Merriam-Webster’s dictionary states karma as: The force generated by a person’s actions held in Hinduism and Buddhism to perpetuate transmigration and in its ethical consequences to determine the nature of the person’s next existence.
Eastern religions teach that once we die, we re-enter the cycle of life in a different form. If someone performs good deeds on earth (or good karma), then they will be reincarnated as something better in the afterlife. If someone does bad deeds on earth (or bad karma), then they will be reincarnated as a lower-level life form (animal, tree, etc).
In America, it is popular to leave out the afterlife and focus on the present life. The idea, “Do good things and good things will happen,” has become a philosophy deeply penetrating our society. If the face of tragedy, you will often hear something like this, “It’s such a shame. They were such good people,” or “He had it coming.” Americans believe in karma more than they know.
This comes into play for Christians when we replace “karma” with “God.” We begin to think, “Do good things and God will do good things for you.” God becomes this genie who stands ready to grant health, wealth, and prosperity for those who rub the lamp the right way. For some it may be “visualizing your dream,” or “believe and receive,” or “planting the seed of faith.” These popular preachers teach bad things happen because you are sinning somehow.
What does this have to do with Bill Gothard? On the first night of the Basic Seminar, Bill makes a series of statements: “Life is hooked up in a very delicate cause and effect sequence”…“Wisdom is tracing problems to violations of God’s principles”…“You’re having a problem here, because you’re violating a principle here.” Gothard then gives a testimony of how one man’s business troubles were the consequences of his immoral lifestyle. (He didn’t prove one caused the other, he just implied.) Bill then gave another illustration of a man who was having problems with his children because he had disrespected his own parents. Once again the message rings: Bad things are happening because you must have sinned.
At the same time, Gothard presents seven basic principles which he claims come from God’s word (In fact, he actually equates them with God’s law itself). The bottom line is simple: Follow these basic principles and your problems (conflicts) will go away.He even goes so far to claim that if you follow his principles, you will never have to borrow money. He also laid claim that mental illness could be cured by following his principle of Responsibility.
The last of the seven basic principles is Success. In the Basic Seminar Textbook (p. 135), Bill promises this if you follow his plan of scripture meditation, “You will have good success…Whatever you do will prosper…You will excel in wisdom and understanding…You will have new power over sin…You will discover how to live…Your success will be obvious to all.”
Due to these examples, Bill’s theology is based upon karma (an eastern religion) instead of the Bible. Allow me to give you three arguments from scripture which rebut Gothard’s teachings.
1. Limitations of the Old Testament Covenant
During the first night of the Basic Seminar, Gothard states twice that his cause-and-effect beliefs come from Deuteronomy 27 and 28. In this passage, God is reaffirming His covenant with the Children of Israel. Yes, God does promise to bless them if they obey Him and curse them if they don’t. However, three things need to be kept in mind here.
First, God made this covenant with the ethnic Jews, not Christians today. We are under the new covenant inaugurated in the death of Jesus Christ. Second, this covenant was not individual, but national. Notice in the book of Judges that when God’s people (as a whole) returned to Him, God blessed their land. It goes too far to say that God intends to individually bless good guys, while at the same time, cursing the bad guys. Thirdly, the blessings and curses were directly tied to the physical land of Canaan. So if you don’t live there, it doesn’t apply to you!
2. Good Things Happen to Bad People
Physical blessings are NEVER a good way to determine God’s favor. There are a lot of Americans out there who probably feel that God’s been good to them. And while all good DOES come from the hand of God, it doesn’t indicate that you are in a right relationship with God. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matt. 5:45) Experiencing God’s goodness reveals more about God than about you. God is still good, whether you are righteous or unrighteous.
