Recovering Grace » A Bill Gothard generation shines light on the teachings of IBLP and ATI2013

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

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2013

Yearly Archives: 2013

Examining “Life Focus”

14 November 2013, 06:00

Rachel

A couple of years ago I heard that there was a program for young men in the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) called Life Focus. Apparently Life Focus came into existence right around the time I left ATI. When I heard some of my friends discussing it, I was intrigued and started asking around. While there […]

One Way Love: An Antidote to Gothardism

11 November 2013, 06:00

admin

“The Bible is one long story of God meeting our rebellion with His rescue, our sin with His salvation, our guilt with His grace, our badness with His goodness. The overwhelming focus of the Bible is not the work of the redeemed but the work of the Redeemer. Which means that the Bible is not […]

When I was on Fire

7 November 2013, 06:00

Moderator

“What do I know of You, Who spoke the world in motion? Where have I even stood, but soil along Your ocean? Are You fire, are You fury? Are You sacred, are You beautiful? What do I know – what do I know of holy?” ~ Addison Road Once upon a time I thought that […]

Hiding

5 November 2013, 06:00

Moderator

The world sees narcissists as loud and seeking attention, at least the ones we call “overt.” For the most part that’s true, but those who know even the overt narcissists also know that there is much that the world does not see. In fact, there is much no one sees. Some of the narcissists I […]

Separating the Wheat from the Chaff

31 October 2013, 06:00

Moderator

I grew up on the West Coast and have noticed a pattern where families from California who were enrolled in the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) tended to be a bit more lax in their way of going about the program, compared with the experiences of families in the Midwest and elsewhere. Perhaps that had a […]

But What About…?

24 October 2013, 06:00

Moderator

In the parable of the sower, Jesus spoke of three primary enemies of the sower’s intention for the seed. I have used this little story as a structure for teaching about the enemies of grace. First, there was the trodden ground, the hard path, where nothing could grow. Then there were the predators, the birds […]

Reflections on Healing After Surgery

21 October 2013, 06:00

RyanR

Within the Recovering Grace community, many often are confronted by well-meaning friends or family who believe that the spiritually wounded should just get over it. The refrains vary from, “You’re being bitter,” to “You just need to leave it at the cross,” to “You WANT to hang on to this.” I recently underwent lumbar spinal […]

The Blessings of God

17 October 2013, 06:00

Wendy B

Bill Gothard’s courtship literature promises rewards to those who do courtship right and consequences for those who date — rewards and consequences that are not promised in Scripture. I’ll take examples from Gothard’s recent courtship teaching, then share my own experience with courtship and dating. In the article “What Is Courtship?” Gothard lists the Foundational […]

Overcoming Relational Aggression

14 October 2013, 06:00

Moderator

Is spiritual abuse and relational aggression happening to you? This is how it used to play out in my life. I just had you over to my house to talk and you pulled my movie collection off the shelf and shivered. I ask you what you are thinking; I would hate to miss any hidden message […]

My Heart’s Guardian: Missing in Action

10 October 2013, 06:00

Moderator

My family joined the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) when I was about 9 years old. I was taught the traditional courtship by ATI and Bill Gothard. Keep my mind pure. If I fall in love with someone who is not my spouse I’ll have less love to give him. My future spouse will ask my […]