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Articles about how Bill Gothard mishandles the Bible to support his legalistic viewpoint.

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The Umbrella of Oppression

9 May 2014, 06:00

Moderator

“For protection, for provision, for the things I need…” are the words to a song that I taught children 15 years ago about the “Umbrella of Protection.” The umbrella was over the dad, and if the dad was right with God, then there were no holes in the umbrella. If the mom was under the […]

IBYC Staff Instructions: How to Answer Questions about Dating

7 February 2014, 06:00

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This document was distributed to the staff of Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts (IBYC, the original name of the Institute in Basic Life Principles) to provide them with approved answers to questions they might receive about their dating habits. IBYC staffers were discouraged from dating during their employ for the Institute, and several staff women […]

Sacred Grooming, Part Four: A Secretary’s Account of Life With Bill Gothard

27 January 2014, 06:00

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The Staff Center at IBLP Headquarters, photographed by the author

[Editor’s Note: The young woman referred to only as “she” and “her” in the following account is the author herself, “Meg,” but she has written it in the third person. The author was twenty years old during the events in this post. The following is a true story. Click here for Part One of Meg’s […]

Convictions or Preferences?

15 July 2013, 06:00

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In the circle within which I used to walk it was popular to express one’s convictions. In fact, we were taught to use the word “conviction” rather than “preference,” because it would be stronger when talking with others. A conviction was considered to be a word from the Lord, after all. You know, the Holy […]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 19: Recovering Right Focus (Part 1)

15 November 2012, 05:00

MatthewS

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 19: Recovering Right Focus We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. This chapter is about our focus. Spiritual abuse tends to leave people self-focused. They become preoccupied with doing things right and keeping those […]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 18: Renewing the Mind

7 November 2012, 06:00

MatthewS

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 18: Renewing the Mind We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. Even after we leave an abusive system, we are likely to continue to struggle with damaging habits of thought. “God’s stance toward us […]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Introduction to Part Three

18 October 2012, 06:00

MatthewS

We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. Next week we move on to Part Three, which is focused on recovery. Let’s review where we are and how we got here. There is a summary of Part One and introduction to Part […]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 16: The People Get Devoured

11 October 2012, 06:00

MatthewS

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 16: The People Get Devoured We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, even while for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore […]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 15: Spreading “The Gospel”

4 October 2012, 06:00

MatthewS

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 15: Spreading “The Gospel” We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. Are we spreading the heavenly message that was announced with “Peace on earth, good will towards men,” or are we recruiting people to […]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 14: “No Admittance”

20 September 2012, 10:30

MatthewS

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 14: “No Admittance” We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. Jesus broke the “can’t-talk” rule. He stood up against the religious leaders on behalf of those who were being spiritually oppressed when he cleansed […]