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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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Life Focus: Isolation Instead of Relationship

11 August 2012, 06:00

Moderator

As a teenager I was sent to an Advanced Training Institute (ATI) young men’s program called Life Focus. Life Focus was not explicitly advertised as a program for the troubled youth or “rebels” of ATI, but, functionally, that is what it was. The young men in Life Focus were regarded as and spoken to as […]

As the Pendulum Swings

6 August 2012, 06:00

Carolynn

When I look back at my parents’ decision to join the Advanced Training Institute (ATI), I think I can understand many of the reasons behind their choice. They first encountered Bill Gothard and the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) when their friends attended the Basic Seminar in the 1970s. A few years later, my […]

ATI’s Mindset Can Damage Your Career

1 August 2012, 06:00

WendyA

When my family joined the Advanced Training Institute (ATI), I had just graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in English. I was working as the secretary for a local Christian talk radio station and was trying to figure out what to do with my life. Fact is, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted […]

Behind Every Good Man…

30 July 2012, 06:00

Moderator

The concept of authority is central to Bill Gothard’s teachings. So much so, that I remember performing a coronation ceremony crowning my dad “king” of our family as a Wisdom Booklet project. I was 16 at the time, and struggling with authority being defined as dad’s complete control over every aspect of my life. My […]

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

25 July 2012, 06:00

Moderator

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 […]

He Freely Gives Grace

21 July 2012, 06:00

Moderator

What Have You Done with My Daughter?

14 July 2012, 06:00

Moderator

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 […]

If Mama Ain’t Happy . . .

9 July 2012, 06:00

Moderator

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 […]

He Was Supposed to Protect Us

2 July 2012, 06:00

Moderator

The relationship between my step-dad and myself has always been a little different than a normal father-daughter relationship. For most of my life, I thought of him only as my dad, never putting “step” in front of it, because he was the only man to ever fill that spot in my life. I started using […]

I Just Want to Be Normal!

25 June 2012, 09:00

JoyS

“What does this song remind you of?” my husband asked, as the song Take My Breath Away played on the radio station. I thought for a second before responding, “I don’t know. — Nothing, I guess. What does it remind you of?” He laughed. “Top Gun!” “Oh.” I said, feeling that familiar embarrassment overtaking me. […]