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

Personal testimonies of finding true freedom through God's matchless grace.

Living and thriving through the grace of God.

Stories and accounts of the destruction caused by the teachings of Bill Gothard.

Tag Archives: rules

They Will Know You Are Christians… By Your Standards?

29 October 2011, 05:00

Julie Terrell

41

There is an abundance of teaching within the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) and the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) about “high places”–about the danger of putting things in the place of God and our relationship with Him. But isn’t this exactly what has happened with our “standards” and “character”? In a recent conversation with […]

My Heart’s Cry ~ Part Two

25 October 2011, 06:00

Moderator

10

Then, through a bizarre series of events my closest friend and co-worker left the training center. This left me with extra work to do and completely alone. I went to my “authorities” and let them know that I could not continue to be on staff the next year. I was asked to have a meeting […]

My Heart’s Cry ~ Part One

24 October 2011, 06:00

Moderator

4

I was born into a family with parents who sought to please and honor God. When I was 3 months old we were on the mission field! Love for people has always been a particular characteristic of my family. I can’t think of a time when my family was not involved in some kind of […]

A Jonah Tale

11 October 2011, 06:05

admin

10

In the latter part of the 1990s, I spent the better part of two years working at the Oklahoma City Training Center (OTC). I worked primarily with Character First! Education (CFE), specifically going into the local schools and teaching the curriculum to mostly low-income children. While I now see some of the flawed philosophy behind […]

A Call for Discernment

7 October 2011, 11:02

Moderator

58

Recovering Grace in many ways is a result of the efforts of other Christian leaders who throughout the 80’s and 90’s tried to warn of the dangers inherent in the teachings of Bill Gothard, the Advanced Training Institute, and the Institute in Basic Life Principles. Although many people involved with Gothardism did not listen, some of us […]

A Tale of Two Abigails

7 October 2011, 08:57

MatthewS

14

The first Abigail is a wise and beautiful hero, an inspiration to women and men everywhere. Her quick thinking, deliberate action, and diplomatic speech saved many lives. We meet this Abigail in a delightful story told in 1 Samuel 15. Sadly, many of us raised under the Institute in Basic Life Principles and ATI’s teachings […]

Standards that Divide Believers

23 September 2011, 06:00

Beverly

14

Ask any church leader who has come into contact with Gothard followers, and far too often you will hear about stories of divisions caused within churches, rather than people who are known for their love or unity. Many instances of division can be traced directly back to the teachings of Bill Gothard through the Institute […]

My ITC Prison Sentence, Part 3

20 September 2011, 06:15

JessicaF

21

The assignments I was given when I was confined to the prayer room at the Indianapolis Training Center (ITC) were all intended to make me aware of my sin and failure. For example, I was to write a two-page description of my sins, how they affected others, and the specific ways that God was using […]

Broken Glass

19 September 2011, 07:00

Wendy B

14

As I am going through this process of recognizing and healing from the effects of growing up with IBLP/ATI,  I find that daily life can often draw parallels to what I am feeling internally. I was washing a window in my kitchen today and realized that one of them is broken. It is pointless to […]

My ITC Prison Sentence, Part 2

15 September 2011, 06:15

JessicaF

12

The Indianapolis Training Center (ITC) was gearing up for Thanksgiving and none of us in the training programs were allowed to leave. It was only a four-day weekend, after all.  But this policy was causing serious morale issues. Especially since it wasn’t applied universally: the cosmetology instructor was one of those who was allowed to […]