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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.

Tag Archives: abuse

Keeping Up Appearances.

21 November 2011, 06:00

Moderator

19

I am a survivor of Gothardism. I fully believe ATI is a twisted system of unrealistic rules and regulations. Even more, it gives abusive parents the tools and justification they need to rationalize their behavior. Let me start at the beginning. I went to public school from preschool through first grade. After that, my family […]

Spiritual Gifts

11 November 2011, 06:00

DavidM

20

In the Advanced Training Institute (ATI), your spiritual gift often became part of your identity. “I am a mercy,” or “I am a prophet,” became commonplace statements which people used to identify and explain themselves. I still vividly remember encountering Mr. Gothard’s teachings on spiritual gifts in the Advanced Seminar. I really latched onto this […]

Adoption: The Ultimate Act of Grace

14 October 2011, 06:00

Kevin

110

What do the following characters have in common?  Luke Skywalker… Harry Potter… Tarzan… Mowgli… Superman… Batman… Jane Eyre… Bambi… Oliver Twist… Buddy the Elf… Kung Fu Panda… Anne of Green Gables… Moses…. Answer: They’re all—in various senses of the word—adopted. Granted, some of these adoptive situations worked out better than others, and it’s admittedly better […]

A Jonah Tale

11 October 2011, 06:05

admin

10

In the latter part of the 1990s, I spent the better part of two years working at the Oklahoma City Training Center (OTC). I worked primarily with Character First! Education (CFE), specifically going into the local schools and teaching the curriculum to mostly low-income children. While I now see some of the flawed philosophy behind […]

Spanking the Orphans: A Brief History

4 October 2011, 05:45

RobertM

10

The following is meant to share some of the history of the disciplinary philosophy of spanking used by the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) in their orphan ministry. Spanking at the Moscow Training Center (MTC) was used too often for offenses that were only minor and as a cure-all and spirit-breaker.  The lack of a coherent, […]

A Different Kind of Sexual Abuse

8 September 2011, 06:30

KylarD

50

It was my 12th birthday. I was excited because I knew my dad would be taking me out to visit for a little bit before we celebrated with my family. I was the oldest of four boys at the time, before our younger sister and baby brother where born. I was excited because personal interactions […]

You’ll Be Okay … Maybe

23 August 2011, 06:15

Moderator

17

The following stories, told by former Advanced Training Institute (ATI) students on various online forums, are a small sampling of the many stories told by young people who became ill or sustained physical injuries while working at an ATI training center or at Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) headquarters. These stories illustrate a common […]