Have you Shiny Happy People? Looking for more info? Start here.

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: bill-gothard

A True Shepherd’s Heart

11 July 2013, 06:00

Moderator

16

My family joined the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) when I was 13 years old. My dad was a pastor and my parents had been familiar with the Institute of Basic Life Principles (IBLP), the Basic Seminar, and the Advanced Seminar for many years, so when their homeschooling friends told them about ATI and its “new […]

Finding the Real Me

8 July 2013, 06:00

Moderator

15

Why do I feel so lost? I realized recently that I’m seeking something. It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what. But I think I know now. I’m searching for me. For the real me. It’s hard to put it into words. I mean, my life looks so good on the outside. I changed […]

The Pressure of Perfection

4 July 2013, 06:00

Moderator

26

“If you would just do it right!” This was the oft-repeated mantra in my family. It usually happened when something went wrong and my dad was angered by it: simple things like a broken dish, a dirty room, or sibling squabble, or more complex things like a broken window or childhood injury. If we had […]

Why Not Confront Him Personally?

24 June 2013, 06:57

WendyA

46

So many people keep asking why those who have issues with Bill Gothard don’t talk to him about the problems. Those of us who tried have pretty much given up trying to explain. How do you explain, to a rational person, the dangers and frustrations of discussion with an irrational person? And I am sorry […]

Remember Your Brethren in Bonds

13 June 2013, 06:00

Moderator

13

In 2 Timothy 3:12, it is written, “Yea, and all who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” I don’t remember much persecution, at least not the kind that the Bible talks about. Sure we were ultra conservative and occasionally got some strange looks from people who had no idea what we were talking […]

A Call to Repentance

6 June 2013, 06:00

Moderator

353

Dear Recovering Grace Reader, Many of you are aware that we have run a number of articles in which young ladies have chronicled an unusual form of emotional and sexual harassment experienced while working for Bill Gothard at the IBLP [Institute in Basic Life Principles] Headquarters [HQ] in Oak Brook, IL. In addition to these […]

Wisdom Books and the Beatitudes: Post-It Notes On A Work of Art

27 May 2013, 06:00

Kevin

81

Sometime last year I told my wife that the pastoral staff of our church were preparing a series on the Sermon on the Mount. Having not grown up in the ATI world (in the Advanced Training Institute), I had not anticipated her less-than-enthusiastic response: “Yeah, I’ve had enough teaching on THAT to last me my […]

From Clear Conscience to Clear Thinking: Journey from Guilt to Grace!

16 May 2013, 06:00

Moderator

18

While many entered the world of ATI (the Advanced Training Institute) as teenagers or young adults, I was one of those who began my journey quite young. Even though I didn’t understand my parents’ new found zeal for “Wisdom Booklets” on my first day of school, I gradually came to accept them as a regular part of […]

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 […]

We Were The Normal Ones

6 May 2013, 06:00

Moderator

80

I have heard many people talk about how they still want to be involved in ATI (the Advanced Training Institute), but be “normal” families and just “filter out the bad stuff.” I’ve seen some of those responses in the Recovering Grace comments. If that’s your premise, then this post is for you, because that’s my […]