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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: bill-gothard

Twelve Characteristics of Fundamentalist Societies that Shelter Sexual Abuse

30 April 2014, 09:00

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How could he have fooled so many people, so thoroughly? How did the abuse go on for so many years, unacknowledged? Whenever a leader at this level is ousted or steps down, questions like these come to mind. In the wake of revelations of sexual harassment and abuse pouring in from survivors of Bill Gothard’s […]

There Is No Victim: A Survey of IBLP Literature on Sexual Assault and Abuse

25 April 2014, 21:59

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Today, Recovering Grace looks at past Advanced Training Institute (ATI) and Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) materials that address the topics of sexual abuse, child molestation within a nuclear family, and domestic violence. This is not presented as an exhaustive survey, but is the full range of printed Institute material on these topics that […]

A Long Night’s Journey Through the ATI / IBLP System

24 April 2014, 06:00

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I grew up in Bill Gothard’s Advanced Training Institute of America (ATIA, later renamed ATI) home school program from 1985 through 2005 — twenty years! I worked at five different Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) training centers run by Bill Gothard and his staff, as well as working at IBLP Headquarters in Oak Brook, […]

Our Response to Bill Gothard’s Statement

22 April 2014, 10:30

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Bill Gothard released a long-awaited public statement last Thursday evening, April 17, 2014, regarding his resignation from the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP). We at Recovering Grace have spent several days processing this statement and considering our response. We see several positive aspects to this letter. Gothard generally acknowledges that the Christian life is […]

Bill Gothard Issues Public Statement

17 April 2014, 22:59

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Bill Gothard has released a public statement via his personal web site. The statement is quoted in full below.

When Sexual Harassment at IBLP Headquarters Is Acknowledged

17 April 2014, 06:00

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I attended my first Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) Basic Seminar during my junior year of high school. It was interesting, although I couldn’t believe we were watching a video. My parents had been attending these seminars for years. They accepted Jesus at one in 1976. I did my part at the seminar, paying […]

How Could This Happen Here?

15 April 2014, 08:42

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Recovering Grace will observe Sexual Assault Awareness Month for the remainder of April.   In April 2012 and 2013, we published some very difficult stories of sexual abuse in ATI [Advanced Training Institute] families. Some critics objected that these families were extreme outliers within the program, and that ATI and IBLP have never condoned sexual […]

To My Daughter

11 April 2014, 06:00

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After being in ATI for 10 years and now out for the last 13 years, I am finding the need to say some things to our oldest daughter. She was our “guinea pig,” the one from whom we learned the most and the one upon whom we tried the most. She was with us from start […]

On Feeling Betrayed, Validated, and Brave

3 April 2014, 06:00

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ATI Counseling Seminar photographed in Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, GAATI Counseling Seminar photographed in Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, GA

And since your history of silence Won’t do you any good,  Did you think it would? Let your words be anything but empty   Why don’t you tell them the truth?   Say what you want to say And let the words fall out Honestly  I want to see you be brave   Show me […]

An Update from Recovering Grace

25 March 2014, 06:00

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Dear Recovering Grace Reader, It has now been twenty days since Bill Gothard resigned as the president of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP). We have been relatively quiet about these developments since our initial response on March 6 simply because we, like many of you, are waiting to see (a) whether this resignation […]