parents | Recovering Grace

Personal testimonies of finding true freedom through God's matchless grace.

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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An ATI Education, Chapter 1: Under the Umbrella

15 October 2015, 06:00

Sara Jones

How do we grow in wisdom and character? How are we protected from temptation? How does God give us direction for our lives? Say it with me, ye thousands of Gothard’s alumni: “By staying under authority.” Authority is the foundational principle of Gothard’s worldview. “Our faith multiplies as we see how God speaks to us […]

Ignorance Is Not Bliss

31 March 2015, 06:00

Moderator

Ever since our pastor announced that Bill Gothard stepped down, I feel like I have been in a state of shock. I have always been famous for saying, “Ignorance is not bliss.” Now I know just how right I was. I have to reconcile myself to the fact that I was living in ignorance, and […]

Sorry, Mom and Dad. We DO Have Regrets

22 January 2015, 06:00

Moderator

235

Growing up in ATI, our parents often told us, “Because of the way we’re raising you, you won’t have any regrets.” Their regrets included broken relationships, sexual sins, temptations, “wasted” years and the like. All of which we would to avoid because of our sheltered, carefully controlled upbringing. We don’t know if our parents honestly […]

An Open Letter to ATI Parents

12 January 2015, 16:58

Moderator

You wanted us to grow up strong and mature and capable and effective Christians, above all else. Thank you. You wanted us to love Jesus more than the world, you wanted to protect us from the failures your experienced at our age. Thank you. You wanted the absolute best for us and were willing to […]

You Cannot Pay With Words

12 November 2014, 09:00

Moderator

My story is about a leader maintaining a double life for decades and then demanding to pay for his deeds with words and tears. He is outwardly sorrowful that his words and favor are no longer valid currency. My parents were regional and state leaders in the homeschooling movement for years before we joined the […]

Living by Principles

26 September 2014, 06:00

Ileata

137

If you died with the Messiah to the elemental forces of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations: “Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”? All these regulations refer to what is destroyed by being used up; they are commands and doctrines of […]

Heather’s Story

9 July 2014, 06:00

Moderator

128

The following is a list of all currently published allegations (that we know of) of Bill Gothard’s behavior. Megan’s Story, published April 3, 2014 (external link) Robin’s Story, published March 10, 2014 Rachel’s Story, published February 17, 2014 Ruth’s Story, published February 12, 2014 Charlotte’s Story, published February 5, 2014 Meg’s Story, published January 20, 2014 […]

Dear Mom and Dad

16 June 2014, 06:00

Moderator

Dear Mom and Dad, I do not write this out of vindictiveness or anger; rather, I write it out of an inquiring and puzzled mind. I do not fault you for putting our family into the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) program. You wanted the best for our family, and I believe you sincerely thought you […]

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 […]

Finding the Words to Say, “No More”

28 April 2014, 05:58

Moderator

107

When I was fourteen years old I was diagnosed with a very rare, very aggressive cancer. To be able to start my treatment, we learned, I would need to go to a hospital in a different city. There we met the oncologist responsible for heading up my treatment protocol. He was my future abuser. At […]