Recovering Grace » A Bill Gothard generation shines light on the teachings of IBLP and ATIrules

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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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1984 and ATI

29 May 2014, 06:00

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102

My parents tell me the only reason we weren’t a pilot family in the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) is the fact that I, their first-born, was only three months old when they applied that first year. Like many others who have shared their stories, my parents are wonderful people who sincerely love Jesus and wanted […]

Twelve Characteristics of Fundamentalist Societies that Shelter Sexual Abuse

30 April 2014, 09:00

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163

How could he have fooled so many people, so thoroughly? How did the abuse go on for so many years, unacknowledged? Whenever a leader at this level is ousted or steps down, questions like these come to mind. In the wake of revelations of sexual harassment and abuse pouring in from survivors of Bill Gothard’s […]

Stolen Treasures

11 March 2014, 06:00

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was originally published on March 11, 2013. A recent article on Recovering Grace, entitled “Moving On,” prompted me to think about the reason it is so difficult to move forward after being victimized by legalism. As I have worked with those hurt by legalism over the years, I have often heard stories about what […]

Silencing the Lambs: Twisting Matthew 18

3 March 2014, 06:00

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132

A Response to Rediscovering a Forgotten Truth The day was Valentine’s Day 1976. Bill Gothard and his brother, Steve, had some surprising confessions to make to the staff of IBYC: they had “defrauded” staff secretaries. In the months prior to this, some of the young ladies had sought out the help of other staff members […]

The GOTHARD Files: The Scandal, 1980

20 February 2014, 06:00

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306

This is part two of a three-part series on the history of the Institute in Basic Life Principles, formerly known as the Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts (IBYC). Please click here to read the Introduction and here to read Part One. Previously we explored events leading up to the IBYC scandal that broke in 1980. […]

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 […]

A Pastor’s Confession

13 January 2014, 06:00

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I was the pastor of an ATI church. There. It’s out. I said it. So much within me is shouting, “No! No!” But it’s the truth. Somehow the church I served became an ATI (Advanced Training Institute-influenced) church. It was never my plan or desire, but I was naïve. I thought I could invite Gothard […]

2013 Year in Review

6 January 2014, 06:00

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Dear Recovering Grace Reader, We hope and pray that you have had a blessed holiday season. As we move into 2014, we’d like to take this opportunity to share with you how God is continuing to use our website to help others, as well as to look back at our top 10 posts of 2013. […]

No Condemnation!

5 December 2013, 06:00

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I remember the exact moment when I realized that Jesus loved me—and LIKED me—ALL the time, not just when I had performed correctly. My life seemed like it was falling apart around me. I was no longer able to control everything and come across as a “godly” person. I started having panic attacks, and because […]

Life Focus: The Price of a White Polo

21 November 2013, 06:00

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I could share countless stories of spiritual, physical, and mental abuse from my time spent in the Life Focus program. But one experience that stands out in my mind was when I was confined to the Prayer Room during Life Focus IV. The “scandal” that began a witch hunt started with a young lady from […]