredibly novel way to learn theology and church history. Creator Norman Jeune III came up with the idea to imitate baseball cards at seminary while listening to students discuss theologians as if they were baseball players.
The result is 288 trading cards featuring important figures in church history including heretics and philosophers.
Each card features the theologian’s name, lifespan, short biography, and quick list of significant contributions that influenced Christianity. If you want a quick yet thorough lesson on church history, these cards will be one of the better options if not the best.
There are 15 teams used to categorize the theologians. It’s a mix of fun novelty and useful classification, which helps users understand the big picture of each theologian’s role (good and bad) in the Body of Christ. Team names include:
- Athens Metaphysicians (philosophers)
- Avignon Crusaders (medieval)
- Berlin Aggiornamentos (contemporary)
- Cantebury Monarchs (english reformers, anglicans, puritans)
- Constantinople Hesychasts (orthodox church)
- Geneva Sovereigns (later reformed church, early reformers)
- Jerusalem Resourcers (contemporary)
- Los Angeles Knights (fundamentalists, evangelicals)
- Munich Monks (hermits, monks, mystics)
- Munster Radicals (radical reformation, anabaptists)
- Orthodoxy Dodgers (heretics)
- Serampore Preachers (missionaries)
- St. James Padres (church fathers of the patristic era)
- St. Pius Cardinals (roman catholic primarily from post-reformation)
- Wittenberg Whistle-Blowers (early reformers, later lutheran church)
And if that’s not enough, there are even a few blank cards for you to create your own trading cards.
This is too funny.