You might be thinking, “That’s confusing!” You’re not the only one who has thought that. Psalm 73 introduces us to a guy named Asaph. Let’s read some of his thoughts, “For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills.” (Ps. 73:3-5) Asaph was so confused when he saw bad people go through life without problems–especially when he, the good guy, had lots of them. “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments.” (Ps. 73:13-14)
However, this is nothing new. The book of Ecclesiastes paints a rather grim picture of life–that it’s full of pain and sorrow. The book of Job tells the story of a godly man who experienced more sorrow than any other story I’ve ever heard–it contains over 35 chapters of asking, “God, why?” In the book of Hebrews, the writer tells of all the heroes and heroines of Old Testament. They did all kinds of cool stuff and God blessed them in all kinds of ways. But halfway through the passage, the theme changes. “There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.” (Heb. 11:35-38)
3. Our Hope is in Heaven
You might be thinking, if God is good to the righteous and unrighteous, how is that just? Does it make ANY difference whether or not I obey God? To that I reply, “Not a lot here, but it makes ALL the difference in the next life.” Asaph reached that same conclusion. “…I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.” (Ps. 73:17-18) The writer of Ecclesiastes also had the same thought, “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Eccles. 12:13-14) Job was eventually blessed more than before. The writer of Hebrews also stated that those who did not receive the promise were to gain a better resurrection.
God DOES reward good and punish evil, but that doesn’t always happen now; most happens later. That’s why when Peter was writing to Christians experiencing tremendous conflict, he didn’t say, “Guys, you must have violated a principle somewhere.” Instead, he said, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” (1 Pet. 4:12-13) Don’t miss that last part. One day we will be OVERJOYED. When? Not now, but when Christ is REVEALED in glory.
Don’t believe the lies of “Christian karma.” Instead, follow Jesus. And remember that following Jesus will not fix all your problems–some of them are just going to stick around until we reach heaven.
It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ,
One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrows will erase,
So bravely run the race ‘till we see Christ.
Bruce has spent several years in Christian ministry as a senior pastor, worship pastor, & youth pastor. He is working on a Masters in Divinity from one of the countries largest seminaries. He is happily married and has three children.
July 31, 2024
Some of this is true, but it is a bit warped.
I agree that there is no Christian Karma. We get way better than we deserve, for one thing. Our sins earn death for us and Christ has purchased life. So no fair treatment there, just grace.
On the other hand, when we are going through fiery trials we are to obey and there is much reward in obedience, here and now, as well as later. There is joy in Christ when we obey. There is peace that passeth understanding. It is not true that if obey there is little reward here. Have you thrown the book of Proverbs out?
God fights our battles. He protects us. He makes our enemies live at peace with us.
Sometimes we are persecuted for no evil of our own. And we are to rejoice in that and praise God and wait on him for deliverance. Sometimes we get diseases and we die. Or we suffer in poverty. Yes, bad things happen to good people and our hope is in heaven.
But you cannot fight legalism by saying that there is not a lot of difference here between people who obey and people who don't obey. There is reward on earth for obedience. There is discipline for disobedience. People were dying in Corinth for taking the Lord's Supper wrong. God does discipline us in his love, because he's a good father.
And he does reward obedience, even here and now. For one thing we have peace with our own consciences when we obey. We have joy in Christ and communion with him that is not possible when we disobey. But we also, often, are rewarded with good health and with financial gain when we obey. If we work hard with our hands so we'll have something to share, often God will reward that by giving us something to share. If we love our spouses (I mean love and not obey begrudgingly) and remain faithful we will likely have a healthy marriage whereas if we have affairs we will likely get a sexually transmitted disease or end up with a broken marriage.
You can't discard all that in an effort to fight legalism.
Sally, for what it's worth, I mostly agree with you, and actually, I think you are not in as much disagreement with this article as you might think.
You recognize that sometimes we go through fiery trials not of our own making. And you point out that often when if we love our spouse we are rewarded with a happy marriage; some people might use the analogy of watering a garden and watching it grow.
But - what if a woman loves her husband from the heart and he turns out to have a hidden problem that has resulted in him molesting their daughter in secret over a period of time? What if a man loves his wife from the heart for over a decade, only to have her suddenly leave him in their middle-aged years for a much older man who reminds her of her dad? These stories happen more frequently than we'd like to think. You mention not having STD's but sometimes a faithful spouse gets an STD, even AIDS, from an unfaithful spouse. Here's the rub: what if the church looks down on the devastated spouse and suggests that they didn't love enough? On the other hand, what about when a woman's husband dies in a tragic accident and someone in the church suggests she loved her husband *too much* and God took him away? (true story, by the way)
And finally, what about the spouse who was convinced that if they did love enough, they would be blessed with the happy marriage and now they feel betrayed by God for "letting them down"?
