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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.

Tag Archives: basic-seminar

Clear as Mud

11 January 2012, 06:00

RyanR

8

Several years after I ended my formal association with IBLP (the Institute in Basic Life Principles), I did something wrong. What it was isn’t the point of this article. At first I didn’t think much about it, but later that evening, I began to feel guilty. Very guilty. As I had been trained to think […]

The Gift of Peace

19 December 2011, 04:00

Ileata

13

I was lying in a hospital bed recovering from an emergency D&C. I had given birth to a beautiful baby that morning in a free-standing birth center with a midwife. After he was born, things had gotten complicated. His placenta had grown into the muscle wall of my uterus and wouldn’t detach. So, after some […]

The Disease Catalogue

7 December 2011, 05:00

BrianD

35

Have a migraine? You may be struggling with guilt. Did you just develop a sinus infection? There is a good chance fear and anxiety are plaguing you. Does your grandfather have Osteoporosis? You may want to tell him that he is struggling with envy and jealousy. It’s hard to believe, perhaps, but these kinds of […]

Body, Soul & Spirit: An Alternate View

2 December 2011, 06:00

Moderator

81

If you spend much time listening to Bill Gothard, it doesn’t take long for him to bring up one of his favorite beliefs: Body, Soul, & Spirit. Bill claims human beings are comprised of these three elements and each element serves a distinct function. This approach is technically called trichotomy in systematic theology terms. Over […]

The Little Things

30 November 2011, 06:30

ChristinS

3

I’ve been pondering quite a bit lately about how many “little” things were missed throughout the publications and teachings of the Institute in Basic Life Principles. I’m dumbfounded when I read a passage from the Bible that was well-known from my Advanced Training Institute studies, and realize that I know almost nothing about what the […]

Keeping Up Appearances.

21 November 2011, 06:00

Moderator

19

I am a survivor of Gothardism. I fully believe ATI is a twisted system of unrealistic rules and regulations. Even more, it gives abusive parents the tools and justification they need to rationalize their behavior. Let me start at the beginning. I went to public school from preschool through first grade. After that, my family […]

Quiverfull or “Full of It?'”

9 November 2011, 06:00

RyanR

148

These days, the Duggars are the most well known family to have participated in the Advanced Training Institute (ATI). For those not familiar with ATI or the Quiverfull movement, the prospect of a family having 19 (going on 20) children is just mind boggling. Yet for those of us who grew up in ATI, having […]

Once a Child Always a Child???

31 October 2011, 06:00

Moderator

40

When I was 15, a lifelong dream was fulfilled–I finally got to go to a Bill Gothard seminar.  My parents had been going annually for years and I was ecstatic that I was old enough to attend.  When my parents first went, they were astonished at the practical nature of Gothard’s teachings.  He had a […]

They Will Know You Are Christians… By Your Standards?

29 October 2011, 05:00

Julie Terrell

41

There is an abundance of teaching within the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) and the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) about “high places”–about the danger of putting things in the place of God and our relationship with Him. But isn’t this exactly what has happened with our “standards” and “character”? In a recent conversation with […]

My Heart’s Cry ~ Part One

24 October 2011, 06:00

Moderator

4

I was born into a family with parents who sought to please and honor God. When I was 3 months old we were on the mission field! Love for people has always been a particular characteristic of my family. I can’t think of a time when my family was not involved in some kind of […]