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

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Category Archives: Featured Article

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 […]

The GOTHARD Files: The Scandal, 1980

20 February 2014, 06:00

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306

This is part two of a three-part series on the history of the Institute in Basic Life Principles, formerly known as the Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts (IBYC). Please click here to read the Introduction and here to read Part One. Previously we explored events leading up to the IBYC scandal that broke in 1980. […]

Questions from the Mailbag

19 February 2014, 13:22

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Recovering Grace has been receiving many questions via email and through comments on our site. This is an understandable result of the current series of articles running on Recovering Grace. To more efficiently answers these questions, we have prepared the following Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Q. What is Recovering Grace doing to pursue legal action […]

Gothard’s Process: Invite, Idealize, Isolate, Transgress, Rewrite

18 February 2014, 07:00

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75

 

Rachel’s Story

17 February 2014, 06:00

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This is my real name, and below is my real story. The Awkward First Meeting It was the final session of the 1992 Knoxville conference, and the choir and orchestra were starting to gather for the big rendition of “It Will Be Worth it All.” I was supposed to be playing flute in the orchestra, […]

Silencing the Lambs: Listening to an Evil Report

15 February 2014, 06:00

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See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil. IBLP has a Matthew 18 publication that fits well with each monkey.

Listening to an Evil Report One question often asked of those who have contributed their stories to Recovering Grace is, “If things were so bad, or even illegal, why didn’t you contact the authorities, or at least tell your parents or a lawyer?” Most who grew up in the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) and/or Institute in Basic […]

From Bill to Larne and Ruth, February 1981

14 February 2014, 06:00

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On Wednesday, we shared Ruth’s Story, the heartbreaking account of one of Bill Gothard’s former secretaries. The letter below was sent from Bill Gothard to Ruth and her husband Larne in February of 1981, less than three months after their marriage in November, 1980, and less than seven months after the “scandal” and Bill Gothard’s […]