by Paul Sue A Matter of Basic Principles: Bill Gothard & the Christian Life by Don Veinot, Joy Veinot, Ron Henzel. 21st Century Press, 2002. It's probably safe to say that most Christians in North America have heard of or have even attended one of Gothard's seminars. Because of the popularity and mass appeal of Gothard's ministry, attempting to question it or criticize it is to face the wrath and anathema of the legion of loyal (blindly loyal in some cases) fans. Gothardites get angry and defensive when you question their beloved leader's teachings or integrity, as if he is somehow beyond reproach or accountability. To such die-hard supporters, this book will, I'm sad to say, do little to sway them from their steadfast adherence to Gothardism: a case of the blind leading the blind (though you still should encourage them to read this excellent book and pray for them!). However, for those who are open-minded, willing to study the Scriptures for themselves, and willing to engage in calm discussion without resorting to name calling and angry rhetoric, this book can help them find true freedom in Christ. It is fairly written, well-researched (includes meeting with Gothard on a number of occasions), carefully reasoned, and endorsed by well known seminary professors, apologists, cult researchers and pastors. The authors have demonstrated charity and forbearance towards Mr. Gothard and his staff, both in personal meetings and in their correspondence. Gothard on the other hand, has broken promises, resorted to stonewalling, spread misinformation, threatened lawsuits, and generally not acted in a biblical and loving manner. The authors are with Midwest Christian Outreach, "a non-denominational, evangelical organization that exists to intelligently present and compassionately defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ, especially to those who consciously reject it due to false beliefs, and to challenge and equip believing Christians to do the same." The book begins with a brief overview of the historical developments of the American religious milieu to set the background for the genesis of Gothard's Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts (now IBLP, Institute in Basic Life Principles). The authors do praise Gothard's early and humble efforts to reach the troubled youth of the turbulent 60's. Parents obviously appreciated Gothard's teachings as an antidote to the rebellious anti-authoritarian attitudes of the hippie culture, and soon his seminar attendance swelled, and unfortunately, so did Gothard's head. Already in his early days of ministry, he was accused of "spiritual pride" (p. 42), though at the time he was humble enough to confess it. However, as his ministry continued to grow, problems began to emerge as well. In the mid-70's, Bill Gothard's brother (who was at the time the vice-president of the ministry), was involved in sexual misconduct with several ministry employees, though Bill chose not to deal with it. The scandal finally came out into the open in 1980. Dr. Samuel Schultz, professor of OT at Wheaton College and board member since 1965, resigned, stating:
Earlier, Gothard himself had indecent contact with some of his female staff, and "admitted in staff meetings that these actions were 'moral failures' on his part." (p. 54). I think the biblical term is "sin", not just "moral failures". However, the authors are not trying to be sensationalistic, but rather, simply pointing out Bill's style of leadership, especially his reluctance to deal with matters in a timely and biblical fashion, his dogmatism and authoritarianism, his lack of integrity, and his increasing tendency towards a legalistic reading of the Bible. With respect to the latter point, Bill Gothard's penchant for taking passages out of context, and his misunderstanding of basic hermeneutical principles have resulted in an assortment of bizarre and abberational teachings that have alarmed many in the evangelical community. Dr. Ronald Allen, Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary, attended a Gothard seminar in 1973 and wrote of his experience:
Dr. Allen has tried unsuccessfully for over 20 years to meet Bill Gothard:
This reflects Bill Gothard's staunch refusal to be corrected or to be held accountable, his consistent trademark throughout his career. Instead of answering his critics' concerns, he insinuates that his opponents don't have the special insight into Scripture that he has (see page 100). The authors are correct that Gothard has created an "Evangelical Talmud" for Christians, claiming his novel interpretations as binding Biblical commands:
If it was just a matter of academic exercise that we disagree with Gothard's teachings, one might choose to discount the criticisms. However, harmful teachings can dramatically affect lives, families and churches; in the case of Gothard's teachings, they have been the cause of much personal trauma, the cause of family breakups, and the source of church divisions. The book gives several examples, including the case of a pastor who Bill wooed away to supposedly begin a new ministry (the story is told on pages 211-223). In the end, "after all of the broken commitments and disillusionment with the ungodly way IBLP was administered" (p. 223), the pastor resigned, having still not received the balance of the money that was owing to him. Oh yeah, did we mentioned the lack of financial integrity of Gothard's ministry? In Chapter 8, the authors tell another story, this time of a devoted Gothardite couple, who volunteered to help out with a log cabin program for juvenile delinquents that Gothard was planning. Soon enough, problems arose: it turned out that Gothard's ministry had failed to comply with state building code regulations. Instead of acknowledging the problem, Gothard adopts his usual strategy of shifting blame, obfuscating the