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Tag Archives: manipulation

IBYC Scandal in the News — 1980-1982

10 December 2014, 08:00

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1. Brief news clip in Eternity regarding IBYC resignations (July-August 1980) 2. The Bill Gothard Tragedy (Plains Baptist Challenger, August 1980) 3. ‘Sexual misconduct’ rocks Chicago-based ministry (The Dallas Morning News, 8/2/80) 4. Bill Gothard Steps Down During Institute Shakeup (Christianity Today, 8/8/80) 5. Evangelicals Feel Strain as Churches Adjust to Marriage Failures (Los […]

You Cannot Pay With Words

12 November 2014, 09:00

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My story is about a leader maintaining a double life for decades and then demanding to pay for his deeds with words and tears. He is outwardly sorrowful that his words and favor are no longer valid currency. My parents were regional and state leaders in the homeschooling movement for years before we joined the […]

Confident Statements Do Not a Solid Argument Make

6 November 2014, 09:00

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A former Advanced Training Institute (ATI) student and Life Focus veteran has tackled both the form and the substance of the IBLP booklet What the Bible Has to Say About “Contemporary Christian” Music: Ten Scriptural Reasons Why the “Rock Beat” is Evil in Any Form at his blog, Throwing Out The Bath Water. “Is there a […]

Why is that Person your Friend?

23 October 2014, 06:00

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A commenter recently asked an obvious question of another: “Why do you think that person is your friend?” That rang a bell in me. There are times, when reading the stories people send me, that I ask something similar in my heart. Why do you think that person is your friend? Why would you keep […]

The Principle of Self-Doubt

20 October 2014, 06:24

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I have been reading articles on Recovering Grace for a couple of years now, and the testimonies of others have been powerful tools for personal healing and for re-evaluating the way I think about life. One of the more common themes that I have seen in the comments on Recovering Grace articles is that people […]

Four Tools of Spiritual Manipulators

19 September 2014, 11:33

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I grew up in the homeschool subculture of Bill Gothard and his Advanced Training Institute (ATI). I participated in Children’s Institutes, worked at Training Centers stateside and in Russia, and attended Oak Brook College of Law, Young Men’s Conferences, and too many seminars to count. Though I learned much from these experiences and am grateful […]

Heather’s Story

9 July 2014, 06:00

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The following is a list of all currently published allegations (that we know of) of Bill Gothard’s behavior. Megan’s Story, published April 3, 2014 (external link) Robin’s Story, published March 10, 2014 Rachel’s Story, published February 17, 2014 Ruth’s Story, published February 12, 2014 Charlotte’s Story, published February 5, 2014 Meg’s Story, published January 20, 2014 […]

When Apologies Make it Worse

8 July 2014, 12:01

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Since Bill Gothard had to resign from leading his Institute in Basic Life Principles amid allegations of inappropriate behavior toward female staffers, he has made few public statements. But in private, he has been far from silent. An article published yesterday by Mother Jones stated: These days, Gothard says, he is busy “contacting people I’ve offended […]

Bill’s Cabin: Uncovering Sin

21 May 2014, 09:00

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Bill Gothard's cabin and surrounding area, 2014

The Northwoods Setting The Northwoods began as a Gothard family retreat and was repurposed and expanded for ministry use as the ministry grew flush with cash. Steve Gothard’s cabin was built in 1973. The first (smaller) lodge was built in 1974, and the Big Lodge was built in 1976. As noted in other articles, […]

The Umbrella of Oppression

9 May 2014, 06:00

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“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 […]