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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.

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Finding Relationships, Not Rules

28 July 2011, 15:00

Moderator

I grew up in a family where both parents loved the Lord. They faithfully taught me God’s Word, providing me with every resource to grow spiritually. At a young age I asked Jesus to come into my heart and take away my sin. I had a heart to serve God, but my desire to […]

Open Letter To My Mother

28 July 2011, 06:00

Moderator

When we were children, you followed Bill Gothard’s teaching about being “a light to the world” and forced your kids to wear matching clothes every time we left home. This made it difficult to develop my own identity. When we weren’t allowed to watch television because Gothard said it was a “corrupting influence,” I didn’t […]

When Tragedy Strikes

27 July 2011, 18:13

admin

I got the call last Saturday. “Aaron passed away last night,” the friend on the other end told me. I was in shock. Aaron was basically my age, and he had a precious 3-year-old daughter and a young wife. He was on the worship team at my last church. We had played, chatted, and worked […]

Dividing Sister and Brother

27 July 2011, 12:45

WendyA

The cardinal rule for those who live and work at Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) training centers is that unmarried persons of opposite genders do not mix. They especially do not “single each other out” or show any form of affection to one another. In some ways, this is perfectly understandable: you can hardly […]

My Tower Won’t Reach!

27 July 2011, 06:00

Moderator

MY FAMILY JOINED THE ADVANCED TRAINING INSTITUTE (ATI) IN 1986 when I was 13 years old. Drinking in the false definition of grace brought me to the belief that to maintain favor with God, I needed to live by a particular set of “standards.” As with many other Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) teachings, […]

Work Parties

26 July 2011, 12:15

WendyA

Some of my most vivid memories from my times at IBLP Headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois, center around “work parties.” For those who aren’t familiar with this oxymoronic term, a “work party” is when a bunch of students “volunteer” to work after hours on a specific project so that it can be completed on deadline. […]

Children Leading Children

24 July 2011, 20:00

lizs

Sometimes I wonder if those who were in charge at the various training centers really thought about what they were doing when they put young people “in charge” of other young people. I know that age does not always matter when it comes to authority and respect, but it can sometimes be very important. There […]

Escaping the Religious Noose, Part 4: Wrapping Up

21 July 2011, 08:00

Moderator

[Editor’s note: This is Part 4 of a four-part series. Click here for Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3] —CHOICES— In Wisdom Booklets and in other manuscripts, Bill teaches that every choice–no matter how trite–is “good” or “evil.” He teaches that “gray areas” indicate a presence of evil because gray is a mixture of […]

Escaping the Religious Noose, Part 3: Absolute Authority

20 July 2011, 08:00

Moderator

[Editor’s note: This is Part 3 of a four-part series. Click here for Part 1, Part 2, or Part 4] Using this verse in a manner not unlike the Jehovah’s Witness movement, Gothard teaches that the kingdom of heaven operates much like the Roman Empire. High-powered individuals at the top require those under them to […]

Escaping the Religious Noose, Part 2: Grace Redefined

19 July 2011, 08:00

Moderator

[Editor’s note: This is Part 2 of a four-part series. Click here for Part 1, Part 3, or Part 4] I will never forget the first time I heard Mr. Gothard teach that “unmerited favor” is a faulty definition of grace. His first step in redefining grace was to look up the New Testament word “graciousness” […]