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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.

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We Were The Normal Ones

6 May 2013, 06:00

Moderator

I have heard many people talk about how they still want to be involved in ATI (the Advanced Training Institute), but be “normal” families and just “filter out the bad stuff.” I’ve seen some of those responses in the Recovering Grace comments. If that’s your premise, then this post is for you, because that’s my […]

When Asking “Why” Does Not Bring Answers

22 April 2013, 06:00

Moderator

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 […]

Sonic Bloom: Untruth With An Agenda

21 March 2013, 06:00

Danielle Klueber

107

The author, other IBLP staff members and directors, and Bill Gothard in the Indianapolis South Campus green house

There is no denying that Bill Gothard has a persuasive way of presenting “newfound” products, ideas, and beliefs. Many trust that he is truthful in these things. They assume, as I did, that he would never purposefully deceive. During my time with IBLP (the Institute in Basic Life Principles) I was witness to a very […]

It’s All In Your Head!

4 February 2013, 06:04

HelenE

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 […]

Parents in a Potemkin Village: Six Weeks in the Moscow Training Center

14 January 2013, 06:00

Diana Hall

A panoramic view of the Moscow Training Center assembled from four snapshots taken in Fall 1995

We entered the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) homeschool program when I was fifteen, and not much about my life changed. Our family attended functions here and there and added the Wisdom Booklets to our home school curriculum, but the more unique ATI teachings did not have much effect on us. Before we joined ATI we […]

The Right Thing for The Wrong Reason

20 December 2012, 06:00

Moderator

Recently, a Christian counselor whom I have been seeing said something that was a revelation to me: “You can read your Bible and be sinning.” As I let her words sink in, the truth hit me like a ton of bricks. God does not care about external devotion as much as He cares about internal […]

Transformation

22 October 2012, 06:00

Moderator

After ten years in the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) and a number of experiences participating in various programs (Counseling Seminar, Sound Foundations, EXCEL, and a handful of Children’s Institutes), there came a moment when it became crystal clear to me that, within the spiritual and social confines of the Advanced Training Institute, I would never […]

The Ravages of Guilt

8 October 2012, 06:00

Moderator

“If you say anything, I will tie up your family, just like I tie you up. Then I will make you sit there and watch as I kill each one of them in front of you. Will I kill you? No! You I will leave alive, so that you can spend every day of your […]

The Elephant Effect

24 September 2012, 06:00

WendyA

Reporting and evaluating life’s experiences often reflects the same “blindness” that is illustrated so aptly in this old Indian poem. Or, as marriage counselors would say, there are at least three perspectives of every situation: what he says happened, what she says happened, and what actually happened. And it can be nearly impossible to determine […]

Life Focus: Isolation Instead of Relationship

11 August 2012, 06:00

Moderator

As a teenager I was sent to an Advanced Training Institute (ATI) young men’s program called Life Focus. Life Focus was not explicitly advertised as a program for the troubled youth or “rebels” of ATI, but, functionally, that is what it was. The young men in Life Focus were regarded as and spoken to as […]