Recovering Grace » A Bill Gothard generation shines light on the teachings of IBLP and ATIPerspectives

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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.

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Category Archives: Perspectives

Living by Principles

26 September 2014, 06:00

Ileata

137

If you died with the Messiah to the elemental forces of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations: “Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”? All these regulations refer to what is destroyed by being used up; they are commands and doctrines of […]

When Apologies Make it Worse

8 July 2014, 12:01

Moderator

Since Bill Gothard had to resign from leading his Institute in Basic Life Principles amid allegations of inappropriate behavior toward female staffers, he has made few public statements. But in private, he has been far from silent. An article published yesterday by Mother Jones stated: These days, Gothard says, he is busy “contacting people I’ve offended […]

Foils We Are

23 June 2014, 06:00

Jay Rowland

God understands the tendency for one in authority to fail. —Bill Gothard (What I Teach) The Bible is full of stories about God gifting individuals with particular qualities needed to lead and serve His people; yet, in his foreknowledge, God has already made plans to work through a leader’s failure. Those who repent experience his […]

1984 and ATI

29 May 2014, 06:00

Moderator

102

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 […]

Early Warnings of a False Authority

13 May 2014, 06:00

Jay Rowland

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. […]

Twelve Characteristics of Fundamentalist Societies that Shelter Sexual Abuse

30 April 2014, 09:00

Moderator

163

How could he have fooled so many people, so thoroughly? How did the abuse go on for so many years, unacknowledged? Whenever a leader at this level is ousted or steps down, questions like these come to mind. In the wake of revelations of sexual harassment and abuse pouring in from survivors of Bill Gothard’s […]

Heaven’s Important, But It’s Not the End of the World

20 April 2014, 06:00

Kevin

Heaven’s important, but it’s not the end of the world.[1] As a pastor, I’ve talked to many people who, when faced with the loss of a loved one, try to find consolation in the thought of their dearly departed’s soul at rest among the clouds in heaven. The image often includes a harp, a halo, […]

Gothard’s Biblical Inoculation

14 March 2014, 06:00

Moderator

Question: How do you ensure that your children don’t catch a deadly disease? Simple…inoculate them. In the 1700s, it was discovered that dipping a needle into the pus of a smallpox blister and then inserting that same needle into a healthy person prevented them from getting the disease. The infected dose was large enough for […]

Marcus’s Story: Touching the Invisible Electric Fence

17 February 2014, 08:00

Moderator

118

I was invited to work at the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) headquarters during the summer of 1992. I said goodbye to my family in Knoxville, Tennessee, where we had traveled to attend the yearly Advanced Training Institute (ATI) annual conference, and climbed aboard one of the many vans transporting IBLP staff back to Oak […]

What Grace Means to Me

16 December 2013, 06:00

Moderator

One of the things Jesus has been so faithful to show me throughout my journey of healing from ATI is the beauty of grace. Grace is something I never fully understood until recently. Although I had heard people talk about grace, my understanding of what it really meant ended at knowing that I was saved […]