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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: submission

Authority vs. Faith in Brazil

23 May 2014, 06:00

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I first encountered Bill Gothard in the fall of 1957 when I was a sophomore at Wheaton College. He had just graduated that year and was enrolled in their graduate program. Bill was organizing college students who were willing to be Bible study leaders one evening a week under the auspices of a program working […]

Speaking Up Late in the Day

3 May 2014, 08:48

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Over the past two weeks and previous two Aprils, Recovering Grace has focused on personal narratives by former Advanced Training Institute (ATI) alumni who endured sexual assault, abuse, or harassment in the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) subculture, sometimes within a context of broader physical abuse, and almost always within a context of spiritual […]

Twelve Characteristics of Fundamentalist Societies that Shelter Sexual Abuse

30 April 2014, 09:00

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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 […]

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

24 April 2014, 06:00

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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, […]

How Could This Happen Here?

15 April 2014, 08:42

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Recovering Grace will observe Sexual Assault Awareness Month for the remainder of April.   In April 2012 and 2013, we published some very difficult stories of sexual abuse in ATI [Advanced Training Institute] families. Some critics objected that these families were extreme outliers within the program, and that ATI and IBLP have never condoned sexual […]

Silencing the Lambs: Twisting Matthew 18

3 March 2014, 06:00

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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 Basic Problem

24 February 2014, 06:00

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Editor’s Note: Previously, we explored events surrounding the Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts (IBYC) scandal that culminated in 1980 with Bill Gothard’s resignation and quick reinstatement as president of that organization, which would later be renamed the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP). You can read the Introduction here, Part One here, Part Two here, and a chronology of the scandal […]

Chronology of Ruth, Annette, Charlotte, Meg, Rachel, Lizzie, and Grace

18 February 2014, 07:00

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1970: Ruth, age 18, is pressured by Bill Gothard to leave college and come work at Campus Teams Headquarters in Illinois. 1971-73: Ruth becomes Bill Gothard’s personal secretary, and he asserts control over nearly every aspect of her life. Ruth is pressured to break off her relationship with Larne. 1971: “Meg” is born in Blenheim, […]

The GOTHARD Files: The Early Years, 1965–79

11 February 2014, 06:00

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This is Part one, of a three-Part series on the history of the Institute in Basic Life Principles. Please click here to read the Introduction. In the space of less than twelve months, from the early months of 1980 until January of 1981, a multi-million dollar ministry suffered a massive public blow that nearly crippled […]

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 […]