issues, slandering his critics, and accusations of rebelling and fault finding (see the excellent list of Gothard's conflict resolution style on pages 232-234). How hypocritical for a ministry that preaches "obeying authority" so much, to ignore the authority of the laws of the land! In the end, the couple ended up paying additional expenses out of their own pocket in order to fix the problems due to IBLP's negligence. In an incredible act of arrogance, dishonesty, and mean-spiritedness, Gothard's staff "went under the cover of darkness to remove Institute property from the premises. Subsequently, they sent a letter ... demanding to the [couple's] attorney demanding reimbursement for lost income and expenses related to the property." (pp. 245-246). Gothard has attempted to bring his legalistic teachings into all areas of life. Indeed, one can now submit all aspects of one's life under the umbrella of Bill Gothard's absolute authority: use of cosmetics, clothing, beards, sleep schedules, homeschooling, courtship and marriage, and even medical advice (see Chapter 10, Bill Gothard - Medicine Man). What emerges as one reads the book, is the unbendable, unquestionable authority that Gothard wields over his staff and his dutiful followers. The total lack of accountability and resistance to correction also characterizes Gothard's "ministry". Ironically, in light of what he teaches, Mr. Gothard does not exhibit a teachable spirit; one notes a total lack of references to other books and scholars in his published materials. While this may give an impression of spirituality ("we let the Bible speak for itself") that appeals to certain minds that are distrustful of biblical scholarship, it actually reflects a "Lone Ranger we know-it-all" attitude. Even when it comes to scripture verses, Gothard seems to use the KJV only, even when other translations could help clarify the meaning. Furthermore, Gothard has a simplistic and reductionistic approach to the Christian life. He has managed to reduce biblical discipleship into a number of "non-optional" life principles. It is striking that Gothard's teachings are totally devoid or deficient of grace. His perspective on the Bible is legalistic and moralistic, not the Christo-centric or cruciformic viewpoint that Paul expounds. There is little teaching of the empowering presence of the Spirit to enable us to live godly lives. This is a very significant point: grace, Christ, the Spirit and the cross figure very little in Gothard's scheme for Christian living. Gothard perhaps needs to take note of Paul's polemics with the Galatian Judaizers. We have already made mention of Gothard's inconsistent and incoherent approach to biblical interpretation. He is guilty of consistently taking verses out of context and prooftexting. He totally disregards the redemptive-historical dimension of Scripture, and reads the Bible "flatly" instead, thereby making all manner of incorrect applications from OT texts. (It is instructive to note how Gothard prefers citing the OT over the NT.) Instead of trying to understand a text in its historical, literary and theological contexts, he searches for aphorisms - and he finds them everywhere! People will say that we shouldn't criticize a ministry that seems so successful and has "God's blessing" on it. First of all, a ministry's success is not measured according to the world's standards (i.e. numbers, finances, and glowing testimonies). Secondly, it is presumptuous for us to claim "God's blessing" on any ministry - we're not God! We shall all have to await His assessment at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Our goal now is to be faithful to the Word and accountable to one another. Lastly, we are called to be discerning and not to just blindly accept any teaching that comes our way. Even the apostle Paul's message was scrutinized by the Bereans - and they were commended for doing so (Acts 17:10-12); surely Gothard is not putting himself above the apostle Paul, is he? Questioning or criticizing Gothard's teachings does not mean we are judging him as a person. In the book's Epilogue, the authors explore the issue of leaving an authoritarian or spiritually abusive group and the attendant difficulties involved. They note that:
Furthermore, Gothard's strategy is to ignore your questions and concerns and counterattack instead:
The authors go on to list other reasons why people refuse to leave an authoritarian or abusive group, even when the evidence is overwhelming:
This book is an important read for all Christians, serving as an warning against legalism, authoritarianism and blind submission to fallible leaders. Furthermore, the book underscores the pressing need for all Christians to be more discerning in an age of biblical illiteracy, theological confusion, and false substitutes for the biblical gospel. It's not entirely Gothard's fault though. Church leaders have failed to train Christians to be discerning, by giving them the tools to help them understand the Scriptures for themselves. As I've stated elsewhere many times, present church structures help facilitate an unhealthy view of authority and spiritual dependence. Then too, Christians themselves are partly to blame:
Until churches take seriously the task of equipping their Christians to study the Bible for themselves, and gain a deeper understanding and ability to discern truth from error, they will continue to fall prey to false teaching. As I put the book down and paused to reflect on what I've read, Gothard seems so cartoonish that I felt laughing - until I recalled the damaged lives and divided families and churches; then I felt like weeping instead. Note: More information on Bill Gothard is available on Midwest Christian Outreach's website. Here's another book review and two related articles on Bill Gothard:
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