Christian Bible Institute

The Christian Bible Institute is a self-paced online study program offered by the CRA. It is designed to increase the knowledge of God’s people in the areas of Bible, Theology, Church History, and related areas.  The target level of CBI courses is intended to go beyond the typical church class.  It is not designed to be the equivalent of Bible college or Seminary courses.

General Information

Director: Harold Orndorff

Quick Start the CBI

If you are ready to enroll and get started, here is what you must do.  First, visit the CBI Course page:  https://www.thecra.org/cbi/cbi-courses.  Select the course(s) you wish to take.  First-time students must also select the Enroll Now option to pay the one-time enrollment fee.  Textbooks can be obtained at the CRA Bookstore.

Once your enrollment is complete, you will receive an email invitation to join the online course at the Canvas website where the courses are administered.  Respond to that invitation.  You will now be able to access your course(s) on Canvas and you are ready to begin.

Questions and Answers

May I take just one subject?
Yes. You are welcome to pick your pace and the number of courses you are taking at a given time.

Will my courses transfer to a Bible college?
Correspondence courses are generally not accepted by resident schools and are not intended to be the equivalent of a college course. However, if requested, a list of your completed courses will be sent to a college for evaluation.

How soon must I finish the course?
Each student works at his own rate. Proceed at a pace that makes you comfortable.

How do I pay for the course?
A one-time registration fee of $15 is required. The cost of books varies. All Courses are priced at $36. This must be paid in advance.

Procedures

The CBI offers its studies in a completely online format. Students who take the necessary steps to enroll will be invited to join the class(es) of their choice at Canvas, a service dedicated to the online class format.

While the goal of these courses is to increase understanding of the Bible and important areas related to the Bible, you will be assisted in understanding the Bible by the use of textbooks. These offer outlines of the subjects and are intended to stimulate the thinking of students. Each course is built around one textbook.

The goal of each subject is to help the student gain a significant understanding of an area important in advancing the cause of Christ and His church. Students will need to read the lesson material and thoughtfully answer questions about that material in a satisfactory manner. More detailed instructions will be found for each class on the Canvas system.

Students are encouraged to ask questions via the Canvas system, which is designed to facilitate teacher-student interaction. The courses offered here should be considered a directed student-initiated study.

The course list below is current but in the process of being revised. All courses currently available are administered through the Canvas online learning system. If you would like to look at that before signing up for a course, send your request to CBI@thecra.org 

Biblical Studies
Acts of the Apostles The Book of Acts recounts how the Christian faith was first implemented in the ancient world. It explores the teaching of representative Apostles, the procedures of the earliest church, the problems it faced, how those problems were handled, and how the church and the faith were spread across the known world of that time. This course explores Acts using the classic commentary by J. W. McGarvey: A New Commentary on Acts. Please note that there is an earlier version of this book. Please don’t confuse those as this course is based on the latter one.
John's Epistles 1, 2, and 3 John give us a glimpse into how the Apostolic teaching dealt with serious doctrine and behavioral problems that faced the early church. It gives us important insight into how we should approach these same kinds of problems today. This study of these New Testament letters is based on the book Hereby We Know by Clinton Gill. While this book is no longer in print, there are several ways it can be obtained. These are explained in the course syllabus.
The Gospel of John John’s gospel is distinctive of the four gospels. It is in many ways a multi-layered book. This study will help you see how understanding these layers is a key to understanding the gospel of John. This course is based on Lewis Foster’s book John. This book is available as a reprint from the CRA, and as a digital book at Amazon. Dr. Foster offers many unique insights into this gospel, which this course will help you explore.

History of Christianity
Church History This course is a survey of church history. In such a broad study, the goal cannot be a detailed study of any events or period of church history. Instead, this study seeks to give the student at least a peek at the more important events and people in the long history of the church, and some insight to the overall connections of these events and people. The course is based on The Church Through the Ages by John W. Wade. This book is available from CRA. But please note that it is included in a one-volume collection titled The Church: A Trilogy. Another section of this trilogy is used for another CBI course which you might wish to take if your interest lies in church history.
The Restoration Movement In this course we focus on a particular section of general church history that is relatively recent. This involves a more detailed exploration of the people and events that led to the movement to reform or restore the Christian faith as taught in the New Testament. This is, of course, the background to the Christian churches/churches of Christ with which the CRA is closely connected. This course is based on another member of The Church: A Trilogy. This book is The Restoration Movement, by Enos E. Dowling. It will help you understand what “we” are and where “we” had our historical origins. The restoration movement is a somewhat complex entity, and Mr. Dowling will help you sort it out.

Defending the Faith

The Bible - Truth and Authority The Bible often comes under attack. These attacks come from outside the church, as might be expected. But they also come from within the church. Christians need to understand what the Bible is, why it is true, and what it means to be true. Answers to these and some related questions are at the basis of the Christian faith. Here we seek answers to these questions based on Jack Cottrell’s book Solid: The Authority of God's Word. Dr. Cottrell can help you find insight into just what the Bible is, and why it is what it is. During this study you will cover what the nature of the Bible really is, but also some of the ideas that have taken some away from the Bible as being both truthful and authoritative.

Theological Studies
Baptism Baptism has been called “the waters that divide.” As such, it is sometimes just glossed over when considering the Christian faith. This course explores baptism by a careful examination of every significant mention of baptism in the New Testament, as well as some Old Testament background to baptism. You will be led through the New Testament passages on baptism by Jack Cottrell in his book Baptism: A Biblical Study. It is available in the CRA bookstore. Probably the most controversial aspect of baptism is its meaning or purpose. When you finish this course, you can understand what the New Testament teaches about baptism. Along the way you will look at some faulty views of baptism, and how the New Testament shows that they are, in fact, faulty.
Basic Theology There are some points that, if compromised, will destroy the Christian faith. What are these general points? How and why are they sometimes attacked, even from withing the church? What responses can we give to those attacks? Jack Cottrell’s book Faith’s Fundamentals is the basis of this course. You can find it at the CRA bookstore. While introductory in nature, this study is not simplistic. The course also presents material that is useful, not just in explaining the faith, but in defending it.
Doctrine of Grace The Biblical concept of “grace” has often been misunderstood in the history of the church, including some parts of the restoration movement. This course is a detailed study of what the Bible has to say about grace. It doesn’t stop with the content of the doctrine of grace but goes on to consider its application to the church and the lives of Christians. The course is based on the book Saved by Grace: The Essence of Christianity by Jack Cottrell. If you want to understand this key doctrine of the Christian faith in some detail, you will enjoy this study. If you are like most students, you will find that your current understanding of grace is weak at points. This course can help you correct that.
The New Testament Church This is a practical study of what the New Testament teaches about the church. It does not stop with the doctrine of the church but also explores how to correctly apply this to modern practice. The text for this course is Robert Shannon’s The New Testament Church. It is the third member of The Church: A Trilogy available in the CRA bookstore.

Tuition and Fees

Enrollment: The one-time enrollment fee for each student is $15.00.

Textbooks: Textbooks, as needed, will be available from the Christian Restoration Bookstore and will be made available to students at allowable discounts. Textbooks are subject to change without notice.

Tuition: Tuition fees of $36.00 per course.

Contact Harold Orndorff, director of the Christian Bible Institute to enroll or for more information. CBI@thecra.org.