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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 […]

Sensitivity vs. Callousness

24 January 2012, 06:00

Moderator

Callousness Sometimes Won The leadership at Advanced Training Institute (ATI) training centers could be incredibly insensitive in dealing with personal tragedies and misfortunes. Especially if those situations affected, in any way, the performance of one’s duties at the training center. Sometimes, just the fear that leadership would misunderstand or react insensitively to a situation could […]

Snooping, Spying, and Snitching: A Training Center Status Quo

10 January 2012, 06:45

Moderator

Former ATI students share stories of how they were watched, spied on, and tattled on regularly At Advanced Training Institute (ATI) training centers, students and staff quickly learned not to expect privacy in any activity. E-mail, telephone conversations, and even letters and packages from home were monitored for contraband and for forbidden contacts, especially with […]

Training Center Christmas Memories

27 December 2011, 06:48

Moderator

Recovering Grace asked former Advanced Training Institute (ATI) students what they remembered about the Christmas holidays — and the preparations for them — at the various training centers at which they served. While some of the students had pleasant memories, others remembered stress-filled weeks of onerous, highly-detailed work, culminating in large events that they were […]

When Analogies and Anecdotes Dictated the Music Standard

21 September 2011, 06:30

RyanR

Anyone who has spent significant time under Bill Gothard’s teachings can tell you that he likes to use analogies to illustrate his points. While there is nothing wrong with analogies per se, they are a terrible basis upon which to build doctrine. Why? What happens when you come across two analogies that advocate opposite conclusions? […]

Muzzling the Ox

9 August 2011, 06:00

Moderator

In many ways, I’ve been pretty lucky when it came to the whole Advanced Training Institute (ATI) experience. I always thought that the double standard that my parents had was weird: we could wear jeans on the farm or to work with my dad, but not to town or where anyone would see us. I […]

Dividing Sister and Brother

27 July 2011, 12:45

WendyA

The cardinal rule for those who live and work at Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) training centers is that unmarried persons of opposite genders do not mix. They especially do not “single each other out” or show any form of affection to one another. In some ways, this is perfectly understandable: you can hardly […]

Minor Hazards of Fuel Stops

26 July 2011, 00:15

lizs

I spent three years working at the Riverfront Character Inn in a variety of positions. When I compare my training center experiences to those of friends and other students whom I have talked to, I believe that mine was one of the better ones. God used my time there to grow me and stretch me […]

Children Leading Children

24 July 2011, 20:00

lizs

Sometimes I wonder if those who were in charge at the various training centers really thought about what they were doing when they put young people “in charge” of other young people. I know that age does not always matter when it comes to authority and respect, but it can sometimes be very important. There […]

An Open Letter from Bill Gothard’s First Generation to Basic Seminar Attendees

16 July 2011, 08:00

Moderator

147

Dear Basic Seminar Attendee, The person who handed you this letter tonight cares about you. They care enough that they took time to bring it to you because they believe in the message and want you to understand before it is too late. This person is someone who grew up in a household influenced by […]