Bill Gothard | |
|---|---|
 Bill Gothard (2002, age 67) | |
| Born | November 2, 1934 |
| Occupation(s) | Instructor, author |
| Known for | Founding the Institute in Basic Life Principles |
| Website | BillGothard.com |
William W. Gothard Jr. (born November 2, 1934) is an American Christian minister, speaker, and writer, and the founder of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), an independent fundamentalist Christian organization.[1] His conservative teachings encourage Bible memorization, large families, homeschooling, aversion to debt, familial patriarchy, the submission of wives to husbands, and modest attire.[1][2]
At the height of Gothard's popularity during the 1970s, his Basic Youth Conflicts seminar was regularly filling auditoriums throughout the United States and beyond with attendance figures as large as ten thousand and more for a one-week seminar.[3] In this way, he reached many in the evangelical community from the Baby Boomer generation during their teen years and young adulthood. Other seminars during this time included an Advanced Youth Conflicts seminar, as well as seminars for pastors, physicians, and legislators.[4]
In 2014, he stepped down from IBLP after 34 women accused him of sexual harassment and molestation, with some incidents allegedly occurring when the victims were minors.[2] In 2016, Gothard and IBLP were sued by a group of alleged victims.[5] The lawsuit was dismissed in 2018, as the statute of limitations had been exceeded.[6][7]
Bill Gothard received his B.A. in biblical studies from Wheaton College, 1957 and then his M.A. in Christian education in 1961.[8] He completed his Ph.D. in biblical studies at Louisiana Baptist University in 2004.[9]
In 1961, Gothard started Campus Teams,[10] an organization which changed its name to the Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts (IBYC) in 1974. The organization's name changed again in 1989 to the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP),[11] of which Gothard was the president and a board member until his resignation in 2014.[12]
In 1984, Gothard founded the Advanced Training Institute (ATI), a homeschooling program with a curriculum based on the Sermon on the Mount.[13]
Gothard had many political connections with Republican political leaders, including Mike Huckabee, Sonny Perdue, and Sarah Palin. His ministry was also popular with the reality TV Duggar family and others.[2] He has never married.[14]
Gothard's primary teaching, his "Basic Seminar", focuses on what he refers to as seven "Basic Life Principles". He claims that these principles are universal, and that people will suffer consequences for violating them.[15] Gothard's principles are called Design, Authority, Responsibility, Suffering, Ownership, Freedom, and Success.[16]
The "umbrella of authority" is the idea that in order to be protected from the devil, one must have absolute obedience to those above them in the chain of authority.[17]
Gothard teaches that dating is morally dangerous and that courtship is the better alternative. Gothard encourages parents to be involved in their children's courtship, and that a father should be involved in his daughter's relationships, and should at the very least have the right to say "no" when a man asks to marry his daughter. Gothard also advocates conservative dress.[2] Gothard's teachings discourage dating and syncopated music, including Christian rock. He has warned that Cabbage Patch dolls are idolatrous.[1]
Gothard has been the subject of much debate in Christian circles, and occasionally in mass media.[18][19] Various books and articles have challenged Gothard's teachings on legalism, law, and grace, and questioned his handling of the IBLP ministry.[20][21][22]
On February 27, 2014, the board of directors of the Institute in Basic Life Principles placed Gothard on indefinite administrative leave while it investigated claims that he sexually harassed several female employees and volunteers.[23] No criminal activity was uncovered, but an investigation found that Gothard had acted in an "inappropriate manner".[23] The claims had been publicized on the Recovering Grace website, which is a support group for former followers of Gothard's teachings.[24] As many as 34 women who worked for Gothard have claimed that he harassed them.[2] Gothard denied the allegations and admitted no wrongdoing but announced his resignation from the Institute in order "to listen to those who have ought [something] against him".[25][2]
On June 17, 2014, IBLP issued a statement,[26] summarizing the investigation conducted by "outside legal counsel". They asserted that although no criminal activity was uncovered, Gothard had acted in an "inappropriate manner" and so "is not permitted to serve in any counseling, leadership, or Board role within the IBLP ministry". In July 2015, Gothard re-launched his website, including testimonials from several women.[25][27]
In 2016, Gothard and IBLP were sued by a group of alleged victims who accused him of sexual harassment and assault.[28] The plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed their lawsuit in 2018, citing "unique complexities" with the statute of limitations, but emphasized: "We are not recanting our experiences or dismissing the incalculable damage that we believe Gothard has done."[6][7]
