IBLP’s Peru Trip Website

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IBLP’s Peru Trip Website

IBLP’s Peru Trip Website

20 March 2012, 14:46

We at Recovering Grace like keep up with current IBLP (Institute in Basic Life Principles) events as much as possible, simply so we can pass along items of interest to our readers, along with any necessary critique.

Those who are familiar with IBLP’s recent history know that the organization has a pattern of establishing new connections with foreign countries, claiming that Mr. Gothard’s teachings are going to transform the country into a model nation. Usually these connections end in disillusionment on both ends, as was the case with Russia.

IBLP has been attempting to establish a relationship with Peru, and they currently have a delegation led by Mr. Gothard in the capital city of Lima. They have been blogging each day about the trip on this website: http://teamperu12.blogspot.com/ (Update: shortly after publication of this article, the blog was removed by IBLP staff.)

We thought we’d pass this website along as an illustration of the following:

IBLP continues to emphasize spreading Mr. Gothard’s teachings (seven basic principles; seven deadly stresses, etc) to a much greater level than of sharing the gospel.
Mr. Gothard is currently trying to infiltrate Peruvian churches with his unusual and unbiblical teachings on stress resolution. On day four, “The first visit this morning was with a group of pastors from all over the country. They were given the concept of how their churches should be the center for stress resolution.” We know that the church has indeed been given a calling, but it is not “stress resolution.” It is the Great Commission.
Mr. Gothard’s teachings on pseudo-spiritual medicine are growing increasingly strange. On day eleven,
“One of the patients visited was a little boy about 5 years old named Julio. He is suffering from brain paralysis which hinders his motor skills. He had just come out of a surgery in which a portion of his gut had been implanted into his brain and he was already showing signs of healing. The doctors cannot explain why that technique is working, but Mr. Gothard was able to share with them the mind and body connection. They are working on an agreement in which VERITY Institute will be able to work with the hospitals on a stress evaluation program and document the results.”
We are currently investigating what medical procedure is being referred to, but this is an example of how Mr. Gothard will make an uneducated medical claim based on a misuse of Scripture to make it seem as if he has answers for all of life’s problems.

In conclusion, we would like to say that we do indeed rejoice for those who have been saved in Peru. Mr. Gothard’s teaching on justification is indeed orthodox, and undoubtedly there have been those on this trip who have accepted Christ. However, we pray that these people do not continue to seek Mr. Gothard’s teachings on sanctification and the Christian walk, as they lead to nowhere but bondage.

All articles on this site reflect the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of other Recovering Grace contributors or the leadership of the site. Students who have survived Gothardism tend to end up at a wide variety of places on the spiritual and theological spectrum, thus the diversity of opinions expressed on this website reflects that. For our official statement of beliefs, click here.

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30 Comments

"Hannah" March 20, 2012 Reply

Yes, I want to know the medical name of this procedure, please!! Hahahaha!
Wendy Blake March 20, 2012 Reply

Awesome!!! Hopefully the new believers will read their Bible's and find a Christianity filled with the love of Jesus and not the rules of Gothard. :D
greg March 20, 2012 Reply

On day 2--look at the bright and shining eyes!!(?)-Oops..never mind,, I guess that is from the bright sun,,,,,,,,,
lori March 21, 2012 Reply

that obsure medical procedure can be summed up in one word "weird"!!! and how do we know that it was even done?? just the word of a crack pt and his followers that have drank the kool-aid. this is not the first time that thing has happened to make something sound better than it was!!!!
Anonymous March 21, 2012 Reply

The 2012 Verity class wasn't given a choice in this. I really do think they are doing some awesome work and I have already heard from close friends of the truly miraculous things that have taken place. But the 2011 class stood up to Bill Gothard and went to Israel instead of Peru. Since then it was made very clear to the 2012 class that they were going to Peru with Dr. Gothard at the helm and they didn't have a choice. I do believe however, that God has them there by His will and He will bless them in what they do.
- David Auge March 21, 2012 Reply
  
  Yeah...we basically stood up as one against going to Peru...it 'tis true that stormtroopers standing in one accord can challenge the power of the Sith
- BeverlyB March 21, 2012 Reply
  
