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15 July 2011, 12:00

Here are some questions commonly asked about our ministry:

Who is Bill Gothard?

Bill Gothard was the founder of the Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts in 1961, renamed the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) in 1989. Although the organization reached its peak between 1970 and 2000, Bill’s influence is still strong in many fundamentalist circles. Additionally, some of his teachings have found acceptance in the broader evangelical community, specifically his teachings on authority, spiritual gifts, and male/female relationships. For detailed discussion of Bill Gothard and his ministry, we highly recommend the book A Matter of Basic Principles, available from Amazon. For a shorter overview of the problematic nature of Bill Gothard’s theology, see the article entitled A Call for Discernment.

What is ATI?

The Advanced Training Institute is a homeschooling branch of IBLP that was founded in 1984. Families in ATI center their curriculum around “Wisdom Booklets” and other materials written and published by Gothard and IBLP. ATI families are typically extremely conservative and often have large numbers of children.

Why are you attacking a godly man who has helped so many people?

While it is true that in some cases Bill Gothard has influenced people for good, the truth is that the damage his organization has caused far outweighs any good. That being said, our focus is not to attack a person, but to expose an ideology for the trap that it is.

Much of what IBLP teaches is truth. Why throw out the baby with the bathwater?

There are indeed elements of truth in the principles that Gothard teaches, but he has so interwoven these biblical principles with legalistic rules and regulations that it is nearly impossible to separate the good from the bad. We believe that it is better to avoid Gothard’s teachings altogether, and to find the “baby” somewhere else.

Why don't you take a biblical Matthew 18 approach with Bill Gothard?

Recovering Grace does not believe our issues with Bill Gothard are the type that Christ is speaking to in Matthew 18. Our issues are primarily doctrinal, as they pertain to what we believe are faulty interpretations of Scripture–and the effects of such–rather than personal offenses by Bill Gothard against us. As any person who has spent time browsing our site will notice, we firmly believe that Gothard teaches a definition of grace and a view of sanctification that misses the heart of the gospel and of the New Testament. This leads to many negative consequences of which we seek to warn others. For our complete stance on Matthew 18, please read this article.

How is ATI/IBLP connected to the Duggar family of 19 Kids and Counting fame?

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have been utilizing the Advanced Training Institute homeschooling curriculum with their family for over 15 years. Many of the ideas and beliefs shared on their program originated with the teachings of Bill Gothard and the Institute in Basic Life Principles.

All articles on this site reflect the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of other Recovering Grace contributors or the leadership of the site. Students who have survived Gothardism tend to end up at a wide variety of places on the spiritual and theological spectrum, thus the diversity of opinions expressed on this website reflects that. For our official statement of beliefs, click here.