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Articles about how Bill Gothard mishandles the Bible to support his legalistic viewpoint.

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Living and thriving through the grace of God.

Stories and accounts of the destruction caused by the teachings of Bill Gothard.

Tag Archives: parents

A Long Night’s Journey Through the ATI / IBLP System

24 April 2014, 06:00

Moderator

213

I grew up in Bill Gothard’s Advanced Training Institute of America (ATIA, later renamed ATI) home school program from 1985 through 2005 — twenty years! I worked at five different Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) training centers run by Bill Gothard and his staff, as well as working at IBLP Headquarters in Oak Brook, […]

When Sexual Harassment at IBLP Headquarters Is Acknowledged

17 April 2014, 06:00

Moderator

32

I attended my first Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) Basic Seminar during my junior year of high school. It was interesting, although I couldn’t believe we were watching a video. My parents had been attending these seminars for years. They accepted Jesus at one in 1976. I did my part at the seminar, paying […]

How Could This Happen Here?

15 April 2014, 08:42

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101

Recovering Grace will observe Sexual Assault Awareness Month for the remainder of April.   In April 2012 and 2013, we published some very difficult stories of sexual abuse in ATI [Advanced Training Institute] families. Some critics objected that these families were extreme outliers within the program, and that ATI and IBLP have never condoned sexual […]

To My Daughter

11 April 2014, 06:00

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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

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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” […]

Robin’s Story

10 March 2014, 06:00

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197

I had a smattering of random dots on a field of a thousand points. Reading the testimony of “Meg” a few weeks ago allowed me to connect some of those dots for the first time in 21 years. Her story struck a cold pang in my heart when it dawned on me that she was […]

Gothard’s Process: Invite, Idealize, Isolate, Transgress, Rewrite

18 February 2014, 07:00

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Chronology of Ruth, Annette, Charlotte, Meg, Rachel, Lizzie, and Grace

18 February 2014, 07:00

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1970: Ruth, age 18, is pressured by Bill Gothard to leave college and come work at Campus Teams Headquarters in Illinois. 1971-73: Ruth becomes Bill Gothard’s personal secretary, and he asserts control over nearly every aspect of her life. Ruth is pressured to break off her relationship with Larne. 1971: “Meg” is born in Blenheim, […]

Marcus’s Story: Touching the Invisible Electric Fence

17 February 2014, 08:00

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118

I was invited to work at the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) headquarters during the summer of 1992. I said goodbye to my family in Knoxville, Tennessee, where we had traveled to attend the yearly Advanced Training Institute (ATI) annual conference, and climbed aboard one of the many vans transporting IBLP staff back to Oak […]

Rachel’s Story

17 February 2014, 06:00

Moderator

117

This is my real name, and below is my real story. The Awkward First Meeting It was the final session of the 1992 Knoxville conference, and the choir and orchestra were starting to gather for the big rendition of “It Will Be Worth it All.” I was supposed to be playing flute in the orchestra, […]