  So much for Verity being separate from the Institute. It sounds like things are still very much being driven by Mr. Gothard, if he can insist a whole class does what he wants. Either that or he's just under the opinion that he's driving it, and someone forgot to tell him it's separate now. Either way, it sounds like it's yet another situation where he can't (or won't) give up control.
Kaytlin March 21, 2012 Reply

The whole medical operation thing......I can't believe what I'm reading. How does putting part of a gut in someone's brian have to do with Bill Gothard's teachings. I'm totally lost and I will leave it at that.
- Ileata March 21, 2012 Reply
  
  I'm really confused about this, too. Our gut is where all sorts of dangerous things like parasites and bacteria. I would think putting that in the brain would be really, really dangerous. I really hope this child doesn't die and that there is something behind this "medical practice" other than analogies.
  - BeverlyB March 21, 2012 Reply
    
    If the boy had just come out of surgery and was showing signs of healing, what about 48 hours later? Was he still healing? It feels that Gothard is just eager to prove his point, without waiting to see follow-through before publishing his theory. I hope he goes back to the hospital, or calls to find out how the boy is doing. Any attempt to create a medical theory based on one example, and without seeing the end result, is very scary... Not to mention the fact that Gothard is volunteering non medically-trained college students to help evaluate and document results, when he hasn't bothered to do it in the first place.
Dona Stroshine March 21, 2012 Reply

I just checked with my husband, who is a veterinarian. As far as he knows, there is no medical diagnosis/ condition such as "brain paralysis". This is a same old weary approach to life, alright. Ignorance reported as (undocumented) as fact.
NathanS March 21, 2012 Reply

The report was obviously done quickly by someone who was not familiar with the medical terms, and more importantly, all of this was relayed to him second hand through Spanish interpreters. It's no wonder there's confusion. Also, remember that the medical procedure done on Julio was not Gothard's idea. He simply offered an idea from the Bible about maybe why the procedure could work. Agreed, this stuff is not well documented. But we have even less info than the IBLP team did, so let's not be so quick to draw conclusions.

As for the internship arrangement, I know from experience that it's unwise to talk about stuff like this on a public forum until it's finalized. But I can see how it would work out, since Verity has students in biology, social sciences, nursing, and nutrition. Doing some field tests in stress reduction therapy could used as a senior thesis project for a student wanting to go on into behavioral or medical science. It's a plus that they'd be able to work with concepts and therapies they're already familiar with from their experience in IBLP. That's totally standard for a college program.
- RyanR March 22, 2012 Reply
  
  I'd agree with you if the tests were performed on donated tissue. Perhaps even an animate model . . . But on a human being and a child at that? Utterly disturbing to say the least.
- MatthewS March 22, 2012 Reply
  
  Nathan, I take your point, that the blogger here deserves the benefit of the doubt in terms of the details. A travel blog is usually typed with tired fingers, and many of us have experienced first-hand how little sleep people get when they are travelling with Mr. Gothard.
  
  Having said that, this statement is very striking: ...a portion of his gut had been implanted into his brain... The doctors cannot explain why that technique is working, but Mr. Gothard was able to share with them the mind and body connection.
  
  This appears to say that Mr. Gothard is consulting with doctors who are performing neurological procedures they do not understand on children. It appears to suggest that Mr. Gothard is more knowledgeable than the doctors about why the procedure is working (assuming that it really is) and is providing an explanation as to why this mystery procedure works.
  
  This is baffling to me because I was unaware that Mr. Gothard had training in neurosurgery or that his experience has prepared him to be a consultant for neurosurgeons (or at least doctors performing brain surgery).
  
  The mind-body connection is not a new subject for researchers. For example, fMRI results have been turning out some very intriguing and tantalizing data recently that raise interesting questions about the connection of the physical brain to the mind and the emotions. It's hard to believe that doctors who perform brain surgery have never considered a mind-body connection. It's harder to believe that someone is suggesting that Scripture has something to say about implanting intestines into brains. I mean, I'm trying very hard to be fair here but this is just a really strange-sounding claim, to say nothing of the possible liability issues that spring to mind.
  
