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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: standards

A Long Night’s Journey Through the ATI / IBLP System

24 April 2014, 06:00

Moderator

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I grew up in Bill Gothard’s Advanced Training Institute of America (ATIA, later renamed ATI) home school program from 1985 through 2005 — twenty years! I worked at five different Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) training centers run by Bill Gothard and his staff, as well as working at IBLP Headquarters in Oak Brook, […]

The One Who’s Turned into a Girl Again

8 April 2014, 06:00

Anne

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I’ve been struggling the past month. Events on Recovering Grace have unfolded to a place where I have finally been able to feel vindicated that the niggling little feelings that had long rested deep within my soul were justified. Oh, I would never have been able to actually express those feelings, not because I “couldn’t” […]

On Feeling Betrayed, Validated, and Brave

3 April 2014, 06:00

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ATI Counseling Seminar photographed in Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, GAATI Counseling Seminar photographed in Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, GA

And since your history of silence Won’t do you any good,  Did you think it would? Let your words be anything but empty   Why don’t you tell them the truth?   Say what you want to say And let the words fall out Honestly  I want to see you be brave   Show me […]

Gothard’s Biblical Inoculation

14 March 2014, 06:00

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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 Call for Discernment

4 March 2014, 06:00

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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 […]

Marcus’s Story: Touching the Invisible Electric Fence

17 February 2014, 08:00

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I was invited to work at the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) headquarters during the summer of 1992. I said goodbye to my family in Knoxville, Tennessee, where we had traveled to attend the yearly Advanced Training Institute (ATI) annual conference, and climbed aboard one of the many vans transporting IBLP staff back to Oak […]

Where Healing Begins

9 January 2014, 06:00

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This is where the healing begins This is where the healing starts When you come to where you’re broken within The light meets the dark, the light meets the dark Sparks will fly as grace collides with the dark inside of us So please don’t fight this coming light ~Tenth Avenue North “Healing Begins” I […]

No Condemnation!

5 December 2013, 06:00

Moderator

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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 […]

Shrimp on a Sheet: A Talmud of Our Own

2 December 2013, 06:00

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“And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” It’s funny how each of our senses are tuned differently. While my husband is so sensitive to musical detail that even his dreams can have soundtracks, my brain assigns high priority to flavor. So many of my memories revolve around food, transporting me to times […]

Letter from a Survivor of Spiritual Abuse

25 November 2013, 06:00

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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 […]