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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.

Tag Archives: spiritual-abuse

From Bill to Larne and Ruth, February 1981

14 February 2014, 06:00

Moderator

113

On Wednesday, we shared Ruth’s Story, the heartbreaking account of one of Bill Gothard’s former secretaries. The letter below was sent from Bill Gothard to Ruth and her husband Larne in February of 1981, less than three months after their marriage in November, 1980, and less than seven months after the “scandal” and Bill Gothard’s […]

The GOTHARD Files: A Case for Disqualification

3 February 2014, 06:00

Moderator

248

Dear Recovering Grace Reader, Today we would like to prayerfully share with you some important information about what is going to be happening on our website over the next few months. When we launched our website in July of 2011, we did so with the express mission of helping people whose lives have been impacted […]

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 […]

Examining “Life Focus”

14 November 2013, 06:00

Rachel

14

A couple of years ago I heard that there was a program for young men in the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) called Life Focus. Apparently Life Focus came into existence right around the time I left ATI. When I heard some of my friends discussing it, I was intrigued and started asking around. While there […]

Reflections on Healing After Surgery

21 October 2013, 06:00

RyanR

2

Within the Recovering Grace community, many often are confronted by well-meaning friends or family who believe that the spiritually wounded should just get over it. The refrains vary from, “You’re being bitter,” to “You just need to leave it at the cross,” to “You WANT to hang on to this.” I recently underwent lumbar spinal […]

Overcoming Relational Aggression

14 October 2013, 06:00

Moderator

7

Is spiritual abuse and relational aggression happening to you? This is how it used to play out in my life. I just had you over to my house to talk and you pulled my movie collection off the shelf and shivered. I ask you what you are thinking; I would hate to miss any hidden message […]

Anniversary Milestones

25 July 2013, 06:00

Moderator

11

Dear Recovering Grace Reader, This week marks the second anniversary of the launching of Recovering Grace. It hardly seems possible that a little over two years ago, our website was only a germ of an idea being shared among a large number of former students of Bill Gothard and his Advanced Training Institute and Institute […]

Gothard’s Biblical Inoculation

18 July 2013, 06:00

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4

a set of syringes

Question: How do you ensure that your children don’t catch a deadly disease? Simple…inoculate them. In the 1700s, it was discovered that dipping a needle into the pus of a smallpox blister and then inserting that same needle into a healthy person prevented them from getting the disease. The infected dose was large enough for […]

A True Shepherd’s Heart

11 July 2013, 06:00

Moderator

16

My family joined the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) when I was 13 years old. My dad was a pastor and my parents had been familiar with the Institute of Basic Life Principles (IBLP), the Basic Seminar, and the Advanced Seminar for many years, so when their homeschooling friends told them about ATI and its “new […]

Why Not Confront Him Personally?

24 June 2013, 06:57

WendyA

46

So many people keep asking why those who have issues with Bill Gothard don’t talk to him about the problems. Those of us who tried have pretty much given up trying to explain. How do you explain, to a rational person, the dangers and frustrations of discussion with an irrational person? And I am sorry […]