2014 | Recovering Grace

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

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

Living and thriving through the grace of God.

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

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2014

Yearly Archives: 2014

A Call for Discernment

4 March 2014, 06:00

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Recovering Grace in many ways is a result of the efforts of other Christian leaders who throughout the 80’s and 90’s tried to warn of the dangers inherent in the teachings of Bill Gothard, the Advanced Training Institute, and the Institute in Basic Life Principles. Although many people involved with Gothardism did not listen, some of us […]

Silencing the Lambs: Twisting Matthew 18

3 March 2014, 06:00

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132

A Response to Rediscovering a Forgotten Truth The day was Valentine’s Day 1976. Bill Gothard and his brother, Steve, had some surprising confessions to make to the staff of IBYC: they had “defrauded” staff secretaries. In the months prior to this, some of the young ladies had sought out the help of other staff members […]

The Original “True Story” from “Rediscovering a Forgotten Truth”

3 March 2014, 05:59

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This brief post will clarify the source of a chart Recovering Grace created for a previous post, “Silencing the Lambs: Twisting Matthew 18.” The 1976 publication Rediscovering a Forgotten Truth contains several illustrations employed to communicate Bill Gothard’s teaching. Below, we show the story referenced in our article as it appears in the booklet. Notice […]

The Question of Grief: “Who am I now?”

28 February 2014, 13:00

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Photo credit: Charlie Johnson

Beginning September 12, 2013, the northern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado received more than its yearly precipitation in just a few days. Rivers that normally flowed from one to three feet deep were ten or more feet above their flood stage. Eighteen miles of Highway 34 between Estes Park and Loveland were […]

Bill Gothard Placed on Administrative Leave

27 February 2014, 22:46

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317

“The board of directors of the Institute for Basic Life Principles has placed its longtime leader Bill Gothard, 79, on “administrative leave” while the board investigates claims that he years ago engaged in sexual harassment and other misconduct…” You can read the rest of the post from World Magazine here. An official response from Recovering […]

Defrauding: What does it mean?

27 February 2014, 06:00

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159

In February 1976, Bill Gothard confessed to the poorly-defined offense of “having ‘defrauded’ staff secretaries.” In a July 1980 meeting of the Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts (IBYC) board, it was confirmed that Bill Gothard was responsible for the “physical and emotional defrauding of several of his personal secretaries.” In February 1981, Bill once again […]

The GOTHARD Files: 1983 Transcript

26 February 2014, 06:00

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266

The following conference telephone call took place between approximately 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. (Portland, Oregon, time) on Tuesday, November 1, 1983. Those involved in the discussion were: [former IBYC staffer “Rebecca”], Mr. Larne Gabriel, Mrs. Ruth Gabriel, Reverend Richard Hagenbaugh, Dr. Earl Radmacher, and Dr. Gary Smalley. Dr. Earl Radmacher: …I am Earl Radmacher, and […]

The GOTHARD Files: The Basic Problem

24 February 2014, 06:00

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186

Editor’s Note: Previously, we explored events surrounding the Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts (IBYC) scandal that culminated in 1980 with Bill Gothard’s resignation and quick reinstatement as president of that organization, which would later be renamed the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP). You can read the Introduction here, Part One here, Part Two here, and a chronology of the scandal […]

Silencing the Lambs: Taking Up Offenses

22 February 2014, 06:00

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Not taking up an offense As the destructive patterns of Bill Gothard’s alleged indiscretions continue to be told, our comment threads have been hit steadily with various forms of the same question: “Why haven’t these stories been told sooner? If people witnessed these behaviors, why didn’t they speak out?” One oft-quoted—but fallacious—teaching within the Advanced Training […]

The GOTHARD Files: Scandal Chronology, 1971–1981

21 February 2014, 06:00

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125

Editor’s Note: Previously we explored events surrounding the Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts (IBYC) scandal that culminated in 1980 with Bill Gothard’s resignation and quick reinstatement as president of that organization, which would later be renamed the Institute In Basic Life Principles (IBLP). You can read the Introduction here, Part One here, and Part Two here. In our research […]