Free College Theology Courses

Are you interested in studying theology? The theology program at Christian Leader College gives you a strong understanding of Biblical Doctrine, Philosophy, and Christian History. One of the most popular degrees at Christian Leaders Institute is the Divinity Degree, which is rich in Biblical and theological concentrations.

Are you interested in studying theology, but don’t need college credentials? Christian Leaders Institute students can also take these free college theology courses for personal enrichment or to earn awards at the Institute.

Are you thinking of becoming licensed or ordained as Christian Clergy? Many of these theology courses are part of the clergy recognition program at the Christian Leaders Alliance.

Free College Theology Courses

Christian Leaders Connections – MIN 100 (3 credits)

This course explores your calling to ministry and your walk with God. This class also helps students develop a reproducible walk with God and gives them an orientation to Christian Leaders Learning.

Outcomes:

Explore and clarify a personal sense of calling to ministry.
Grow in zeal to be an agent for God for revival in church and society.
Develop spiritual disciplines and strengthen your walk with God.
Find a personal mentor and prepare to become a mentor for others.
Understand the vision and academic policies of Christian Leaders Institute.
Become a participant in the online Christian Leaders Network, giving and receiving encouragement in connection with other Christian leaders.
Gain familiarity with the structure of online classes and become well prepared to take other courses successfully.

Christian Basics: Introduction to Christian Doctrine – THE 101 (3 credits)

This foundational free college theology course focuses on some of the most fundamental truths in God’s Word, the Bible, for guiding Christian belief and behavior. Students will learn these truths, find where they are taught in Scripture, and grow in their ability to state Christian truths clearly and briefly to others.

IMPORTANT: This course is for those who have already taken the Christian Leaders Connections course. It is required to receive the Christian Basics Certificate.

Outcomes:

Study essential doctrines of historic, biblical Christianity and demonstrate knowledge through testing.
Develop a growing sense of theological discernment so that you can affirm sound doctrines and reject false doctrines.
Develop a theological framework for the rest of your studies at CLI.
Become more capable of explaining Christian truths to others and showing where these truths are found in the Bible.

Theology I – THE 210 (4 credits)

This course considers doctrines about Scripture, God, creation, humanity, sin, and Christ.

Outcomes:

Know various ways God reveals himself and view Scripture as the standard of truth.
Know glorious attributes of God and worship the Holy Trinity.
Know key truths about God’s creation and governance of the world.
Know humanity’s created design and sin’s impact on humanity.
Know significant biblical facts about who Jesus is and what he has accomplished.
Accept sound biblical doctrines and reject deviations from orthodoxy.

Theology II – THE 310 (4 credits)

This free college theology course considers doctrines about the Holy Spirit, the application of salvation, the church, and the future. (You must take Theology I before you may take Theology II.)

Outcomes:

Know how the Holy Spirit connects believers with Christ and applies the benefits of salvation.
Know how the Holy Spirit regenerates, transforms, indwells, and equips believers.
Know God’s eternal covenant plan to rescue and preserve his chosen people.
Know key doctrines of the church, godly leadership, and sacraments.
Know biblical teaching about the future: last days, millennium, resurrection, final judgment, eternal death, and eternal life.

Prayer – THE 350 (3 credits)

This course explores what the Bible reveals about prayer and answers many questions about prayer. Students will grow in interacting with God, praying rightly, seeking God’s guidance, and training for godliness.

Outcomes:

Understand, value, and practice prayer as a relational conversation with God.
Know biblical examples and teachings about prayer and fasting as an aid to prayer.
Know and practice the main types of prayer: praise, confession, thanksgiving, supplication, and intercession.
Understand how to seek God’s guidance and be led by the Holy Spirit.
Understand, value, and practice spiritual disciplines as training for godliness.

Christian Philosophy Courses

Christian philosophy and theology are connected in many ways. At Christian Leaders Institute, we include the philosophy courses with free college theology courses honoring that connection.

Christian Philosophy – PHI 221 (3 Credits)

The very idea that there can be such a thing as a Christian Philosophy has long been denied and seldom tried. This course will explain why some Christian philosophers of the 20th century concluded that a Christian philosophy is possible, and will end with a brief account of one proposal of such a theory, the Christian theory of reality developed by Herman Dooyeweerd (1894 – 1977).

Because the notion that there can be philosophy theories that are Christian is such an unusual one in the history of Christian thought, many of the 36 lectures will explain and expand that idea. Only then will it be possible to appreciate and assess the theory constructed by Dr. Dooyeweerd.

Outcomes
1. Learn about the Christian Philosophy school of Dr. Herman Dooyweerd.
2. Develop critical philosophic discerning and thinking skills.
3. Embrace the importance of philosophy in the lives of Christian leaders.
4. Recognize the contribution Christian Philosophy has brought into the marketplace of ideas.

Philosophy of Religion: Can We Know That God Exists? – PHI 340 (3 credits)

This course uses philosophical dialogue to show that religious experience can produce self-evident knowledge of God.

