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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.

Category Archives: Featured Article

Forced Family Relationships

10 November 2011, 06:03

Moderator

40

The Advanced Training Institute (ATI) encouraged strong family relationships. This was a big draw for many families–seeing the tight-knit, glowing families that hinted of yesteryear’s ideals. But some ATI parents took it upon themselves to force this family ideal in order to be the perfect ATI family. Most homeschoolers I know outside of ATI have […]

Quiverfull or “Full of It?'”

9 November 2011, 06:00

RyanR

148

These days, the Duggars are the most well known family to have participated in the Advanced Training Institute (ATI). For those not familiar with ATI or the Quiverfull movement, the prospect of a family having 19 (going on 20) children is just mind boggling. Yet for those of us who grew up in ATI, having […]

A Look at Life at the Riverfront Character Inn

8 November 2011, 05:30

lizs

8

Life at the Riverfront Character Inn (RCI) was not exactly like life at the other training centers run by the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) and its home school branch, the Advanced Training Institute (ATI). But there were many similarities. One of the things that set the RCI apart from other training centers was […]

Dear Dad and Mom

7 November 2011, 06:00

Moderator

47

  As many of you are aware,  Recovering Grace was born from the hearts of children, now adults, raised using Bill Gothard’s home-school program, The Advanced Training Institute (ATI). We reached adulthood and realized that life was not what we were told…that there are not seven steps to health, wealth and general prosperity. That no […]

Promises, Promises…

4 November 2011, 06:00

RickH

14

How Do I Stop? Which one of us does not want to stop mistreating our families? Which one of us does not want to stop “raising our voices” at our children or spouse? To stop allowing our eyes to wander and our hearts to lust? The list could go on.Who wants to say, “No, actually, […]

Missing the Beat

3 November 2011, 06:04

RyanR

15

One day several years ago while doing some spring-cleaning, my wife and I stumbled across the personal journals we’d each kept while on staff at the Indianapolis Training Center. For the uninitiated, journal keeping is touted as a very important discipline within ATI/IBLP (Advanced Training Institute and Institute in Basic Life Principles) ranks, right after […]

Failing Formulas

2 November 2011, 06:30

Moderator

11

For 23 years I lived with the understanding that there is a formula for everything: “If you do A-B-C, the result will be X-Y-Z.” If I followed the steps of 1-2-3, I’d have a successful education. If I do exactly these things, my marriage will be perfect. If I operate by a specific code of […]

Once a Child Always a Child???

31 October 2011, 06:00

Moderator

40

When I was 15, a lifelong dream was fulfilled–I finally got to go to a Bill Gothard seminar.  My parents had been going annually for years and I was ecstatic that I was old enough to attend.  When my parents first went, they were astonished at the practical nature of Gothard’s teachings.  He had a […]

They Will Know You Are Christians… By Your Standards?

29 October 2011, 05:00

Julie Terrell

41

There is an abundance of teaching within the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) and the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) about “high places”–about the danger of putting things in the place of God and our relationship with Him. But isn’t this exactly what has happened with our “standards” and “character”? In a recent conversation with […]

A Tale of Two Abigails: Part Two

28 October 2011, 06:00

MatthewS

17

This is the second of two articles examining the biblical character, Abigail. To quickly summarize the first article (found here), Abigail was a hero. Her quick thinking and action saved lives. David praised God for using her to save him and others from needless pain. From the Pages of Scripture This article looks at Bill […]