William W. Gothard Jr. (born November 2, 1934) is an American

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

minister, speaker, and writer, and the founder of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), an ultra-conservative Christian organization. His

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

teachings encourage Bible memorization, large families,

homeschooling Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or an onlin ...

, aversion to

debt Debt is an obligation that requires one party, the debtor, to pay money or other agreed-upon value to another party, the creditor. Debt is a deferred payment, or series of payments, which differentiates it from an immediate purchase. The ...

, male superiority and female obedience, and conservative dress. 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. In this way, he reached many in the

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

community from the

Baby Boomer Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the Western demographic cohort following the Silent Generation and preceding Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964, during the mid-20th century baby boom. T ...

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

legislator A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...

s. In 2014, he stepped down from IBLP after 34 women accused him of

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...

and molestation, with some incidents allegedly occurring when the victims were minors. In 2016, Gothard and IBLP were sued by a group of alleged victims. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2018, as the

statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In m ...

had been exceeded.

Biography

Bill Gothard received his B.A. in biblical studies from Wheaton College, 1957 and then his M.A. in Christian education in 1961. He completed his Ph.D. in biblical studies at

Louisiana Baptist University Louisiana Baptist University (LBU) is a independent Baptist conservative Christianity, Christian university located in Shreveport, Louisiana, Shreveport, Louisiana. LBU has both an on-campus program and a distance education program which teach ...

in 2004. In 1961, Gothard started Campus Teams, 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), of which Gothard was the president and a board member until his resignation in 2014. In 1984, Gothard founded the Advanced Training Institute (ATI), a homeschooling program with a curriculum based on the

Sermon on the Mount The Sermon on the Mount (anglicized from the Matthean Vulgate Latin section title: ) is a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus of Nazareth found in the Gospel of Matthew (chapters 5, 6, and 7). that emphasizes his moral teachings. It is ...

. Gothard had many political connections with Republican political leaders, including

Mike Huckabee Michael Dale Huckabee (born August 24, 1955) is an American politician, Baptist minister, and political commentator who served as the 44th governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate for the Republican Party presidential nomina ...

Sonny Perdue George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III (born December 20, 1946) is an American veterinarian, businessman, politician, and university administrator who served as the 31st United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2017 to 2021. He previously served as t ...

, and

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...

. His ministry was also popular with the reality TV

Duggar family ''19 Kids and Counting'' (formerly ''17 Kids and Counting'' and ''18 Kids and Counting'') is an American reality television series that aired on the cable channel TLC for seven years until its cancellation in 2015. The show features the Dugga ...

and others. He has never married.

Teaching

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. Gothard's principles are called Design, Authority, Responsibility, Suffering, Ownership, Freedom, and Success. 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. Gothard teaches that

dating Dating is a stage of romantic relationships in which two individuals engage in an activity together, most often with the intention of evaluating each other's suitability as a partner in a future intimate relationship. It falls into the categor ...

is morally dangerous and that

courtship Courtship is the period wherein some couples get to know each other prior to a possible marriage. Courtship traditionally may begin after a betrothal and may conclude with the celebration of marriage. A courtship may be an informal and private m ...

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. Gothard's teachings discourage dating and syncopated music, including

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

. He has warned that Cabbage Patch dolls are idolatrous. Gothard has been the subject of much debate in Christian circles, and occasionally in mass media. Various books and articles have challenged Gothard's teachings on legalism, law, and

grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninco ...

, and questioned his handling of the IBLP ministry.

Sexual harassment allegations

On February 27, 2014, the board of directors of the Institute in Basic Life Principles placed Gothard on indefinite

administrative leave Administrative leave is a temporary leave from a job assignment, with pay and benefits intact. Generally, the term is reserved for employees of non-business institutions such as schools, police, and hospitals. The definition of administrative lea ...

while it investigated claims that he sexually harassed several female employees and volunteers. No criminal activity was uncovered, but an investigation found that Gothard had acted in an "inappropriate manner". The claims had been publicized on the ''Recovering Grace'' website, which is a support group for former followers of Gothard's teachings. As many as 34 women who worked for Gothard have claimed that he harassed them. Gothard denied the allegations and admitted no wrongdoing but announced his resignation from the Institute in order "to listen to those who have ought omethingagainst him". On June 17, 2014, IBLP issued a statement, 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. In 2016, Gothard and IBLP were sued by a group of alleged victims who accused him of sexual harassment and assault. The plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed their lawsuit in 2018, citing "unique complexities" with the

, but emphasized: "We are not recanting our experiences or dismissing the incalculable damage that we believe Gothard has done."

Books

* ''Advanced Seminar Textbook''. Institute in Basic Life Principles, 1986, * ''Basic Preparation for Engagement''. Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts, 1971, ASIN B00 * ''Basic Seminar Textbook''. Institute in Basic Life Principles, 1979, * ''Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts: Research in Principles of Life''. Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts, 1981, * ''Men's Manual, Vol. 1''. Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts, 1979, * ''Men's Manual, Vol. 2''. Institute in Basic Life Principles, 1983, * ''Nuestro Dios Celoso/Our Jealous God: El Amor que no me deja ir/The love that doesn't let me go''. Editorial Unilit 2004, * ''Our Jealous God''. Life Change Books, 2003. * ''Rebuilder's Guide''. Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts, 1982. * ''Research in Principles of Life: Advanced Seminar Textbook''. Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts 1986. * ''Rewards of Being Reviled''. Life Change Books, 2004. * ''Self-Acceptance''. Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts, 1984. ASIN B0007270AO * ''The Amazing Way''. Institute in Basic Life Principles, 2010. * ''The Power of Crying Out''. Life Change Books, 2002, * ''The Power of Spoken Blessings''. Life Change Books, 2004. * ''The Sevenfold Power of First Century Churches and Homes''. Life Change Books, 2000. * ''Why Did God Let It Happen?'' Institute in Basic Life Principles, 2011.

References

External links

Official Bill Gothard Website

Official Bill Gothard Twitter

Institute in Basic Life Principles

Bill Gothard Seminars
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gothard, Bill 1934 births Living people 20th-century Protestant religious leaders 21st-century Protestant religious leaders American Christian religious leaders American Christian writers American people of Mexican descent Hispanic and Latino American writers Leaders of Christian parachurch organizations Louisiana Baptist University alumni Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni