Someone on a closed thread asked for info on Bill Gothard. There is a good book out on him by Don Vienot of Midwest Christian Outreach. Vienot has spent many years talking to Gothard and to Gothard's assistants to try to understand Gothard's rationale on some of his stranger teachings.
Anyway, go to this website where you can order the book:
http://www.midwestoutreach.org/
You can email and ask about the book, or write or call. All the info is on the home page.
On the menu at right, you can click on "Research on Bill Gothard" and a page will come up with more info. I really think this is the best source I know of on Gothard. It is an evenhanded and fair evaluation.
Bill Gothard
Discussion in '2004 Archive' started by Marcia, Oct 4, 2004.
-
I found the same webpage that you mention plus another one on the issue that I requested info on at that other (now locked) thread. In case you're interested here is a link to the additional info.
Hedge of Protection
And thank you Marcia for thinking of my request for knowledge. -
Getting e-mail on this topic.
-
Say what, Ed? Why?
-
Interesting, QUICK REPLY.
I can't figure it out.
(I'm a 28-year computer professional
having passed the $1,000,000 mark in
the year 2000).
If i type some stuff in the QUICK REPLY
MESSAGE space and
hit POST REPLY at the bottom, the
QUICK REPLY MESSAGE goes away.
Yep, all my words go away.
Strangely enough, i've told my profile
NOT to use QUICK REPLY. QUICK REPLY comes
up whether i want it or not when i follow
an e-mail here. If i'm navigating about
it doesn't show up. Request an upgrade
to the software so when i come to the
board from one of the boards own e-mails,
that the QUICK REPLY screen NOT show up
(unless so requested in the profile
chaning area)
Needless to say, i lost my first answer
to Dr. Bob's question. I gotta remember
to hit "Add Reply" :(
As for the question.
I'm a lifetime member of Bill Gothard's Institute.
I get a Birthday remember before my
birthday and quarterly mailings. But
two moves ago i forgot to send him
an address change. So i was interested in
hooking up with the Bill Gothard's Institute
again. This topic has a link to them.
The quickest way i saw at the time to
find my way back to that board was to find
my way to this topic. I can get an e-mail
when this topic is posted to.
Unlike superior sofware on most boards
that allows one to follow the topic without
posting, the only way to get e-mail here
on BB is by posting. I posted. I got
some e-mail when Brother Dr. Bob posted
to this topic. It worked (well, except with
the above problem :( ) -
Run that by again in English, Sir Ed.
-
Don Vienot doesn't seem to be a very reliable witness to me. On his site he made much ado about the allegations of child abuse against the ITC.
When confronted, Vienot said he never accused them, "he merely gave his opinion, in response to an interviewer’s question, that certain allegations would constitute child abuse if they were true."
Click here
Nope, no accusation there. :rolleyes:
This was in 2002. In 2003 after the smoke cleared, the "Indianapolis City Council passed a resolution expressing regret to the management and staff of the Indianapolis Training Center (ITC) for any embarrassment and financial loss resulting from the false allegations against it.
"The Council acknowledged the good work that the staff members of the training center have done for Marion County juveniles at no cost to the taxpayers. The resolution also encourages officials to again consider referring troubled juveniles to the training center."
http://iblp.org/iblp/news/2003/04/002/
There's a link to the document on the page.
In fact, Vienot seems somewhat obsessed with Gothard—too much so. Methinks he doth protest too much. On one hand he defames the institute publicly on the air and in print, then whines that Gothard didn't follow Scriptural principles when Gothard's attorneys got their hooks into him.
I will order Vienot's book and read it for myself, and I will investigate the allegations. I doubt I'll find it "fair" or "even-handed." -
I found the same webpage that you mention plus another one on the issue that I requested info on at that other (now locked) thread. In case you're interested here is a link to the additional info.
Hedge of Protection
And thank you Marcia for thinking of my request for knowledge. </font>[/QUOTE]If have never been to a Bill Gothard seminar, you should go. It is awesome. You will learn so much and find out the real sweetness of the Holy Spirit. I would love to go to another one as it's been many years ago since I went to the one I went to. I'm sure they have gotten better over the years. If you hear of any seminars, I would love to know about them. -
Whoa, I'm getting scared now.
I have never been into Gothard, have read a few things by him, his ideas are very intruiging. So is most everything written by Adolf Hitler (I haven't compared anyone to a Nazi this month, don't want to miss my quota)
I have had a bit of experience with some cult followers of his, needless to say, I was not impressed with their positions, and some of the advice from him that they followed essentially qualified them for church discipline. Even in a church that was not eager to engage in it.
People are quick to dismiss much of "Christian Counseling" as extrabiblical, but many of the same buy into the hogwash perpetrated on good people by someone with neither the Biblical foundation, nor the personal experience to back up his wacked out philosophy. -
-
Didn't really research it at all until after I experienced the results. This quote from the website Marcia cited above pretty much sums up my experience with the teachings of Brother Bill.
It is another gnostic heresy that is being promoted among certain circles as the only way to be truly followers of Christ, and goes way way beyond the bounds of the text of Scripture. Based on special "insights" and personal revelations.
The websites he runs look pretty good, and there is enough fluff there that its tough to discern without actually seeing the curriculum. I really didn't even need to look that deeply, the results in the lives of some followers of his religion was enough to freighten me away from the so called
"wisdom" being promoted at these seminars. -
It is another gnostic heresy that is being promoted among certain circles as the only way to be truly followers of Christ, and goes way way beyond the bounds of the text of Scripture. Based on special "insights" and personal revelations.
The websites he runs look pretty good, and there is enough fluff there that its tough to discern without actually seeing the curriculum. I really didn't even need to look that deeply, the results in the lives of some followers of his religion was enough to freighten me away from the so called
"wisdom" being promoted at these seminars. </font>[/QUOTE]I don't know where you are getting the idea that Bill Gothard is anything but a Godly man who teaches God's word. I have heard him speak and there was nothing in his teaching that went against the word of God. In fact, his teachings reach farther than any I've ever heard. He is not a cult leader and he is not a preacher but a teacher of the word. He has wisdom, beyond what most of us have. So until you hear him speak or you've been to one of his seminars, maybe you better hold off be so critical of him. -
Gothardism CAN be very cult-like. I have seen people almost worship Bill, hang on his every word and (weird) interpretations. He always pulls out a verse to "support" his position, but most are ludicrous.
His followers will pull out their red notebook to "verify" every word their pastor preaches and lead divisions if he doesn't agree with Bill on every detail.
His Old Testament legalism, forced on believers today, is cruel and unbiblical. Exampls abound; it is not a single point.
I'd advise anyone who is interested to truly investigate. Feel free to email me. My policy toward any such "teacher" is to tread very carefully. -
Bill Gothard has made some changes since getting married. But you are right Dr. Bob he has a cult like following. They very much separate from the rest of society. Very much in a way like the Amish. I knew personally some who were a part of his organization. When he came to town the pastors of churches had additional problems to contend with once he left.
The organization is taken a very different approach today. They are emphasizing ethics. They are trying to gain access to schools and speak about ethics.