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Articles about how Bill Gothard mishandles the Bible to support his legalistic viewpoint.

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Stories and accounts of the destruction caused by the teachings of Bill Gothard.

Author Archives: Jay Rowland

Foils We Are

23 June 2014, 06:00

Jay Rowland

23

God understands the tendency for one in authority to fail. —Bill Gothard (What I Teach) The Bible is full of stories about God gifting individuals with particular qualities needed to lead and serve His people; yet, in his foreknowledge, God has already made plans to work through a leader’s failure. Those who repent experience his […]

The “False Teacher” Debate

10 June 2014, 06:00

Jay Rowland

46

In 2013, an interesting convergence of thought on Bill Gothard took place. A man named Shai Linne released a rap song called “False Teachers,” and he named twelve prosperity preachers, including Joel Osteen and T.D. Jakes. (Gothard was not among those named.) Click here to read the lyrics and watch Linne explain why he wrote the song. […]

Early Warnings of a False Authority

13 May 2014, 06:00

Jay Rowland

27

In the 1970s, supporters and critics alike recognized that Bill Gothard and his Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts (IBYC) were a phenomenon. God can use anyone or anything to bring people to himself, but are paying crowds proof of a teacher’s righteousness? It seems too few of our church watchmen wrote about—or truly studied—Gothard’s teachings. […]

The Glory of Children

31 May 2013, 06:00

Jay Rowland

1

At first glance, this verse seems to be just an obvious, happy statement. Perhaps one that suggests the rewards of a large family. But as with all of the Proverbs, it’s good to linger a bit. The verse contains some assumptions that are kin to those verses that encourage us to obey our parents and […]

The Leader Who Lost His Anointing

25 May 2012, 06:00

Jay Rowland

8

Over the past few weeks, since Bill Gothard’s Easter Letter featuring David and Saul, I’ve been surprised as I revisited the book of First Samuel. When was the last time you studied the misadventures of King Saul? Saul was God’s anointed leader. Especially interesting and sad was his story in relationship to God, though.  Here […]

Grace in Gothard’s Economy: Sanctification with Compounding Interest

18 May 2012, 06:00

Jay Rowland

19

Grace. Historically, most theologians and Christian teachers view it simply as favor bestowed upon man by God. A supernatural intervention that, though we don’t understand its workings, changes the outcome of our lives. For example, most Christians would view grace something like this: My repentance + God’s grace = Salvation My sorrow + God’s grace […]

Why Subtle Differences Matter

24 February 2012, 06:00

Jay Rowland

6

Looking at Recovering Grace’s recent “Response to Bill Gothard,” I wonder how many readers will brush over the handful of paragraphs that try to explain the seemingly small differences between Gothard’s definition of grace and the definition used by almost all scholars. At least two times, the authors alert the reader that the difference in […]