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

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Tag Archives: fear

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 […]

Passive Moms: A Plea for Compassion

30 March 2012, 06:00

WendyA

28

A lot of the young people who have come out of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) and Advanced Training Institute (ATI) teachings have  run wildly in any direction that would get them away. Away from the pain, the abuse, the guilt, the self-hatred, the despair — and all the other negative emotions that […]

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 […]

Creating a Rebellious Heart

21 March 2012, 06:05

Moderator

19

Two short months before leaving for Russia, I was blessed with the opportunity to travel Europe with my mom, both grandmothers, and my aunt. It had been a lifelong dream of my 88-year-old grandmother, and I relished every second of it. One of the days that had the most impact on me was the trip […]

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 […]

My Year as an LIT

7 March 2012, 06:48

Moderator

46

At the age of 15, I had already been heavily enslaved to a serious eating disorder for five years. According to my psychologist/counselor at the time, the eating disorder was accompanied by Borderline Personality Disorder and clinical depression. He prescribed three different medications that gave me headaches and made me more irritable–they didn’t really solve any […]

The Art of Manipulation

5 March 2012, 06:00

Moderator

23

“Joseph, I wouldn’t be surprised if God caused the plane to crash in order to punish you for not honoring your mother.”  That’s what my mother said to me in the summer of 2002. I was 25 years old and it was the night before 4 of my friends and myself were to board a […]

If your god is not God, fire him.

2 March 2012, 06:00

Moderator

16

There is a difference—sometimes an enormous difference—between the God of our doctrinal statements and the god we live with every day. Our theological convictions may be thoroughly orthodox, but we may actually serve a god who is quick to anger and slow to forgive. Or a god who shames his followers. Or a god who […]

The Aftermath of ATI and its Aversion to Higher Education: Part 2

29 February 2012, 06:00

Carolynn

16

This article continues a two-part series as students share the long-term effects of ATI’s teaching against college.         College was evil in my family. My parents have changed their views on this now, but still don’t put a huge emphasis on the importance of a degree. So now, I have 3 siblings […]

The Aftermath of ATI and its Aversion to Higher Education: Part 1

27 February 2012, 06:00

Carolynn

38

In the early days of ATI (Advanced Training Institute), families with a student in college were denied enrollment. While the official policy changed early on in the program, the philosophy of discouraging higher education continues to this day. The reasons given are varied, but the bottom line is clear: Students frequently were not encouraged or […]