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

Personal testimonies of finding true freedom through God's matchless grace.

Living and thriving through the grace of God.

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

Tag Archives: advanced-training-institute

A Jonah Tale

11 October 2011, 06:05

admin

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In the latter part of the 1990s, I spent the better part of two years working at the Oklahoma City Training Center (OTC). I worked primarily with Character First! Education (CFE), specifically going into the local schools and teaching the curriculum to mostly low-income children. While I now see some of the flawed philosophy behind […]

Hannah’s Story

10 October 2011, 06:00

Moderator

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My mother was from an abusive home. My father’s was devoid of affection. They wanted something radically different for their family. In 1980, my parents credited their first Institute in Basic Life Principles Seminar with saving their marriage. My brother was born shortly after, when I was 6.  When Bill Gothard later started a home […]

A Call for Discernment

7 October 2011, 11:02

Moderator

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Recovering Grace in many ways is a result of the efforts of other Christian leaders who throughout the 80’s and 90’s tried to warn of the dangers inherent in the teachings of Bill Gothard, the Advanced Training Institute, and the Institute in Basic Life Principles. Although many people involved with Gothardism did not listen, some of us […]

A Tale of Two Abigails

7 October 2011, 08:57

MatthewS

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The first Abigail is a wise and beautiful hero, an inspiration to women and men everywhere. Her quick thinking, deliberate action, and diplomatic speech saved many lives. We meet this Abigail in a delightful story told in 1 Samuel 15. Sadly, many of us raised under the Institute in Basic Life Principles and ATI’s teachings […]

A Letter From My Heart

5 October 2011, 06:00

Ed B

5

“My view of myself was so big when I felt I had to keep all the codes that my Savior was small in my thinking.”

Dear Friends, I’m 32 years old and married to my beautiful wife of 3 years. We have a 2-year-old boy and a 10-month-old girl and I love being their dad. In fact, baby #3 is in the oven and we are excited about our growing family! We don’t feel an obligation to fulfill God’s command […]

Spanking the Orphans: A Brief History

4 October 2011, 05:45

RobertM

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The following is meant to share some of the history of the disciplinary philosophy of spanking used by the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) in their orphan ministry. Spanking at the Moscow Training Center (MTC) was used too often for offenses that were only minor and as a cure-all and spirit-breaker.  The lack of a coherent, […]

Choosing Forgiveness

3 October 2011, 06:00

Moderator

11

When I was 19 I worked for two years to save up enough money to go to Moscow, Russia.  I went with the home school program I was involved in, the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) and I worked hard. Much to my surprise I was quickly singled out as someone with bad intentions. One of […]

Story of a Destiny

29 September 2011, 06:03

Moderator

6

A little star was forming, developing, reaching to become all that the Biggest Star in the solar system meant for it to be. A Mentor star came alongside the little star, and offered to help. The little star shared its secrets and its struggles, and waited to be told how to become the great star […]

Sweeping the Stairs: An Exercise in Will-Breaking

27 September 2011, 06:15

Moderator

21

It was 1995. I was 20 years old. I had recently arrived at the Moscow Training Center in Moscow, Russia, and was eager to begin my first day of “ministry.” I was assigned to the housekeeping detail. The woman in charge was giving me instructions for sweeping a flight of stairs at the training center, […]

Living as God Designed

26 September 2011, 06:00

KylarD

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“One, I am One of a Kind”… Even by simple observation of nature we see that every created thing does just what it was created to do. Trees, animals, stars, tides. Everything follows its design. Only the rebel creatures do things that are “against nature” such as cancer cells. It is not right. But then […]