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

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

Category Archives: Featured Article

Sonic Bloom: Untruth With An Agenda

21 March 2013, 06:00

Danielle Klueber

107

The author, other IBLP staff members and directors, and Bill Gothard in the Indianapolis South Campus green house

There is no denying that Bill Gothard has a persuasive way of presenting “newfound” products, ideas, and beliefs. Many trust that he is truthful in these things. They assume, as I did, that he would never purposefully deceive. During my time with IBLP (the Institute in Basic Life Principles) I was witness to a very […]

Safety or Superstition?

17 March 2013, 14:50

WendyA

81

The deeper I move into traditional realms of theological thought, the more I am convinced that one of the biggest dangers in the teachings of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) is that it teaches a subtle form of superstitious determinism. Rather than being free to live our lives without fear, we are taught […]

Outcome-Based Storytelling

14 March 2013, 06:00

admin

40

As a youngster, I participated in a Bible drill competition. I’m not sure about other churches, but in Southern Baptist circles, “Bible drills” are a big thing. Students in grades 4, 5 and 6 memorize a score of verses, some short passages, and references for general topics like “The Lord’s Prayer,” “The Ten Commandments,” and […]

Stolen Treasures

11 March 2013, 05:00

Moderator

143

A recent article on Recovering Grace, entitled “Moving On,” prompted me to think about the reason it is so difficult to move forward after being victimized by legalism. As I have worked with those hurt by legalism over the years, I have often heard stories about what happened five, ten, maybe thirty years ago. These […]

Toxic People: Narcissists in Ministry

7 March 2013, 06:00

Moderator

26

The most read Hope Blog posts in the last four years have been the the series addressing toxic people and how to deal with those in your life who are unrepentant human destruction machines. These posts have received tens of thousands of hits over the last few years as those searching have come across the […]

Confido

28 February 2013, 06:00

Moderator

28

Confido by Will Boyd I was taught that what “we believe” is right That familiarity must be good That strong convictions make perfect faith I was challenged, sharpened, sent out into the world To argue for the validity of what “we know” The “world” couldn’t see it, they just saw minority opinions and naïveté And […]

I Remember…

25 February 2013, 06:00

Carolynn

20

I was nine when my parents decided to join the Advanced Training Institute (ATI). I have many memories of their decision and its effect on my life. I remember being extremely happy before joining ATI. Happy with how we were homeschooling (using a mix of curricula), happy that my parents started a homeschool group in […]

Les Miserables: The Struggle between Grace and Legalism – Part 2

21 February 2013, 06:00

Kathleen Reynolds

24

Continued from Part One… {Spoiler Alert! This article gives a detailed analysis of the movie Les Miserables} Because Javert was so bent on seeing justice served, he was disturbed by Valjean’s successful escape. In the musical, he then sings “Stars” — an absolutely gorgeous piece, majestic and determined. I still remember the very first time […]

Les Miserables: The Struggle between Legalism and Grace – Part 1

18 February 2013, 06:00

Kathleen Reynolds

9

{Spoiler Alert! This article gives a detailed analysis of the movie Les Miserables} I have long loved the story of Jean Valjean’s redemption. I grew up watching a little-known movie version of the story, and read the book when I was 12 or 13. The fact that Valjean served 19 years hard labor for stealing […]

How Does Jesus Love You?

14 February 2013, 06:00

Eric Pazdziora

6

How Does Jesus Love You? (Let me count the ways) by Eric M. Pazdziora Originally published on Quivering Daughters The story goes that somebody once asked a great theologian — nobody’s quite sure which theologian, but so the story goes — what was the most profound doctrinal statement he had ever heard. The theologian thought […]