  From a different angle, my son had an orthopedic problem and this procedure was performed: http://www.orthopediatrics.com/docs/Guides/slipped_CFE.html It's a relatively simple procedure where you put a pin in a hip. I trust that the doctor who did this procedure knows very well what he was doing. I would be absolutely shocked if he were to consult with a local pastor about what to do, or if he expressed confusion after the surgery about what the procedure was meant to do. And this is just a screw into a hip - how much more if it were brain surgery, you know what I mean?
  
  I personally have no interest in following Gothard around and listening in on his medical advice, I'm just trying to give one person's perspective on why that statement might cause someone's eyebrows to be raised so hard they experience lift-off.
SaraJ March 22, 2012 Reply

I've been imagining the reaction of whoever had to type that into the blog. "No, wait, WHAT was the surgery? I don't understand that. Okay, fine, I'm going to write this and hope Mr. Gothard doesn't mind." I agree with the above: the lack of medical terminology and the translation from Spanish is probably why it's so strange. But Mr. Gothard's "explanation" of why it works is just plain weird on its own. "Mind-body" connection usually refers to the fact that we are both physical and spiritual creatures. This surgery was entirely physical. I think. Whatever the surgery was.
- Christy March 23, 2012 Reply
  
  I went to the actual blog, and the phrase "mind body connection" was a link, so I clicked it. It led me to the IBLP bookstore and the book "How to Resolve the 7 Deadly Stresses". So, I'm assuming that the book explains the phrase (not that I'm interested in reading it).
Bill Greene March 23, 2012 Reply

There's a Verity Peru blog too: http://verityinstitute.org/blogs/peru2012/
grateful March 23, 2012 Reply

This is a prime example of Gothard slipping into "whacky" territory - ala Cabbage Patch, etc. Memo to Bill - Stick to the 10 unchangeables and death of a vision stuff... things that make a little sense and are applicable to the Christian life.
MadameHazelnut March 23, 2012 Reply

Attempting to treat _cerebral palsy_ by grafting gut into brain?! The word that comes to my mind is "malpractice." I thank God for the secular orthopedist who operated to lengthen my too-tight Achilles tendons instead.
Christy E. Bell March 24, 2012 Reply

Folks, I hope I'm being a complete ninny here, but I'm quite apprehensive about all these meetings with Peruvian officials. It seems to me that Gothard is following in the footsteps of Jim Jones. I hope he's not getting ready to set up a "compound" in Peru and move all of his followers there. In any case, I'm praying for God's intervention in future events with BG and his "institutes".
- NathanS March 29, 2012 Reply
  
  Yes, Christy, you are being a ninny. :) It would be impossible to move 3500 families from America to Peru. Gothard has had plenty of opportunities to do the "compound thing" and has wisely shied away from it. Just think -- at Alert and most other training centers, they don't even have their own church services on Sunday mornings, because they want staff and students to get out and be involved in the community. And in the early days of ATI, families were told to avoid getting together in groups that only included ATI families. They don't want to become a cult.
  - "Hannah" March 29, 2012 Reply
    
    Actually, Gothard has had plenty of compounds, one of which I lived in for a year. But I have no reason to believe his dealings in Peru would be any different from his dealings in other countries, or that he has any plans to transplant families en masse to a foreign country. If he was going to do that, he could have attempted it already, as his ministry has been international for many years.
  - ted April 8, 2012 Reply
    
    "they don't want to become a cult"---hmmm, I'm afraid it is a little late for that one.....
Wendy March 24, 2012 Reply

I asked my husband who is a neuropsychologist what he thought about this article. Here is a list of a few of his thoughts:
1. Brain paralysis that hinders his motor skills? A brief check of Wikipedia could have helped with that awkward phrase. Wikipedia: “Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor.”
Since the brain is not a muscle it can’t have paralysis. However, paralysis can be caused by damage to the brain, spinal cord, or peripheral nerves. It is possible that this child has paralysis due to brain damage. This could have been mixed up in translation.

2. The surgery in which “a portion of his gut had been implanted into his brain.” The small intestine submucosa (SIS) can be used as a medium in which to implant cells. Nerve cells have been placed in SIS for grafting. This is not hacking off a chunk of “gut” and implanting it into the brain. It is a very sophisticated neurosurgery.

