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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: guilt

From Bill to Larne and Ruth, February 1981

14 February 2014, 06:00

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On Wednesday, we shared Ruth’s Story, the heartbreaking account of one of Bill Gothard’s former secretaries. The letter below was sent from Bill Gothard to Ruth and her husband Larne in February of 1981, less than three months after their marriage in November, 1980, and less than seven months after the “scandal” and Bill Gothard’s […]

Charlotte’s Story

5 February 2014, 06:00

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It is hard for me to bare my soul. I was raised to put my best face forward and act like all is well. I am a preacher’s daughter, the youngest of seven children. In the world I grew up in, the pastor and his family always had to be perfect. I have been told […]

Shrimp on a Sheet: A Talmud of Our Own

2 December 2013, 06:00

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“And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” It’s funny how each of our senses are tuned differently. While my husband is so sensitive to musical detail that even his dreams can have soundtracks, my brain assigns high priority to flavor. So many of my memories revolve around food, transporting me to times […]

When I was on Fire

7 November 2013, 06:00

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“What do I know of You, Who spoke the world in motion? Where have I even stood, but soil along Your ocean? Are You fire, are You fury? Are You sacred, are You beautiful? What do I know – what do I know of holy?” ~ Addison Road Once upon a time I thought that […]

Overcoming Relational Aggression

14 October 2013, 06:00

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Is spiritual abuse and relational aggression happening to you? This is how it used to play out in my life. I just had you over to my house to talk and you pulled my movie collection off the shelf and shivered. I ask you what you are thinking; I would hate to miss any hidden message […]

Anti-Law

7 October 2013, 06:00

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Grace 101 Over the past several Grace 101 posts I have focused on the parable of the sower from Matthew 13 to give us a structure for looking at enemies of grace.  I started with the trampled or trodden path, the hard ground that would not let the seed take root.  But other enemies take […]

Finding My “No”!

9 September 2013, 06:00

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As a teen growing up in the Advanced Training Institute (ATI), my parents would not have said I was compliant. But I was. My parents decided to homeschool me the summer before I entered seventh grade. Four years later, I ascertained it was most certainly not in my best interest to continue. I fussed, argued […]

Issues of Concern—Bill Gothard and the Bible (1984)

2 September 2013, 05:00

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A Report by Ronald B. Allen, Th.D. Professor of Hebrew Scripture Western Baptist Seminary, Portland, Oregon May 30, 1984 The week that I spent at Basic Youth Conflicts in 1973 (Portland) was one of the most difficult of my life. In this seminar I was regularly assaulted by a misuse of the Bible, particularly of […]

A Culture of Addicts—The Problem with Living for Eternity

5 August 2013, 07:00

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Dictionary.com defines an “addict” as: 1. a person who is addicted to an activity, habit, or substance* Growing up in the Advanced Training Institute (ATI), a quasi-cult, I was constantly bombarded with ideology promoting service, self-sacrifice, organizationalism, and a general detachment from the real world. As someone who was born with many talents and abilities, […]

Experiencing Freedom

1 August 2013, 06:00

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I remember the day I was saved. It was after church on a rainy night, by my little bed, just before being tucked in. That was the day I asked Jesus to come into my heart and save me. I wasn’t a horrible sinner, being not quite five, but I knew that I did and […]