The problem of Job is that on one hand, God is faithful and we know there are rewards for doing right. On the other hand, sometimes people suffer without a clear reason that is their fault. We are not given any magic formulas in Scripture to avoid pain, betrayal, suffering, loss, embarrassment, or even being violently attacked.
Someone has said that part of the point of Job is the question behind Satan's question: If God didn't pay off his followers, would they follow him anyway? It's a good question. Would you? Would I?
I hope we both would, but then that undercuts the "karma" idea behind nice tight "cause and effect" systems that seem to promise that if you follow this principle you will get this positive benefit. The parable of workers in the vineyard also undercuts that idea - the blessing received was a function of the landlord's generosity, not of what the workers strictly deserved.
[...] letter reminds us again of his bent toward mysticism and karma in his interpretation of the Bible (Christian Karma explains in more detail how deeply this message is woven into Gothard’s teachings). Our hope is [...]
I agree with this article. My family was involved in the homeschooling movement all my life, and in ATI for about 6 years. While we were actually very balanced and never became "gothardites" some of the false teaching rubbed off on me. It was never taught in our home but I picked it up at various conferences and talking with other ATI families. This particular teaching has been especially destructive for me. I was a good girl, I did not date, a courted a wonderful man, we did not kiss until our wedding day, we did not use birth control; basically we did all the right things for a successful and blessed life. We were married in march and in dec our first daughter was stillborn. Devastating. We got pregnant again and had a beautiful little boy, perfectly healthy. We did things right with him too, no vaccines etc. we got pregnant again and lost another daughter. Got pregnant again with another boy. Things were going fine until about 5 weeks ago. Our 16 month old son got very sick and passed away suddenly. No warning at all. I am due in a week and this has been a very difficult time. What has made it even more difficult is the fact that I had been brainwashed into thinking that if I did all these things right then I would not have to suffer. I can't begin to tell of the mental agonies I have endured trying to figure which area of my life I screwed up in. The teaching if you give everything back to god and do things right then you will be blessed abundantly is not true and does not prepare one for the real world and the tragedies that happen simply because we live on earth. Also, it would be very destructive of me to say that my son's life and passing was a punishment. That is simply not true. He has blessed so many people and has touched more lives than I have. I am glad to be finally finding some freedom from this destructive thinking.
Oh Audra, I am so sorry for the pain you must be experiencing. While my wife and I have not had to endure the loss of a child, I can definitely identify with the mental anguish of suffering while trying to figure out what you did to cause it. My wife and I were infertile for many, many years and all the while I wondered what I *did* to cause it. Our experience is detailed in this article:
https://www.recoveringgrace.org/2011/08/gods-best-the-committments-payoff/
I still don't know all of the answers, except to say that God is good and life is hard. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.
i went through some heavy things while in ATI and i have to tell you that this cause and effect thing is not right. my sister lost her little girl to a car accident that happened at my parents house involving my nephew. he backed up the van and she ran out the door to see a new puppy and ran behind the van. my sister, brother in law and my nephew were thrown into a vortex of sorrow and pain and did i do this type thinking. ive never heard men cry like that in my life. God was there the whole time, holding us, loving us, and helping us deal with our grief. to believe that somehow this is due to sin is unthinkable. my sister and her husband love God, so dies my nephew. to blame them somehow changes the focus and assigns someone with a value of less than what God wants and thats not what the bible is all about. God loves us all without reservation. He loves us wether we sin or not. He wants us to be free of sin,sure but tragedies in life just like joys in life just happen sometimes. we have to see His love for us in the good times and bad to get through this life and not just place values on the bad things that happen. if that is the case then none of us deserves salvation, because we are human and mess up!!!!!
we lost 3 members of my family in less than 2 years that time in my life and i have to say that i did cry out to GOD to spare us for a little while, until i could handle it again and He heard me, but i dont think that our family was under a curse, i think that the sovernity of God just happened at that time and i learned to love Him in the bad times as well as the good. this is what is needed in this life. God bless you all for this site!!!!!
wow... I can't imagine what that would be like to lose 3 family members inside of 2 years. It's moving - your sense of God being there in the good times and the bad, questions, pain, and all.