3. If the boy had just come out of surgery the recovery reported was from having been anesthetized and having come through neurosurgery. There would be no expected improvement from the actual graft for some time.

4. “The doctors cannot explain why that technique is working…” The doctors know why it works however they may not be able to explain it to Mr. Gothard for several possible reasons: (a) they don’t speak English, (b) he does not speak Spanish, (c) they did not want to take the time to explain it, (d) you can’t explain things to people who have already made up their mind, or (d) all the above or something else entirely. The neurosurgeons have graduated medical school and completed a 7 year residency, they weren’t drilling holes in the skull with sharp stones trephining (trying to release evil spirits). As Matthew pointed out surgeons don’t wait for religious leaders to explain their work to them. They are not characterized as being confused, bewildered, baffled, or unsure of themselves.

5. “Mr. Gothard was able to share with them the mind body connection.” That would indeed be ground breaking if it was 1641 when Descartes proposed dualism. The church has historically ignored the study the mind/brain…the rest of scientific community has not. Christians have only recently returned to the field (recent in the last century). The mind-body connection is well known by Christians and non-Christians in the medical community. It would certainly be known by neurosurgeons.

6. It could be that the physicians in this situation showed humility and graciousness while Mr. Gothard showed hubris. (For those not familiar with the definition: Wikipedia - Hubris ( /ˈhjuːbrɪs/) extreme haughtiness, pride or arrogance. Hubris often indicates a loss of contact with reality and an overestimation of one's own competence or capabilities, especially when the person exhibiting it is in a position of power).

BTW, I am a 40-something SAHM with three teenagers, one husband, and one dog. I discovered this wonderful website about a month ago and have enjoyed reading through the articles. My family of origin ‘discovered’ Bill Gothard and IBLP when I was in jr.high. I attended 4 or 5 youth conferences (in Detroit) and my soon-to-be-husband attended one conference as a ‘requirement’ for marrying me. I am very grateful he saw through it from the very beginning. I left home for college just as my mom was really getting into the wisdom booklets and homeschooling curriculum with my younger brothers and sister. They attended some of the ATI programs.
- "Hannah" March 28, 2012 Reply
  
  Thank you for this explanation. It sounds as plausible as any.
Alfred Corduan March 25, 2012 Reply

My son created and maintained the blog for family and friends - it was never reviewed by Mr. Gothard. The medical account was as he heard it while the meeting was going on and he knows no more. The operation had nothing to do with Mr. Gothard, his only involvement an interest in what happened and in trying to explain it.

The blog is gone - Citizens, you may return to your lives.
- greg April 4, 2012 Reply
  
  Why in the world would bg try to "explain it"? He is no doctor at all and has no skill or knowledge in these areas,, he needs to leave things alone that he knows nothing about and quit making himself look so bad. And you might do yourself well to stop trying to defend him,,,,,,,,,
  - Wendy April 5, 2012 Reply
    
    Greg,
    Yes! After I posted my comment this kept turning over in my head...why does bg need to explain this and so many other medical scenarios (linking them to his spiritual truths)? It is my understanding that bg discourages higher education? If he discourages higher education than what is his fascination with doctors' opinions? Wouldn't it make sense to encourage his own people to pursue advanced degees so he could consult with them? Perhaps he already has a team of doctors in different fields who are part of his organization. Still, it makes me wonder if there might be a case of: Knoweledge is power. He who has the most knowldege has the most power. In order to remain the one with the most power one must control the flow and content of knowledge to the masses. Hence, the leader will consult with doctors and then relay the (altered?simplified?) information to the people. The people are not to pursue the information independently, outside of the bg structure. Why? Perhaps because they might come to different conclusions than what bg wants known? I have no facts to base this on...I am just speculating. I find the difference between discouraging higher education while simulaneously consulting with people with higher education puzzling.
- Rachel April 10, 2012 Reply
  
  Alfred, so this is how Gothard explained it? That a portion of his gut had been implanted in his brain?
MadameHazelnut March 27, 2012 Reply

@Wendy, thank you very much for clarifying the operation! I had not known that small intestinal submucosa could be used to sustain nerve cells for grafting. That makes more sense.