Outcomes

Gain a philosophical understanding of religious experience and self-evident knowledge.
Explore key elements of Christian epistemology (theory of knowledge).
Grasp that religious experience produces self-evident knowledge of God that is intellectually warranted apart from other evidence or arguments for God’s existence.
Understand and respond to objections and questions from those who do not believe in God.

Christian Ethics – PHI 230 (3 credits)

This course focuses on living according to God’s pattern for us. We study biblical commands and their wise application to various life situations. We expose demonic strategies of temptation and learn about spiritual warfare. We seek ways to express the Christ-life within us by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Outcomes:

Learn how to love God and neighbor by following Christ in the Spirit’s power.
Learn specifics of godly conduct taught in the Ten Commandments and other Scriptures.
Apply biblical ethics to various contemporary situations.
Understand some historical and philosophical trends that have shaped ethics.
Grow in awareness of spiritual warfare and learn how Spirit-filled believers put on the armor of God and triumph over the devil, the world, and the flesh.

Christian Apologetics – THE 320 (3 credits)

This ministry training course introduces students to fundamental issues in apologetics (defending and contending for the faith). Students learn biblical worldview, cultural analysis, and presenting the gospel in a way that shows its plausibility and addresses common objections.

Outcomes:

Understand the role and limits of apologetics in Christian witness.
State Christian truth accurately and persuasively in various situations.
Address common objections to Christian belief.
Interact sensitively with atheists, agnostics, and people of other religions.
Develop a biblical worldview and sound epistemology, in which Christian faith is real knowledge.

Christian History Courses

Christian history and theology are connected! Many of the debates of history are theological or philosophical. At Christian Leaders Institute, we include the Christian history courses with free college theology courses honoring those connections.

History of World Christianity – HIS 240 (4 credits)

This course looks at significant events, key persons, and important trends in the history of the Christian church. Such a study helps us to see God’s faithfulness in the past and to better understand the church’s present challenges and opportunities.

Outcomes:

Know essential events, persons, and trends in church history.
Know how Jesus and Christianity have affected various aspects of culture.
Discern God’s purposes and faithfulness to his people throughout history.
Be encouraged by past heroes and achievements and emulate them in the present.
Identify false ideas and bad behaviors in the past and avoid them in the present.
Gain a better understanding of Christians from various heritages worldwide.

Early Church History and Doctrine – THE 390 (3 credits)

This course looks at significant events, key persons, and important trends in the first four centuries of the Christian church, the period from Jesus’ resurrection through Augustine of Hippo. Such a study helps us to see God’s faithfulness in the past, to understand more clearly what some of the earliest Christians and churches were like, and to better understand the church’s present challenges and opportunities.

Outcomes:

Know important events, persons, and trends in the earliest centuries of church history.
Discern God’s purposes and faithfulness to his people during those years.
Understand developments in early Christian doctrine and church government.
Be encouraged by past heroes who withstood persecution and resisted error, and emulate them in the present.
Identify false ideas and evil conduct in those centuries and avoid similar things in the present.

Women and Leadership in the Early Church – THE 470 (3 credits)

This course surveys the historical data available concerning women in early Christianity starting from the ministry of Jesus through the first several centuries of the Catholic church. For a man, this course will help them see the Biblical role of women in ministry. For women called to ministry, this course will give confidence for their calling to ministry and minister ordination.

Outcomes:

Acquire historical intelligence about the role of women in early Christianity.
Grow in confidence for ministry inspired by the lives and work of women in early Christianity.
Develop an early Christianity sociological framework for women and family relationships that were impacted by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Be confirmed in your calling for minister and ordination to ministry.

Missions and Revivals – THE 395 (4 credits)

This class looks at mighty things the Holy Spirit has done at various times and places, causing the church to grow in holiness, power, and numbers. By examining significant mission advances and revivals, we gain insights for mission and revival in our own time and place.

Outcomes:

Know and rejoice in major missionary advances and revival movements in Christian history.
Learn essential lessons from revivals in different eras, nations, and cultural settings.
Develop a biblical understanding of revival.
Become more eager and expectant for the Holy Spirit to do mighty things here and now.
Seek to become a Spirit-empowered revival leader—one who has learned from the accomplishments as well as the errors of leaders from earlier generations.

History of American Christianity – HIS 395 (3 Credits)

Christian Leaders Institute is pleased to offer History of American Christianity in partnership with Biblical E-Learning. Dr. Roger Green teaches this class. He has a Ph.D. in theology from Boston College and a D.D. (honorary) from William and Catherine Booth College. He has taught for over 40 years at Barrington and then Gordon College (Wenham, MA).

It is a challenging course that we recommend you take sufficient notes and review all the material multiple times before attempting the quizzes.

Course Outcomes:

Study the historical development of Christianity in America.
Develop an in-depth understanding of the Christian Leaders that shaped Christianity in America
Become familiar with some of the theological debates that resonated in the development of Christianity in America.
Reflect on how the development of Christianity in America has implications for your work in ministry.
Learn to think in historical frameworks as you do ministry.