[...] in front of the world on RG. I think one of my favorite articles so far really is one of the first, Christian Karma…because it goes beyond ATI to a lot of teachings out there in the Christian world. It really [...]
Gothard actually never suggests that bad things will never happen to those who obey. That is a complete misrepresentation. In fact, in his Basic Life Principles course, he talks repeatedly about being thankful when bad things DO happen to you. He wouldn't even be capable of suggesting that if he were also suggesting that nothing bad will EVER happen to you, or that every bad thing that befalls you is your fault or the result of disobedience. If you fail to recognize that though, it is as ill begotten as people who suggest that Solomon's existence in the Bible gives the spiritual go ahead for polygamy. It's a textbook case of taking something out of context. Christians don't like it when non believers do it to the Bible, so why go and do it to individual people? Gothard doesn't want people to "be like him" anymore than Paul wants people to be like Paul. We are supposed to be like Paul in mimicking Jesus though.
Anyway, what he DOES stress, is that *ruin* will not come to you. That you will triumph and be the better for it, and he compares the process to the hardening of a diamond. I would say equating the two (bad things not coming to you vs. ruin) is disingenuous, but it seems to be the result of not actually understanding Gothard's points. Simply, his approach is not legalism. Legalism suggests that we "earn" salvation. Nothing more. Gothard never suggests that, not at all. When he says that you will have success though, you will. Not that no bad things will ever happen to you along the way, and not that your definition of success is the same as God's. And even then, to refer to Job, Job's story shows that Job was rewarded for continuing to be obedient and faithful THROUGH a trial (faith implies some level of both trust and obedience). Case in point.
Obedience WILL have tangible, in-this-life rewards. They aren't as good, and they aren't guaranteed to be 100% consistent, but the Bible does actually say that, and ignoring that by not reconciling it with the rest of the Bible paints an incomplete picture that diminishes the benefits that God has in store for you. A life lived more obediently will result in more success in this life than with less obedience. Not that "everything will be perfect in your own eyes". This isn't the prosperity gospel. It is simple pragmatism, and God's commands are very pragmatic. If I avoid sexual sin, then I will be better off and enjoy more fruits of the spirit in this life than if I occasionally fall into it and ask for forgiveness. If I obey God's command to not steal, then I will be less likely to be sent to jail, more happy, less likely to become an adrenaline junkie, and so forth. Never that it "won't be hard" but that it will be "less hard". The difference however is that "success in this life" is not required for salvation, and Gothard makes that point eloquently in his seminars on grace when he explains that "A Christian can be saved and still miserable". That is absolutely and without a doubt NOT legalism, and anyone claiming that Gothard's teaching is legalism is wrong right off the bat.
Finally, as a former "Taoist" and having been very familiar with Eartern concepts of Karma, I can say with some authority that Gothard's views are nothing like Karma. No offense. So I suggest that those who are so heavily disenfranchised with Gothard's teaching were simply "doing it wrong." Much like a person not correctly following an exercise routine. That isn't to say that there isn't SOME incorrect information from him, but in all honesty, every human teacher besides Jesus is wrong sometimes.
"I suggest that those who are so heavily disenfranchised with Gothard's teaching were simply "doing it wrong." Much like a person not correctly following an exercise routine. That isn't to say that there isn't SOME incorrect information from him, but in all honesty, every human teacher besides Jesus is wrong sometimes. "
Chris,
You are SOO correct. I've been saying this for months, but no one will listen to me!
Bill Gothard is not perfect, and admittedly does teach "some" incorrectness, but that's no excuse for not following his teachings perfectly, even the incorrect ones. If you follow all of his teachings the "right" way, then you will have the "right" result. (Even if the teaching is incorrect.) Sounds like you have the "higher" logical reasoning that so few of us have. (Bill Gothard has it, which is why he's the teacher and we are the pupils.)
Thanks for making my point even better than me!
Chris,
If all the people hurt by ATI were simply "doing it wrong," and it was a distortion of Gothard's teaching, then pray tell, how come Bill Gothard never confronted these "misconceptions?" Therefore, the only logical conclusion is that those hurt by ATI were "doing it right acccording to Bill Gothard" and that it was not a misconception, it was what BG taught.
"Anyone claiming that Gothard's teaching is legalism is wrong right off the bat."
