Bill Gothard’s General Teachings and Activities

by Biblical Discernment Ministries (Revised)

Background

Bill Gothard is a 1957 graduate of Wheaton College. For several years he worked with teenage gangs in the Chicago area. In 1965 he developed a six-day seminar which has become known as the Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts. (The name was changed in 1990 to the Institute in Basic Life Principles [IBLP]. The adult/teen seminar itself is still called the Seminar in Basic Youth Conflicts.) Gothard presents this seminar in person, or on video-tape, in cities all across America. The crowds are tremendous--ranging from 10-20,000 people. It is estimated that there are more than 2.3 million red notebook-carrying alumni.

IBLP also conducts an Advanced seminar, Children's seminars (ages 6-12), and special Legislative, Medical, and special training for public & private school teachers (ATIA--Advanced Training Institute of America). In addition, IBLP has a home school curriculum and publishes a quarterly journal, Life Purpose: A Journal of God's Power in Us.

Scheduling a seminar for a city can be quite a production. A number of years ago there was a movement to bring a Gothard seminar to Cleveland. The groundwork was laid by General Association of Regular Baptist Church pastors. A sheet was circulated titled, "THREE PHASES IN SELECTING A SEMINAR LOCATION." Three steps were given and one was headed "Phase II - Petition for Seminar by Local Christian Leadership." The first sentence under this heading reads as follows: "This phase begins when the seminar headquarters receives personal letters of invitation from the majority of pastors representing the various denominations in a city's greater metropolitan area." (Emphasis added.)

That is the same policy Billy Graham uses. That explains the mixed crowd at a Gothard Seminar, which will run the gamut from Catholic priests and nuns, to the ecumenical crowd, to the new evangelical crowd. The fellowship of sitting for six days with that mixed multitude makes the fundamentalist layman go home saying, "The priest I sat beside was a very nice fellow." Attitudes toward false religion and plain unbelief are unavoidably softened by any participation in Gothard seminars. [It has been confirmed by a Gothard regional director's office, that Gothard has Catholics on his local sponsoring committees as well as workers at his seminars (8/15/96, Calvary Contender ).]

For years, good fundamentalists have gone to convince Bill Gothard to be a fundamentalist. They have come away saying, "Gothard really wants to be a fundamentalist ... just give him time. " Much time has been given. Gothard may believe the fundamental doctrines, but he does not act like a fundamentalist. As long as he acts like a new evangelical and serves that cause, he will have to be treated as one. He seems to believe in the Southern Baptist doctrine of parity, since in at least one instance he combined the SBC's Dr. Charles Stanley and a well-known fundamentalist on the same program (New Neutralism II, pp. 73-74).

Campus Crusade founder Bill Bright fasted 40 days during the summer of 1994, during which he claims to have received a "prophecy from God" that a mighty revival is coming. He then issued a call for hundreds of liberals, charismatics, and new-evangelicals to gather in Orlando 12/5/94-12/7/94 to fast and pray for revival. An Invitation Committee made up of a hodge-podge of 72 liberals, new evangelicals, and charismatics was formed. Included were: Robert Schuller, Charles Colson, E.V. Hill, Jack Hayford, James Dobson, W.A. Criswell, Charles Stanley, Paul Crouch, Luis Palau, Bill Gothard, Pat Robertson, Kay Arthur, and Larry Burkett. CCC's Bill Bright cites "a great sense of urgency to link arms and unitedly call upon God for help in the spirit of King Jehoshaphat (2 Chr. 20)." This ecumenical "linking" is in the "spirit of Jehoshaphat" indeed, but the Jehoshaphat of 2 Chr. 18 (instead of 2 Chr. 20) where he "linked" with wicked King Ahab and incurred the wrath of God. (Reported in the 11/15/94, Calvary Contender. )

The 9/95 Charisma quotes various attendees. Pro-Catholic Charles Colson sees denominationalism as the biggest barrier to prison outreach. Carlton Pearson said lack of church racial integration hinders revival. Bright embraced him and asked forgiveness for white abuses and prejudices of the past. Charisma continues: "Then Bill Gothard said he felt impressed to share what he believed was a prophetic directive: 'God is going to use African Americans to bring revival to America.'" Charismatics have long claimed to have extra-biblical revelations and "prophetic words" from God. Now Bill Gothard is claiming the same (Reported in the 3/15/95, Calvary Contender. )

Another three-day "Fasting & Prayer" conference was held on 11/95 in Los Angeles; it attracted 3,500 "evangelicals" and charismatics. The Invitation/Host Committee for this event included most of those listed above, plus Dick Eastman, Chuck Smith, Bill McCartney (Promise Keepers), Tim and Beverly LaHaye, Shirley Dobson, Paul Cedar (E-Free), Ted Engstrom (World Vision), Joseph Stowell (Moody), and Joseph Aldrich (Multnomah). A third conference was held 11/14/96-11/16/96 in St. Louis. New additions to the Host Committee included Max Lucado, Henry Blackaby, Loren Cunningham (YWAM), Greg Laurie, Dennis Rainey, Randy Phillips (Promise Keepers), Josh McDowell, D. James Kennedy, Howard Hendricks, and Neil Anderson.

