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

Character Sketches or Sketchy Characters? Dinah and Tamar

12 April 2012, 07:00

DavidM

78

In his Character Sketches series, Mr. Gothard retells many of the stories found in Scripture to illustrate some aspect of character, either good or bad. Often, however, these sketches are better at illustrating how Mr. Gothard will twist Scripture with points that are many times theologically poisonous and logically absurd. In light of the theme […]

Choosing Both Forgiveness and Prosecution

6 April 2012, 06:00

Moderator

38

Along his journey to becoming a convicted felon, pedophile, and sexual predator, I was one of my older brother Michael’s earliest victims in life. He began “grooming” me when I was six; “Grooming” is a term I have since learned that is clinically used to refer to the deliberate preparation of an intended victim for […]

Without an Umbrella in a Broken System

5 April 2012, 06:00

JaimeD

23

The earliest memory I have related to my sexual abuse was when I was 4 or 5 years old. I was sitting in the backseat of the car with my brother who was two years older than I. We were waiting outside my grandparents’ house while my mom ran in for something. I remember feeling […]

Gracenotes: Sexual Assault Awareness

4 April 2012, 06:00

Moderator

15

Dear Recovering Grace Readers, April is National Sexual Assault Awareness month. Current statistics show that one out of every four girls, and one out of every six boys are sexually abused (usually by someone they know) before they turn 18 years old. The problem of sexual abuse is systemic, and unfortunately it’s not just out […]

Facing the Future….Alone!

2 April 2012, 06:00

JaimeD

13

While I don’t think dealing with an ending marriage and becoming a single parent is easy on any one, I do think those from an ATI (Advanced Training Institute) or similar background face specific challenges due to our upbringing. For instance, I was raised to believe divorce was not an option. It didn’t matter what […]

Others may….

28 March 2012, 06:00

Moderator

25

You cannot! If I had $5 for every time I heard that phrase growing up, I would be very rich. My mom said it when she wanted me to yield to a standard that was set in our home. Mr. Gothard said it when he wanted us to buy into his particular brand of elitist […]

A Matter of Basic Principles-A Review

23 March 2012, 06:00

admin

265

INTRODUCTION When I was 18 or 19 years old I really began to question the teachings of Bill Gothard, the Advanced Training Institute, and the Institute in Basic Life Principles. I had seen some things at various training centers that didn’t line up with the principles that Bill taught, and I began feeling in my […]

We Were Elite, Super Special Christians

16 March 2012, 06:00

Moderator

23

“You are the best of the best.” “You are on the front lines of the Christian battle.” “You are like the Marines of the Christian faith.” What Christian young person would not want to hear those words?  Every single one of us wants to be special.  We all want to belong to something bigger than […]

The Cost of a Vow

14 March 2012, 09:15

Anne

38

From the time I was a little girl, all I wanted was to find my knight in shining armor and be a mommy. If the Disney Princesses had all been around when I was a child, I’m quite certain I would have been enamored by their stories. But they weren’t, and they wouldn’t have been kosher anyway, as […]

The Formula Problem: Why Duggarizing Your Marriage is Not Recommended

9 March 2012, 06:00

Moderator

59

Baking is one of my favorite pastimes.  I make a killer banana bread.  I love baking cookies and many times, like Marie Barone, bake a cake just because.  I follow recipes very closely but always add vanilla even if it is not called for.  I can follow those recipes to the letter for one simple […]