As an exercise in discernment, this series critiques the teaching associated with the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), Advanced Training Institute International (ATI), and specifically their founder, Bill Gothard. His teaching includes a myriad of distortions and this post addresses examples under the final two of six main areas (listed at the end of Part 1).
Elevating the culture the Bible was written in over others.
Dating, I’ll grant you, can be a confusing and challenging experience. How does Mr. Gothard handle it? Simple. By saying, “dating is not in the Bible” and then steering people toward the idea of courtship and arranged marriages. But if dating wasn’t practiced in the Bible, does it automatically follow that dating is wrong? What about the use of automobiles, airplanes, iPhones, eating pizza, and other such “non-biblical” practices? Should these also be rejected? The ridiculousness of all this aside, one needs to be careful about elevating one culture above another. For example, slavery and polygamy were practiced in the first century, but few Christians, if any, would attempt to condone those. Ultimately, not only is Mr. Gothard’s basis for rejecting the practice of dating illegitimate and silly, what he offers instead is of little practical value. In my experience working with teenagers and young adults for over thirty years, it’s a much healthier and more effective approach to encourage individuals to honor God in the context of their dating relationships. That’s one reason why, when I was a youth pastor, I found I Gave Dating a Chance by Jeremy Clark a more helpful book than I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris (more on this below).[1]
Misrepresenting his ministry in relation to that of others.
At three of his Pastors’ seminars I attended, Mr. Gothard continually promoted an unhealthy elitist attitude. He would share instances where he confronted anti-abortion activist, Randall Terry, or James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, as well as other Christian leaders about their “subtle” errors. This had the effect of casting a shadow of doubt over these prominent ministries and making Gothardites feel blessed to be among the enlightened. Mr. Gothard would share how he helped a number of prominent individuals, ranging from Charles Stanley to certain presidential candidates. He continually talked about all of the people in government that came to his legislative seminars whose lives were changed dramatically. Yet I found it telling at the time that I had never heard of these “influential” seminars from any other source. Further, in 1988, I had the opportunity to ask the well-known, nationally syndicated columnist and pundit, Cal Thomas—who was familiar with many believers in government—if he had ever heard of the impact of Bill Gothard’s legislative seminars. He told me he had never heard of them. While Mr. Thomas’ ignorance on this matter did not make me question the existence of Mr. Gothard’s seminars or their ability to influence those in government, it did suggest that their impact was rather minimal, and greatly exaggerated by Mr. Gothard.
Another example of his misrepresentation occurred after November 9, 1989, when the Berlin Wall came down. Mr. Gothard informed his supporters that the Russian government had specifically asked his ministry to come over and help Russia’s schools. He didn’t mention, however, that hundreds of other Christian organizations had also been asked to help bring stability in similar ways. As I contemplated the way he again exaggerated the importance of his ministry, I became disturbed. I asked myself, “Why can’t we all rejoice that Communism has fallen and doors are now open for the gospel ?” By not mentioning the other quality ministries that were given similar opportunities, Mr. Gothard misrepresented the truth and promoted a spiritual pride among his devotees.
In concluding this series, James 3:1 warns “Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (NLT) This certainly applies to Mr. Gothard and it also applies to my critique of his ministry. Ideas have consequences—especially those connected to God. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing and only God knows the heart. Even good-hearted teachers and ministers of the gospel will not always get everything right. That’s why if we learn that our teaching or parenting has been in error or has hurt others,[2] we should respond with humility—listening, reflecting, asking forgiveness and correcting course where necessary. Regrettably, that’s not what I see at Bill’s current site where he brags about “28 books” God has “given instruction” for or writes off the numerous accusations against him as just a “conspiracy.” As a telling contrast, Josh Harris, who wrote I Kissed Dating Goodbye, a perspective in synch with Mr. Gothard’s take on purity and dating, has decided to pull his book from the shelves. His response is a model of humility for all of us. I encourage you to read his statement here.
[1] Despite the lack of nuance and errors in Josh’s book, I have several friends that were positively impacted by it. As an example, one friend said he benefited greatly from Josh’s statement “purity is a direction, not a line.” My friend also felt “his heart was not to create legalism; it was discipleship” and that “no one else was talking about sexuality.” He went on to say, “The problem was not Josh Harris; it was some of his followers. There was no culture of trust. Dads [who followed Harris] were control freaks… headship and authority were abused…there was a lack of communication.” My friend concluded our interview by saying, “I was dating this girl and interacting with the dad was a horrible experience.”
[2] Again, to read about the accusations of the 60 women who accuse Mr. Gothard of sexual harassment and worse, see http://www.recoveringgrace.org.