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

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Tag Archives: shame

The Shame of Beauty

16 April 2015, 06:00

Moderator

142

Before I was born my parents started following the teaching of Bill Gothard and IBLP, and when I was 5, they joined ATI (Advanced Training Institute), the homeschool program that Gothard developed for the families of his Basic and Advanced Seminars. Gothard emphasized “principles” which simply meant there were many different rules that dictated specific activities in my […]

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Letter from a Survivor of Spiritual Abuse

25 November 2013, 06:00

Moderator

44

To all those who are a part of my life in some way: Please don’t tell me that my parents loved me and “only wanted what was best” for me. When I hear you say that, I hear you telling me that all the spiritual abuse, oppression, and deep pain I have felt and experienced […]

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Life Focus: A Sister’s Perspective

18 November 2013, 06:00

Carolynn

32

I was 13 when my parents chose to send my brother to Life Focus. Josh was the first in our family—at age 16—to experience an apprenticeship program, and the whole family was both excited and apprehensive. What would the Indianapolis Training Center (ITC) be like? (My parents attended a short admissions seminar there several years […]

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Set Free by Grace

26 April 2013, 06:00

Moderator

22

It was around 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning in June 2011. I was home for the weekend from the eating disorder hospital where I was in treatment. Asleep in bed, I woke up when my phone beeped for a text message. The name on the screen put fear in my heart. Terrified, I opened […]

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When Asking “Why” Does Not Bring Answers

22 April 2013, 06:00

Moderator

55

Editor’s note: The following testimony references Bill Gothard’s “Why Did God Let It Happen?” teaching. This teaching has been delivered in several different formats, many of which do not directly reference sexual abuse. However, the Counseling Sexual Abuse document that was distributed at ATI (Advanced Training Institute) counseling seminars applies this teaching directly to sexual […]

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It’s All In Your Head!

4 February 2013, 06:04

HelenE

15

Bill Gothard teaches many things that are erroneous. Even dedicated followers admit the need to pick and choose. This story outlines only a few of them in relation to what I experienced starting in 1992. Bill’s teaching on mental illness is that it is caused by irresponsibility or a character deficiency. I disagree. I was […]

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The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 4: The Pre-Abuse Set-up

28 June 2012, 20:26

MatthewS

9

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 4: The Pre-Abuse Set-up We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here. These two statements are both true: 1) The perpetrator is always responsible for the abuse, and 2) Some people seem pre-disposed to wind […]

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No Place for Shame!

16 May 2012, 06:00

Joshua B

21

Talking about my family’s involvement in ATI & IBLP is something that is so incredibly difficult for me, mostly because my family refuses to talk about and would like to pretend that it never happened. It wasn’t until I was 25 years old and found myself having panic attacks, intense feelings of shame, and anxiety, that I […]

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