Please then explain how Gothard teaching that grace is merited, teaches that borrowing is a sin, going to movie theaters is a sin, teaches that music with a beat is a demonic sin, says that if you spend more time reading business news than the Bible, you're falling into spiritual danger,says that you should first pray for an item rather than buy it (no exceptions, and that if your first thought is to buy, you're falling into spiritual danger), and numerous other extremes in his teachings, is not legalistic.
Your definition of legalism needs a slight correction, so if I may. :) Legalism is not simply trying to earn salvation, rather it is trying to earn favor or points with God. Legalism says "God's love for me depends on my performance." One major aspect of legalism is adding things to Scripture that God did not. It is being narrow where Scripture is not. Gothard's teachings embody that in many ways, as demonstrated above.
Bill Gothard is not perfect, and admittedly does teach "some" incorrectness, but that's no excuse for not following his teachings perfectly, even the incorrect ones....
This is frightening to me! Even the incorrect ones? Why should we not focus on God - As He has no incorrect doctrine or leagalism. As a member of a ATI pilot family, I am learning now after so many years how twisted Gothard way of thinking was/is. I thank God I reject the "opportunities" to be involved at headquarters after a short 3 day visit. Bill Gothard has no "higher reasoning" what he does have is a very persuasive method of captivating people that want to do and be better. He then convinces them he has the only right answers to make this happen. Instead of twisting the scripture to steer people to himself, Bill should be steering people to Christ where the can find the answers without Bills twisted interpretations.
All comments from "The Easter Bunny" should be regarded as sarcasm. That's the way he rolls.
I think the The Esater Bunny's secret identity is Ex-ATI guy. :) In a twisted kind of way, I would love to see an extended banter between The Easter Bunny and Alfred....
Thank you for being here and writing this article.
It is not just Bill Gothardism that teaches this idea, it is also the consequence of the prosperity gospel.
My parents, from a biblical perspective, were doing everything right. However, they were a little more liberal than some of the people in my church because they were okay with women wearing pants and working outside the home. They had gone to a pre-marriage Gothard class but felt that the teaching was legalistic. They had left the Baptist churches they had visited were not quite what they wanted and wound up going to a homeschooling non-denominational church where about 1/3rd of the members would use Bill Gothard as an authority concerning scripture.
The problem came in when my dad, unexpectedly, wound up with an incurable cancer and died when I was 8.
Before my dad died, people were very supportive, praying for him. After he died, though, I felt a lot of shame. I wondered if I had done something wrong that caused my dad to die, but I couldn't figure out what it possibly could be. Later, when I was nine, I realized that I was not truly a Christian (I had, of course, prayed to be saved when I was 6 but did not truly understand at that time) and so I wondered if that had been why God had not followed my prayers and healed my dad. In my church there were still supportive people, but many people that followed Gothardism ignored and excluded me.
Like, for example, I had a small group leader exclude only me from a presentation and from getting ice cream plus other things.
At the time, I thought they blamed me. Now that I'm an adult I wonder if their worldview simply did not allow that bad things might happen despite how much you try to follow God. Did they follow God out of fear that they would be punished if they didn't?
The thing that saved me from this legalism was reading the Bible for myself and seeing what it really said.
Maybe I didn't have enough faith, or I didn't appreciate my parents enough as a child, I don't know. I want to believe it was simply because we live a world cursed by sin and that it doesn't matter how long we live, it matters what we do with our time and if we give it to God. The one thing I do know is that even if God was punishing me, then I was already punished. There was no need to punish me a second time by excluding me or gossiping at what I or my parents might have done.
Another issue was that my mom chose not to remarry, so people kept telling her that she was supposed to get remarried so that she could be under the authority of a man. This made going to church hard for her. And truthfully, my parents were so close that she was already doing everything that my dad would've wanted her to do anyway so the "authority of a man" thing is irrelevant.
I have forgiven those people now, but I don't know if they've forgiven me for whatever they thought I did and I still struggle with wondering if God actually loves me as much as other people. My brain tells me He does, but I don't feel it.
it seems that gothard still has his defenders. i am surprised. i hope that we can get away from gothards' legalism and go on with our lives. is the IBLP still in business? and is gothard still teaching?