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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: Perspectives

The Grace Relationship

3 June 2013, 06:00

Moderator

35

The parables of Jesus are so well-known that we often forget their message. Take, for example, the story of the prodigal son. The primary application is the welcome the father gives to wayward son when he is ready to return home. We rejoice to see the forgiving love of the father. But there is another […]

The Glory of Children

31 May 2013, 06:00

Jay Rowland

1

At first glance, this verse seems to be just an obvious, happy statement. Perhaps one that suggests the rewards of a large family. But as with all of the Proverbs, it’s good to linger a bit. The verse contains some assumptions that are kin to those verses that encourage us to obey our parents and […]

Book Review: “He Still Moves Stones”

20 May 2013, 06:00

Diana Hall

13

“Legalism is a dark world” (Lucado 118). In his book, “He Still Moves Stones,” Max Lucado speaks to circumstances of loss and pain in order to address the question of “Where is God when I hurt?” I was shocked to find that one of these chapters was about pain caused by legalism. I’m not sure […]

When We Criticize The Church

13 May 2013, 06:00

Micah J. Murray

13

We were sold a package deal. Truth and lies, hope and despair, real and fake — all tied up in a neat package with a bow and sold to us with the label of “Christianity.” The men in the suits with all the words told us that what they taught was true. They said it […]

The Gospel of Pragmatism

9 May 2013, 06:00

Moderator

38

Pragmatism is basically the idea that positive results are sufficient criteria for determining value, even truth. In other words: if it works, use it. One of the most famous pragmatists was a man known as Nicollo Machiavelli. For Machiavelli, the goal of a strong and controlled kingdom was worth whatever it would take to get […]

How “Lessons From Moral Failures in a Family” Blames Victims

11 April 2013, 06:00

Moderator

56

An Institute publication entitled “Lessons From Moral Failures in a Family” [Click here for the full pdf document] was first mailed to Advanced Training Institute (ATI) families in the late 1990s, and it has been periodically distributed at conferences since. Recovering Grace does not know the identity of the family members who shared their story […]

We Had Hoped

31 March 2013, 05:00

Micah J. Murray

3

Silence. Then suddenly, a breath. Cold air rushing into empty lungs. Grave clothes abandoned on a stone slab. An explosion of earth—shaking light. Hardened soldiers’ knees buckling. Trumpet blasts and angels singing and sunrise. Silence. Then the creaking of a boulder shifting. A cave opening. A dead man walking out of his grave more alive […]

God is Dead

30 March 2013, 06:00

Micah J. Murray

1

This is the second part of a Holy Week trilogy. Find part one here: “The God Who Bleeds.” Find part three here: “We Had Hoped.” God is dead, and we killed him. This is the terrifying reality of what we so cruelly call “Good Friday.” This is the sudden, dark twist in the story that […]

The God Who Bleeds

29 March 2013, 08:00

Micah J. Murray

7

“In Revelation, Jesus is a pride fighter with a tattoo down His leg, a sword in His hand and the commitment to make someone bleed. That is a guy I can worship… I cannot worship a guy I can beat up.” -Mark Driscoll I’m haunted by the mystery that Jesus was God in human form. […]

Why Be a World Changer?

28 March 2013, 06:00

Moderator

31

Am I the only one who gets triggered by the idea of being a world changer? My news feed is full of calls to be a world changer — all from different camps. One is from the “Truth Project,” another from IHOP (the ministry, not the restaurant), another from YWAM, another from…. well, I could […]