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]
CCEL is funded by online advertisements, sales of CD-ROMs (available from 1997 to 2019),[6] sales of some books not freely downloadable, and individual gifts. Calvin University has also provided them with space, network access, and significant financial support.[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." They also specifically noted that the ability to search the music "for specific note patterns" was valuable to musicologists.[8]
As of 2005, the primary users of the library fell into three main categories. These are university professors and their students using texts from the library as required reading without running up the students' bill for textbooks, people preparing sermons and Bible studies, and those reading for individual edification.[9]
^Plantinga, Harry (July 1997). "The CCEL Story". Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
^Holt, Mack P. (October 2002). "Christian Classics Ethereal Library". World History Sources. Center for History and New Media, George Mason University. Retrieved July 28, 2008.