Theology Courses

Christian Leaders Institute Theology courses go hand in hand with Ministry courses. Most students will take THE 101, an introductory course on the Christian doctrine, then move on to more survey style courses. The courses will allow students to explore religion and doctrine in a systematic manner.

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

This foundational ministry training course focuses on some of the most basic 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:

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

THE 210 Theology I (4 credits)

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

 Outcomes:

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

THE 310 Theology II (4 credits)

This 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:

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

THE 315 Old Testament Theology (3 credits)

This course reveals the continuity of Scripture, focusing on the stories of the Old Testament and how they anticipate the life and work of Christ. Part 1 summarizes the redemptive-historical story that Jesus would have learned in his youth. Part 2 develops some Old Testament themes that continue to be very important for Christian faith and life today. Both the reflections in the book and the accompanying lectures will prove useful to those preparing to lead Bible Studies or write sermons based on the Scriptures of the Old Testament.

Outcomes 

  1. Be able to identify and explain the major events in the redemptive-historical story of the Old Testament. That story, after all, is a significant part of the history of what God has done and is doing for you in Jesus Christ.
  2. Gain practice in rightly reading and explaining the narratives of the Old Testament, both avoiding moralism and appreciating how these Scriptures lay a foundation for understanding the fullness of God’s reclamation of his entire Creation.
  3. Understand the continuity between the Old and New Testaments. In particular, be able to explain the significance of the Abrahamic Covenant and the Tabernacle/Temple in the Old Testament, and what they mean in light of the New Covenant under which Christians now live.
  4. Become familiar with some of the Old Testament support for biblical teachings commonly derived from the Scriptures of the New Testament—teachings on such things as the Creator/Creature distinction, rebellion against God, how God both provides an answer for sinful rebellion and actually reconciles sinners to himself, the major ways God provides to help us embrace his priorities, some significant areas in which disciples are challenged, and biblical wisdom on marriage, family, and stewardship.

THE 320 Christian Apologetics (3 credits)

This ministry training course introduces students to basic 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:

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

THE 350 Prayer (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:

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

THE 390 Early Church History (3 credits)

This course looks at major 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 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:

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

THE 395 Missions and Revivals (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 major mission advances and revivals, we gain insights for mission and revival in our own time and place.

  Outcomes:

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

THE 470 Women and Leadership in the Early Church (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:

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