Bob Wood is a BJU faculty member specializing in "training ministerial students as biblical counselors." He is also a "victimization" psychologizer who "presents biblical solutions for helping those who are struggling to overcome the pain of their past" (2/95, FrontLine video advertisement). Wood was also the main speaker for Gothard's "Church Strategy Seminars (CSS) scheduled for 5/96 and 9/96. Also, Gothard's 1996 "Advanced Day Ministers Seminars" (ADMS) are scheduled to be held in Assembly of God, Southern Baptist, and Missionary Alliance churches. (Reported in the March-April 1996, Fundamentalist Digest. )

There was a news article in The Indianapolis News (8/20/92) about the city of Indianapolis considering a link with Gothard: "Lambart (representing Gothard) said the group does not promote religion or church, but simply deals with 'non-optional, universal principles of life. [This sounds suspiciously like paganism's "universal life principles."] ... The concern within the social services community is that we help a person ... without any sectarian overtones.'" Why was Gothard trying to convince the city that he helps the community without any sectarian overtones, while with Christians he claims to be totally Bible-based? Is this consistent with God's Word? (Reported in the 10/92, The Biblical Examiner. )

In 2/93, Gothard set up a permanent facility in Indianapolis. The county's juvenile court began sending young offenders to a Gothard rehabilitation facility, the Indianapolis Training Institute, which serves as a school for more than 100 children. Some families have complained to the state when it was discovered that the "intensive family counseling" provided consisted of "viewing 15 IBLP religious tapes" (The Indianapolis Star ).

In a 1974, 22-page comprehensive analysis of Gothard's ministry by Dr. E. Robert Jordan (Chancellor of Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary), 15 reasons were listed "Why Fundamentalist Baptists Should Not Cooperate With Bill Gothard's Institute In Basic Youth Conflicts." Problem areas included Gothard's secrecy, salvation views, chain-of-command teaching, use of Freudian psychology, interdenominationalism, new evangelical jargon, and many doctrinal aberrations.

Gothard's seminars are "a mixture of human psychology and Scripture with emphasis upon 'problem' solving, correcting poor self-image, and developing wholesome self-concepts. The ministry does not draw clear-cut lines of demarcation regarding ecclesiastical separation, and his audiences are made-up largely of neo-evangelicals, the unconverted, charismatics, and naive, uninformed fundamentalists." Gothard's seminars are a duplicate in the teaching field of what Billy Graham does ecumenically in the evangelistic field (Reported in the 4/1/90, Calvary Contender. )

Gothard’s System

Gothard's "system" places a heavy emphasis upon adapting Biblical principles/laws to Christian living, with the assumption that if one follows these principles/laws/steps, he's got the formula well in hand for leading a successful Christian life (see examples on p. 32 of IBLP's Secrets to Self-Acceptance , and pp. 22-28 and 119-124 of the Rebuilder's Guide-- Gothard seems to have a seven-step program for just about everything. But "the system" smacks of legalism and putting the believer back under Old Testament law, and thereby, it is quite similar to the Theonomist heresy (i.e., all the O.T. laws given to Israel, except the ceremonial laws, are applicable today) espoused by the Reconstructionists. In fact, Gothard has stated that one does not even need to be a Christian to benefit from his seminars. The seminars are aimed at helping people be more successful where they are (i.e., "These principles apply to all: Jews, Christians, and Atheists."). Gothard seems to be using the Bible as a success course for all people.

Gothard's concept of "accepting" one's physical defects teaches that God deliberately made people with deformities in order to glorify Himself. Notwithstanding Exodus 4:11, John 9 teaches that the defective gene pool caused by the Fall is the original cause of all deformities, all of which God allows to occur and then may choose to use to His glory. The Biblical teaching is quite different than Gothard's concept of God being some kind of gruesome author of physical defects, through which the recipient of the defect is to love himself anyway. (See the Gothard publication Secrets to Self-Acceptance, as well as p. 122 of the Rebuilder's Guide ).

