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

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Yearly Archives: 2014

IBLP Board Failure: Ignorance or Negligence?

2 June 2014, 09:00

Moderator

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Corporate scandals are nothing new. Enron, Bernie Madoff, Lehman Brothers, AIG, Jim and Tammy Bakker, sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, and the list goes on. While CEOs often go to jail for scandals, their boards typically use the “we did not know” clause. But the questions for the board of the Institute in Basic […]

1984 and ATI

29 May 2014, 06:00

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My parents tell me the only reason we weren’t a pilot family in the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) is the fact that I, their first-born, was only three months old when they applied that first year. Like many others who have shared their stories, my parents are wonderful people who sincerely love Jesus and wanted […]

Authority vs. Faith in Brazil

23 May 2014, 06:00

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I first encountered Bill Gothard in the fall of 1957 when I was a sophomore at Wheaton College. He had just graduated that year and was enrolled in their graduate program. Bill was organizing college students who were willing to be Bible study leaders one evening a week under the auspices of a program working […]

Bill’s Cabin: Uncovering Sin

21 May 2014, 09:00

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Bill Gothard's cabin and surrounding area, 2014

  The Northwoods Setting The Northwoods began as a Gothard family retreat and was repurposed and expanded for ministry use as the ministry grew flush with cash. Steve Gothard’s cabin was built in 1973. The first (smaller) lodge was built in 1974, and the Big Lodge was built in 1976. As noted in other articles, […]

Four Pre-Digital Reviews of Gothard’s Theology

20 May 2014, 07:00

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A SUMMARY REPORT Bill Gothard’s Institute In Basic Life Principles by David Henke, September 1993   In 1985, a colleague gave me access to his files so that I could fill gaps in my own files. One of the files that he had was on Bill Gothard’s ministry. I copied it for the sake of […]

Bill Gothard’s Basic Conflict in Eternity (magazine)

15 May 2014, 07:05

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Joseph Bayly

  Basic Conflicts: An open letter to Bill Gothard by Joseph Bayly ETERNITY, June 1977 Mr. William Gothard Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts 45055 North Adams Hinsdale, Illinois 60521 Dear Bill Gothard: God has given you great opportunities and responsibilities in recent years, and I, along with most evangelical Christians, am thankful for your ministry. Many […]

Early Warnings of a False Authority

13 May 2014, 06:00

Jay Rowland

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In the 1970s, supporters and critics alike recognized that Bill Gothard and his Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts (IBYC) were a phenomenon. God can use anyone or anything to bring people to himself, but are paying crowds proof of a teacher’s righteousness? It seems too few of our church watchmen wrote about—or truly studied—Gothard’s teachings. […]

The Umbrella of Oppression

9 May 2014, 06:00

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“For protection, for provision, for the things I need…” are the words to a song that I taught children 15 years ago about the “Umbrella of Protection.” The umbrella was over the dad, and if the dad was right with God, then there were no holes in the umbrella. If the mom was under the […]

Narcissistic Apologies

7 May 2014, 06:00

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I recently read yet another statement by a well-known Christian leader confessing sin and asking for forgiveness. It was one of those apologies that leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. I would say that it was a narcissistic apology. The difference between the narcissistic apology and a real apology is the center. […]

Trapped in the Shadow of ‘God’s Anointed’: Breaking free from an Unbiblical Concept

5 May 2014, 06:00

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  As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you…and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. —The Apostle John — 1 John 2:27 [NASB] You may have heard someone tell you God “anointed” him or her to be your leader. Or, perhaps, someone else pointed to another […]