[1] CCEL is a volunteer-based project founded and directed by Harry Plantinga, a professor of computer science at Calvin College.
The purpose of the CCEL is "To build up Christ's church by making available classic Christian books and promoting their use."
The documents in the library express a variety of theological views, sometimes conflicting with those of Calvin University.
[3][7] As of 2006, the library was recording about 200,000 page views per day and providing about 2 TB of information (equivalent to over a million books) in a month.
[3] A 2002 reviewer acknowledged that while the site is "intended to be a basic online theological library," it was actually much more valuable than that: it is "a treasure of primary sources for anyone teaching Western Civilization or more specialized courses in medieval or Reformation history."