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Category Archives: Featured Article

How to Spiritually Manipulate Young People in Six Easy Steps

27 July 2012, 06:00

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Step 1. Present a test that supposedly measures one’s love for God. Every Christian young person desires to love God, of course, and will be excited to confirm their commitment to their Savior! Step 2. Present scripture out of context that insinuates that one is God’s enemy if they fail the test. This heightens the […]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 8: Revictimizing Victims

26 July 2012, 09:27

MatthewS

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The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 8: Revictimizing Victims We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. Chapter 8 concludes part 1 of the book which has focused on abusive systems and the victims. We have found that abusive systems can […]

Here’s The Courtship; Where’s The Love?

25 July 2012, 06:00

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When I was twelve, my parents came home and said, “Just so you know, you’re never going to be allowed to date.” This was fine by me; I was more into books than socializing. In fact, although I had a speech prepared on why I didn’t date, I never did get to use it. Still […]

Celebrating our First Anniversary

23 July 2012, 06:00

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In the summer of 2011, a small online group of people began regaling each other with funny stories of their past experiences growing up in the homeschool environment of ATI (the Advanced Training Institute). It didn’t take too long for friendships to form and a sense of “coffee shop” type community to bond them. It […]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 7: Abuse and Scripture

19 July 2012, 09:30

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The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 7: Abuse and Scripture We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. The focus of chapter 7 is on how Scripture can be misused to contribute to spiritual abuse. It is a little lengthier and […]

What Have You Done with My Daughter?

14 July 2012, 06:00

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My first experience with anything Bill Gothard was the Eternal Vision program. My then 18-year-old daughter, who had for years rejected God, had been amazingly touched by God in a Denny’s parking lot. This girl was beaming with joy, sleepless from excitement, and so new and fresh. I urged her to visit some people we […]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 6: When You Cannot Leave

12 July 2012, 06:00

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The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 6: When You Cannot Leave We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. If people in abusive systems are tired and wounded, why don’t they just leave? This chapter adds items 5, 6, and 7 […]

If Mama Ain’t Happy . . .

9 July 2012, 06:00

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I was in high school when I first went to a Basic and Advanced Seminar, and my family enrolled in the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) homeschool program. Prior to that, my folks hadn’t attended a Basic Seminar in nearly a decade. While they appreciated what they had learned the first time around, they didn’t implement […]

Father’s Day and the Mystical Hedge of Protection

6 July 2012, 06:00

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On Father’s Day 2012, Bill Gothard made an interesting choice of subject matter for an email to fathers subscribed to his email list (click here to read it). While we recognize that his intent was to encourage fathers, we feel that there were several issues within the email that are greatly troubling. And while we […]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 5: Identifying the Abusive System

5 July 2012, 06:00

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The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 5: Identifying the Abusive System We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. What are the common characteristics of spiritually abusive systems? This chapter looks at the unhealthy dynamics that commonly dictate how people function […]