Gothard teaches a methodology for birthing godly children, which is not only unscientific, but borders on the occult (i.e., communication with the Freudian unconscious). He encourages pregnant mothers to read the Bible to the embryos in their wombs for the purpose of relaxing the embryo and for teaching it Biblical truth (supposedly "subconsciously")! But a newborn baby can't even understand the Bible, how can an embryo? Of course, it can't, unless one believes in the thoroughly discredited concept of the Freudian unconscious.

Gothard continues to promote the pop psychology idea that "birth order" is a key determinant of human personality traits. The "birth order" concept has long been a favorite of psychologists such as humanist Alfred Adler. However, numerous studies have now shown this idea to be pure myth. (See pp. 235-237 of PsychoHeresy II, by Martin & Deidre Bobgan.)

Nevertheless, in an IBLP publication Secrets to Self-Acceptance, Gothard teaches that, "Every child has special characteristics, tendencies, and needs which are directly related to his or her birth order. ... By accepting my birth order, I am able to bring my tendencies under the control of the Holy Spirit, thus avoiding the destructive rivalry and bitterness which often occurs among family members" (p. 6). (Emphasis added.) Not satisfied with merely attributing the cause of various problems of life to one's birth order (inside front cover), Gothard even (blasphemously) applies the birth order concept to the life of Christ; i.e., Gothard teaches that some of Christ's character traits are indicative of His being a first-born! (p. 19).

Gothard's teachings on self are extremely psychological in nature--the "Self-Image" section of his Institute of Basic Youth Conflicts (IBYC) notebook is titled "Acceptance of Self." While Gothard's defenders claim that the self-acceptance focus of the ministry exclusively addresses how one should respond correctly to physical defects, in reality, well over 50% of the material in the aforementioned notebook section focuses upon "forming attitudes about ourselves." There is a two-page table entitled "Evidences of Self-Rejection" (which would perhaps be better titled "Evidences of Self-Love"), which claims that the Bible teaches all of the following (all emphases added):

(a) "... if we cannot love ourselves in the right way, we will also find it difficult to love others in the right way. 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself' (Mt. 19:19)."

(b) "Complaints about unchangeable physical features, abilities, parentage, and social heritage are significant indications of self-rejection."

(d) People who worry about clothing have inferiority complexes. (This is a typical example of Gothard's theology--he moves from experience to doctrine, from illustrations to principles and full-blown teachings.)

(e) What the Bible calls "pride" is actually humility in disguise. ("A person who appears superior is actually a person who inwardly feels inferior but is trying to narrow his field of comparison.")

(f) "Self-worth increases as we make significant contributions to the body of Christ."

And in a more recent Gothard publication, Secrets to Self-Acceptance, not being able to accept oneself, or rejecting oneself, is classified as a defining cause of failure to love one's wife (inside front cover), and is cited as evidence of one's rejection of God! (pp. 16-17, 23). Moreover, the symptoms of self-rejection are claimed to be communicated to the next generation (p. 18). A list of 42 symptoms is given for the reader to determine if he has rejected himself, but has been covering it up (p. 24). Other Gothard selfisms along these same lines:

"Failure to properly love myself causes me to be unable to properly love others. ... Self-worth comes by knowing that I have a vital function within the body of Christ. ... Self-acceptance is the basis for glorifying God and being conformed to the image of Christ" (p. 23).

(See also pp. 93, 122, 133, 135, 139, 166-167, and 204 of the Rebuilder's Guide for more of Gothard's current teaching on self-acceptance/self-rejection.)

Much of what Gothard teaches on basic "needs" is strikingly similar to that taught by so-called Christian psychologist Dr. Larry Crabb. [Crabb's model of counseling is primarily a psychological system of unconscious needs motivating behavior, which is derived from Freudian (the unconscious being a hidden reservoir of the mind with drives and impulses which govern a person's thinking and behavior) and humanistic psychology (with its hierarchy of needs, with great emphasis on so-called emotional needs).] Gothard, like Crabb, sees man as having to meet three primary needs: acceptance, security, and meaning/significance. Approximately 10% of the Rebuilder's Guide is devoted to Gothard's teachings on need identification and satisfaction (pp. 128-153, 204).

Other general problems with Gothard's "system":

(a) Makes dogmatic assertions on arbitrary matters (e.g., "God's order of worship"). He believes that every Scriptural truth can be systematically tied-up with a neat ribbon, without any exceptions. He then selects a Scriptural illustration that makes it all look air-tight (e.g. see pp. 4-5 of Secrets to Self-Acceptance on adoptive parents and the death of a parent).

