Upon Further Review–Twisted Scriptures

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A closer look at the teachings of Bill Gothard by the Elders of Calvary Bible Church in Fort Worth, TX

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Our response to Bill Gothard's November 2011 letter addressed to "all past and present ATI students."

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Upon Further Review--Twisted Scriptures

Category Archives: Upon Further Review--Twisted Scriptures

The Gospel of Pragmatism

9 May 2013, 06:00

Administrator

Pragmatism is basically the idea that positive results are sufficient criteria for determining value, even truth. In other words: if it works, use it. One of the most famous pragmatists was a man known as Nicollo Machiavelli. For Machiavelli, the goal of a strong and controlled kingdom was worth whatever it would take to get [...]

How “Counseling Sexual Abuse” Blames and Shames Survivors

18 April 2013, 06:00

Administrator

Versions of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) document “Counseling Sexual Abuse” were distributed at Advanced Training Institute (ATI) Counseling Seminars for over a decade. The document speaks for itself, but Recovering Grace would like to point out how victim-blaming and/or callous dismissal of abuse survivors’ pain is built into almost every one of [...]

Behind Every Good Man…

30 July 2012, 06:00

Administrator

The concept of authority is central to Bill Gothard’s teachings. So much so, that I remember performing a coronation ceremony crowning my dad “king” of our family as a Wisdom Booklet project. I was 16 at the time, and struggling with authority being defined as dad’s complete control over every aspect of my life. My [...]

Father’s Day and the Mystical Hedge of Protection

6 July 2012, 06:00

Administrator

On Father’s Day 2012, Bill Gothard made an interesting choice of subject matter for an email to fathers subscribed to his email list (click here to read it). While we recognize that his intent was to encourage fathers, we feel that there were several issues within the email that are greatly troubling. And while we [...]

Grace…Fully Loaded

29 June 2012, 06:00

Administrator

Years ago I learned a little acronym that was supposed to help me understand the meaning of grace: “God’s riches at Christ’s expense.” I suppose there is truth in the phrase, but it doesn’t really clarify this thing called grace. Later I learned another definition of grace: “The desire and ability to do God’s will.” [...]

Sowing to the Flesh–More thoughts on Mr. Gothard’s Sexual Rules

15 June 2012, 06:00

DavidM

This article is a continuation of “Mr. Gothard’s Sexual Rules,” a three-part series we ran last December. Mr. Gothard’s teachings on sex within marriage are not among the Institute in Basic Life Principles’ (IBLP) central doctrines. However, this section of the Advanced Seminar is an excellent example of how Mr. Gothard both views the Law and [...]

Spiritual Alchemy

8 June 2012, 06:00

MatthewS

A thousand years ago in Europe, alchemists served as philosophers, scientists, and magicians all wrapped up into one. They mixed, stirred, bubbled and distilled chemicals in the search for the fabled philosopher’s stone–the substance that would have the power to turn metals like lead into silver or gold. Their mission was doomed from the beginning, although [...]

Character Sketches or Sketchy Characters? Dinah and Tamar

12 April 2012, 07:00

DavidM

In his Character Sketches series, Mr. Gothard retells many of the stories found in Scripture to illustrate some aspect of character, either good or bad. Often, however, these sketches are better at illustrating how Mr. Gothard will twist Scripture with points that are many times theologically poisonous and logically absurd. In light of the theme [...]

Who Speaks for the Church? (An Excerpt)

10 February 2012, 06:00

Administrator

From time to time, we at Recovering Grace like to republish the work of others who have contributed to the discussion of Bill Gothard and his teachings. This is particularly true when a third party perspective of someone not closely involved with IBLP or ATI is provided, as in the following excerpt. This excerpt details [...]

Mr. Gothard’s Sexual Rules: Part Three

30 December 2011, 06:00

DavidM

(Continued from last week. Click here to read Part 1 and Part 2) Gothard is taking the blessing promised throughout Deuteronomy and applying them to those who follow certain commands from the Mosaic law. The problem with this is that the blessings in Deuteronomy come only by following the whole law (see Deut 28:14 for [...]