American Accrediting Association of Theological Institutions (AAATI) is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

nonprofit organization based in

Rocky Mount, North Carolina Rocky Mount is a city in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, Edgecombe and Nash County, North Carolina, Nash counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The city's population was 54,341 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it ...

. It was founded by Cecil Johnson, president of Christian Bible College, a

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

Bible college A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for Christian ministry with theological educ ...

based in Rocky Mount North Carolina. Many institutions hold accreditation through various accrediting associations to appeal to a broader set of students. While seeking to provide a semblance of accountability for religious training institutions, AAATI is not recognized as an accreditor by either the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...

or the

Council for Higher Education Accreditation The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for academic quality through accreditation in order t ...

History

AAATI was started in 1983. It is operated by Cecil Johnson, president of Christian Bible College, a

based in Rocky Mount that Steve Levicoff identifies as a

diploma mill A diploma mill (also known as a degree mill) is a company or organization that claims to be a higher education institution but provides illegitimate academic degrees and diplomas for a fee. The degrees can be fabricated (made-up), falsified (fa ...

.Steve Levicoff. ''

Name It and Frame It? ''Name It and Frame It?'' is a 1993 book, written by Steve Levicoff, about unaccredited Christian colleges and universities, exploring the accreditation process and the nature of legitimate and illegitimate unaccredited institutions of higher lea ...

''. (3rd edition) Institute on Religion and Law. 1993 (page 34-35) ASIN B0006F1PCQ In 1993, Levicoff wrote that AAATI gave accreditation for a $100 fee with no educational requirements (a $75.00 a renewal fee each year), and described it as a meaningless

accreditation because it was not recognized by the Federal Government Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

Accreditation program

Therapon University, one of the schools with AAATI accreditation, describes accreditation by AAATI as "religious accreditation, rather than secular". Therapon states that AAATI "monitors educational and religious standards for Bible colleges", providing accreditation that is "accepted by many religious organizations" but may not be accepted by employers or other educational institutions because AAATI lacks U.S. Department of Education recognition.

Christian Bible College

Like many secular schools are now offering, some of the AAATI accredited schools offer a limited amount of "life experience" credit toward degrees. Alumni of Christian Bible College, one of the AAATI accredited schools include

Chuck Baldwin Charles Obadiah Baldwin (born May 3, 1952) is an American right-wing politician, radio host, and founder-former pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. As of January 2011 he was pastor of Liberty Fellowship in Kalispell, Montan ...

, founder and former pastor of

Crossroad Baptist Church Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * Crossroads (1928 film), ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * Cross Roads ( ...

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

, and the Constitution Party's nominee for president in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and vice president in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

Affiliated institutions

Institutions that have claimed membership in, or accreditation from, the AAATI include: * Alpha Omega Bible College & Seminary Inc.,

Elkton, South Dakota Elkton is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 755 at the 2020 census. Some of Elkton's population also have Minnesota addresses since the city is located so close to the state line. History Elkton was plat ...

* Christian Bible College,

Statement of Faith
Christian Bible College website (accessed October 21, 2007) * International Institute of Church Management Inc., based in Plymouth, Pennsylvania, USA, and Chennai, India * Liberty Bible College and Seminary * National Chaplains Institute's Biblical Life College and Seminary *

Pacific International University Pacific International University was an unaccredited, evangelical, Christian diploma mill college located in Springfield, Missouri. Carl Baugh, a 1989 alumnus, was the university's president. Background The school was founded in 1980 as Pacific ...

Pacific International website states that its "memberships do NOT constitute accreditation by the U.S. Office of Education." *

Patriot Bible University Patriot Bible University (PBU), formerly known as Patriot University, is an unaccredited Independent Baptist correspondence school located in Del Norte, Colorado, which issues religious degrees only. According to the State of Colorado, Patriot's ...

Del Norte, Colorado Del Norte is a Statutory Town that is the county seat of Rio Grande County, Colorado, United States. The town's name is most commonly pronounced /ˈdɛl nɔɹt/. The town population was 1,458 at the 2020 United States Census. History Del Norte ...

* Slidell Baptist Seminary * Shalom Bible College & Seminary, West Des Moines, Iowa * Therapon University, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands * White Horse School of Ministry,

West Lafayette, Indiana West Lafayette () is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, about northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister city, ...

* Zion Ministerial Institute

References

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External links