(b) Appeal is to submit to his system, not to submit personally to God; God is thus turned into an impersonal Deity instead of a loving Father.

(c) Ignores a major premise of dispensational theology; i.e., the distinction between the nation of Israel and the Church.

(d) Has a weak view of the seriousness of sin in God's eyes--sin is at times referred to as "failure" (e.g., see Rebuilder's Guide, pp. 100, 194). In some instances, he seems to have also abdicated individual responsibility for sin (e.g., see Rebuilder's Guide, pp. 79, 87, 91).

(e) Views spiritual warfare for the believer to include mandatory binding and rebuking of Satan and his demons, and "praying a hedge of thorns" around one's estranged spouse (see Rebuilder's Guide, pp. 115, 119-121, 124). (Ed Soboso, a charismatic "spiritual warfare expert" is now appearing with Gothard at his seminars. A 1992 booklet, Ten Reasons for Alumni To Be Encouraged, describes a typical demon deliverance ritual now being conducted as standard fare at IBLP seminars.)

Even spiritual warfare guru Neil Anderson (author of The Bondage Breaker ) appeared with Gothard at a 6/94 Homeschooling Training Seminar in Knoxville, Tennessee. Almost without exception, demonizers are eradicationists. Via their experience-centered error, the old man is "crucified, dead and gone--extinct." Hence, it is a simple matter to substitute a demon for the indwelling old Adamic man. Cast out the demon of a specific symptom, and the individual is "delivered."

(f) An overly rigid division and emphasis on the tripartite division of man into body/soul/spirit.

(g) Supports principles by the implications of the text rather than by the interpretation of the text, leading often to the implications becoming the main teaching (e.g., Job neglected his family, hence his problems). In other words, he comes to the truth via analogy instead of by doctrine; i.e., he creates an analogy, and on the basis of that, he builds a truth. This is dangerous because one doesn't know what the product of the Scripture is compared to what the product of the analogy is, because it's all mixed-up together. (See also pp. 119-124, 157 of the Rebuilder's Guide for Gothard's derivation of his "praying a hedge of thorns" doctrine.)

(h) Heavy reliance on paraphrased editions of the Bible (Phillips and Living Bible most frequently), allowing crucial principles to be established on the basis of the "feeling" expressed in the paraphrase.

(i) Teaching on "Authority" and "Chain of Command" is unbiblical. Gothard teaches that children are to obey parents even when they know God's will is something different. Teaches that there should be an unquestioning accountability to the authority of parents, even after the child moves into adulthood, and even if the parents are unsaved. This includes the requirement that both sets of parents consent unanimously in their son's or daughter's selection of marriage partners, again, even if the parents are both pagans; failure to obey this requirement, according to Gothard, will always lead to future marriage problems (see Rebuilder's Guide, pp. 78, 110, 154, 224, 235). (He also teaches that women are always to obey their husbands instead of God in matters of conscience.)

(j) Incomplete exegesis of Exodus 20:4-6 (and apparent ignorance of Ezek. 18) has led to the unscriptural teaching that children are guilty for the sins of their forefathers. (Gothard teaches that the "sons" must agree to the guilt and ask God to remove its consequences, and that parents of an adopted child should research the child's biological parents and pray with the child for forgiveness. He also warns against adopting a child altogether, because you might be adopting one that has been cursed) [Ex. 20:4-6 again]. (See Rebuilder's Guide, pp. 160, 181.)

Other Sources

Other sources of information concerning specific errors in Gothard's teachings: (These sources are not available from BDM, but the last two items are currently available from Gothard's Institute in Basic Life Principles, Box One, Oak Brook, IL 60522.)

Bockelman, Wilfred, "The Pros and Cons of Bill Gothard," The Christian Century, 9/25/74, pp. 877-880.

Bryen, David R., "An Evaluation of the Theological, Hermeneutical, and Psychological Assumptions of the Institute of Basic Youth Conflicts," Master of Arts Thesis, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1975.

Fisher, G.R., "Is Anything Wrong with Bill Gothard's Teachings?" Journal of Pastoral Practice, 1984, pp. 35-45.

Hobbs, Dayton, Gothardism Evaluated, (Reprints from THE PROJECTOR), 1988.

Sheridan, Robert J., "Bill Gothard and Dispensationalism," Term paper for Graduate Seminar in Theology, Calvary Bible College, April, 1984.

Institute in Basic Life Principles, Inc., Rebuilder's Guide, October, 1992, 251 ppgs.

Institute in Basic Life Principles, Inc., Secrets to Self-Acceptance, 1990(?), 32 ppgs.

Biblical Discernment Ministries - Revised 1/9