Freedom | Recovering Grace

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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.

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Speaking Up Late in the Day

3 May 2014, 08:48

Moderator

Over the past two weeks and previous two Aprils, Recovering Grace has focused on personal narratives by former Advanced Training Institute (ATI) alumni who endured sexual assault, abuse, or harassment in the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) subculture, sometimes within a context of broader physical abuse, and almost always within a context of spiritual […]

Twelve Characteristics of Fundamentalist Societies that Shelter Sexual Abuse

30 April 2014, 09:00

Moderator

163

How could he have fooled so many people, so thoroughly? How did the abuse go on for so many years, unacknowledged? Whenever a leader at this level is ousted or steps down, questions like these come to mind. In the wake of revelations of sexual harassment and abuse pouring in from survivors of Bill Gothard’s […]

Readings on Acknowledging and Healing from Sexual Abuse

29 April 2014, 06:00

Moderator

Below are some links to readings that members of our community have found helpful on their paths to healing from physical and sexual abuse, especially abuse suffered at the hands of family members, authority figures, and other trusted individuals. In A Theology of Sexual Abuse: A Reflection on Creation and Devastation, Dr. Andrew Schmutzer describes […]

To My Daughter

11 April 2014, 06:00

Moderator

After being in ATI for 10 years and now out for the last 13 years, I am finding the need to say some things to our oldest daughter. She was our “guinea pig,” the one from whom we learned the most and the one upon whom we tried the most. She was with us from start […]

The One Who’s Turned into a Girl Again

8 April 2014, 06:00

Anne

I’ve been struggling the past month. Events on Recovering Grace have unfolded to a place where I have finally been able to feel vindicated that the niggling little feelings that had long rested deep within my soul were justified. Oh, I would never have been able to actually express those feelings, not because I “couldn’t” […]

On Feeling Betrayed, Validated, and Brave

3 April 2014, 06:00

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189

ATI Counseling Seminar photographed in Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, GA

And since your history of silence Won’t do you any good, Did you think it would? Let your words be anything but empty Why don’t you tell them the truth? Say what you want to say And let the words fall out Honestly I want to see you be brave Show me […]

Was It All Wrong?

27 March 2014, 06:00

Moderator

261

Okay, now we have left the legalist church/organization/teacher. Now what? Where do we stand? Do we throw out everything we learned? How do we sort out all of this? Does it all just need to go? I have been getting a lot of these questions lately. Doug Phillips and Vision Forum are gone. Bill Gothard […]

Stolen Treasures

11 March 2014, 06:00

Moderator

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was originally published on March 11, 2013. A recent article on Recovering Grace, entitled “Moving On,” prompted me to think about the reason it is so difficult to move forward after being victimized by legalism. As I have worked with those hurt by legalism over the years, I have often heard stories about what […]

Silencing the Lambs: Twisting Matthew 18

3 March 2014, 06:00

Moderator

131

A Response to Rediscovering a Forgotten Truth The day was Valentine’s Day 1976. Bill Gothard and his brother, Steve, had some surprising confessions to make to the staff of IBYC: they had “defrauded” staff secretaries. In the months prior to this, some of the young ladies had sought out the help of other staff members […]

Defrauding: What does it mean?

27 February 2014, 06:00

Moderator

159

In February 1976, Bill Gothard confessed to the poorly-defined offense of “having ‘defrauded’ staff secretaries.” In a July 1980 meeting of the Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts (IBYC) board, it was confirmed that Bill Gothard was responsible for the “physical and emotional defrauding of several of his personal secretaries.” In February 1981, Bill once again […]