MK forum

It was only a matter of time:

Bill Gothard, Family Planning and Homeschooling Advocate, Accused of Sexually Harassing Young Women and Teen Girls
Allegations Reminiscent of Lawsuits Filed in '80s by Former Institute Employees Regarding 'Moral Failures'

http://www.christianpost.com/news/bill- ... ls-114544/

Sad but true. I have read a more explicit account written by one of Bill Gothard's victims.

The Pharasaical Fundamentalist world is apparently rife with abusers of women and children.

It makes me sick.

We need to tread a little carefully, as "innocent till proven guilty" does come into play.

However there now seems to be a surge of powerful religious men who have misused their power and done despicable acts This is no longer just a Catholic problem, it is very much a Protestant problem as well and the more it is exposed the more pressure will go on those who should be doing more to clean up their churches and missions.

And yes, alas you are right Raz, it appears to be more prevalent in the more fundamental denominations. As Boz wisely said, "missions are magnets for paedophiles" and I venture to suggest that this is also true of the more fundamental churches.

My deep admiration is for those who have the courage to speak out and those who pursue offenders. The rewards for their bravery are starting to flow.

Visit recoveringgrace.org.

Charlotte's Story is the one I read. Very upsetting. It looks like there is plenty of other documentation on that site.

It is important to note that a huge number of New Tribes families were influenced, directly or indirectly, by Bill Gothard and the things he taught at his Basic Youth Conflicts/Basic Life Principles seminars.

I cringe to admit that my husband and I attended one of those conferences shortly after we got married. Even back then, we were not receptive to much of what we were taught there. Ugh.

It's sort of scary and yet in a way fascinating watching all the links appear as more and more offenders are exposed/caught. The name Bill Gothard rings a bell from my childhood days too. But we had more of the Bob Jones influence at Numonohi, with a bit of good ol military discipline and interrogation thrown in for good measure.

Of course the big worry is who else from our pasts are we going to find out was not who they claimed to be? The last 2 years for me have been a real revelation and some of those revelations were very much part of my childhood.

Yes, I read about some teen boys who were molested at some Bill Gothard home.
People used to look up to him in the 70's.
And about the control over these home school families.
Ugh! is right.

I had an enlightening conversation with the learned Mrs Bemused, sort of about this topic.

So called experts often come with a string of letters after their name, even from prestigious centres of education. Mrs Bemused says that in her experience, many of these "experts" are of little use, because the reason they acquired so much time in centres of education is because they couldn't cope doing the practical aspect of the field they claim to be an expert in.
Or to put it bluntly, it sounds good on the surface, but it's of very little practical use.

But we fall for it over and over. We look at the nice clothes, the educated words and we just accept that they must be true. When in reality the person who is more of an expert is the person who gets their hands dirty.

I don't believe Jesus had any letters after His name, but some of the wisdom He imparted based on what He observed and experienced has lasted a lot longer than the educated mumbo jumbo that Pharisees and Sadducees were spouting at the time.

It comes down to a matter of common sense and that is not learnt from books as well as it is by experiencing life and thinking for oneself.

VERY GOOD!

I thought I'd have a quick look at who Bill Gothard is and what his teachings are:

At a quick glance it is pretty hardline stuff, his thoughts on adopted children seem particularly cruel. And the views on working women are strange.

Some of his thinking I've heard echoed in my MK past and beyond.


http://www.pfo.org/evol-fad.htm

A step in the right direction. Let's see what happens next.

http://www.worldmag.com/2014/02/bill_go ... tive_leave

Bill Gothard placed on administrative leave

By WARREN COLE SMITH
Posted Feb. 27, 2014, 09:20 p.m.

The board of directors of the Institute for Basic Life Principles has placed its longtime leader Bill Gothard, 79, on “administrative leave” while the board investigates claims that he years ago engaged in sexual harassment and other misconduct.

Responding to a WORLD inquiry, board chairman Billy Boring stated, “After completion of the review the board will respond at an appropriate time, and in a biblical manner.” Until then, the statement said, Gothard “will not be involved in the operations of the ministry. The board of directors will be prayerfully appointing interim leadership.”

In the 1970s and ’80s, Gothard filled 20,000-seat auditoriums with evangelical Christians who came to hear his weeklong seminars on biblical principles and practical applications, which included warnings against rock music and exhortations to stay out of debt. His seminars, attended by more than 2.5 million people, were particularly popular with the rapidly growing homeschool community.

Today, he faces accusations of sexual misconduct by the group Recovering Grace, which has statements from 34 women regarding incidents dating back to their youth in the 1970s and thereafter. The statements concern sexual harassment and—in one case—sexual abuse that included fondling but not rape.