Photo:Institute in Basic Life Principles
Institute in Basic Life Principles
Bill Gothardfounded theInstitute in Basic Life Principlesmore than 60 years ago — but since then, he’s become a controversial figure in the religious community.
Growing up, Gothard, 88, was raised in a religious household, and as a teenager, he devoted his life to God and spreading Christianity, particularly aiming to help other young people “make wise choices” in their adolescence. As he traveled to speak at youth groups and visited with families in crisis, he obtained a degree in Biblical studies from Wheaton College.
In the following years, Gothard pursued a graduate degree in Christian education, and it was during this time that he created the basis for the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP). His master’s thesis highlighted “seven Biblical, non-optional principles of life,” which, if followed, would lead to “harmonious relationships in all areas of life.” Those seven principles would become the core of his most widely taught seminar.
It wasn’t long after Gothard’s first seminar that his teachings found a foothold in the fundamental Christian community. In a matter of just a few years, he was teaching seminars in front of more than 10,000 people and sharing his lessons with other pastors. IBLP came to include a homeschooling program, a juvenile rehabilitation program, orphanages and more than 60 other ministries.
But over time, a dark side to the radical organization was exposed. In addition to controversial teachings thatrequire women to be subservient to their husbandsand shun much of modern popular culture, Gothard has also beenaccused of sexually harassing more than 30 women, many of whom directly worked for him. Now, decades after IBLP’s founding, former members are speaking out, including several members ofthe Duggar family, once the popular stars at the center of TLC’s hit reality series,19 Kids and Counting.
In the docuseriesShiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, the family’s ties to the religious organization are explored, with first-hand accounts fromJill (Duggar) Dillard,Derick DillardandAmy (Duggar) King, as well as several former IBLP members. In a trailer for the series, one former member alleged that Gothard “turned every father into a cult leader and every home into an island.”
Speaking with PEOPLE, executive producer Olivia Crist shared that the documentary team’s research uncovered “how far and wide” the IBLP ideology and Gothard’s teachings went.
“It went into our police system. It went into the military,” she said, adding that with all IBLP members from Australia to Tennessee, “you’re going to see the same exact thing happen in terms of really just this pandemic of abuse that Gothard’s teachings inhabit.”
So who is Bill Gothard? Here’s everything to know about the Institute in Basic Life Principles founder.
Gothard was raised in a religious family in Illinois
As a pre-teen, Gothard was a part of the Child Evangelism Fellowship, where he was encouraged to dedicate his life to God. By the time he was 15, Gothard was an avid church attendee and had committed his life to helping other teenagers and their families “make wise choices.” He went on to work with church youth groups, inner-city gangs, high school clubs and families in crisis before he graduated high school.
He received degrees from Wheaton College and Louisiana Baptist University
In the 1950s, Gothard enrolled at Wheaton College, where he received a degree in Biblical studies. He also earned a graduate degree in Christian education from the university, writing his master’s thesis on a youth program that highlighted “seven Biblical, non-optional principles of life” — which would later become the basis of his teachings.
Gothard began IBLP in 1961 under the name Campus Teams
In 1961, Gothard formally began hisyouth ministry under the name Campus Teams. He continued his work with teenagers, speaking to groups of young people involved with inner-city gangs, high school clubs and church youth groups. Several years later, he gave his first seminar called “Basic Youth Conflicts” at his alma mater, Wheaton College.
In the following years, the scope of Gothard’s ministry quickly expanded. Attendance at his seminars grew to be as high as 20,000 people per event and pastors from around the world signed up to learn Gothard’s teachings. Seminars began to focus on a variety of topics, including homeschooling and solving financial problems — all based on the teachings of the Bible.
Due to the organization’s increased reach, its name was officially changed to Institute in Basic Life Principles in 1989.
He founded the homeschooling program Advanced Training Institute
In the midst of hosting numerous seminars, Gothard says he was frequently asked about a school curriculum that centered around religion. In response, Gothard began the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) in 1984, creating an educational program that revolved around applying Biblical scripture to everyday life. The program grew to include 54 “Wisdom Booklets,” teaching subjects from geography to science to math.
Through the years, the requirements to join the homeschool program became more intense. Those in the program wereexpected to follow IBLP’s strict rules, which mandated church attendance and included guidance on things like employment, attire and physical appearance.
In 2021, ATIconcluded as an enrollment program, although their Wisdom Booklets are still available.
Gothard’s teachings have faced much criticism
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The organization additionally provides strict guidelines for all aspects of life, including marriage, medicine and modesty, as well as the behavior of women and children. Some former IBLP members say they were led to live in fear that if they did not follow those precise moral codes, it could bring harm to themselves or their families.
In the docuseries,Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, several former IBLP members speak out about the radical organization. In a preview for the series, one woman accused the institute of raising “little predators,” while another man claimed that Gothard “turned every father into a cult leader and every home into an island.”
“The IBLP teachings aren’t Christianity,” one woman alleged. “They’re something entirely different.”
He has never been married
Despite teaching the importance of family structure and a man’s role in the household, Gothard has never been married. Instead, Gothard says he postponed marriage in order to dedicate all of his time to spreading the word of God and helping others make wise decisions.
According to a former ATI student, Gothard allegedly told IBLP members that while women should be married, certain men could be granted an exception to stay single “if it was God’s will.”
The Duggar family followed Gothard’s IBLP teachings
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When Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar met as teenagers, they were both devout Christians. While they have often referred to themselves as Independent Baptists, they have long been involved with Gothard’s IBLP teachings. In their bookThe Duggars: 20 And Counting!, the couple explained that early in their marriage, a story in an IBLP booklet encouraged them to let God decide how many children they would have.
Gothard’s teachings have also played a major role in the Duggars' family life, with Jill sharing inShiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secretsthat the family was a “part of IBLP as early as I can remember.”
Jim Bob and Michelle often spoke at IBLP seminars and even followed Gothard’s ATI homeschool program. In the couple’s book, Michelle explained that she taught lessons based on ATI’s Wisdom Booklets, which covered a wide variety of subjects and weaved religious beliefs into topics.
“I like these materials because I appreciate their biblical basis and their sound academic teaching,” Michelle wrote inThe Duggars: 20 And Counting!. “Everyone who’s old enough to read can sit in on the family study time with his or her own Wisdom Booklet. It’s great because we are all on the same page, literally and mentally.”
Gothard was often a guest at the Duggars' home
A source told PEOPLEGothard was once a favorite guest at the Duggar family’s compoundin Tontitown, Arkansas.
“Everyone who has ever spent any real amount of time with them has known forever that they are essentially devout Gothard followers and that there’s not a whole lot different between what they’re doing and a cult,” the source close to the family shared.
He stepped down from IBLP after being accused of sexual harassment
Amid the accusations, IBLP began an internal probe in 2014 and Gothard stepped down from his position. In a since-deleted statement, he apologized for “holding of hands, hugs, and touching of feet or hair with young ladies.” He added that his behaviors were not intended to be sexual but “crossed the boundaries of discretion…and violated a trust.” He also noted that he had “never kissed a girl nor have I touched a girl immorally or with sexual intent.”
In 2015, a lawsuit was filed against IBLP, claiming that it covered up sexual abuse and harassment of women working for the organization going as far back as 1992. While Gothard was not initially named in the lawsuit, he was added as a defendant in 2016,perChicago Magazine. As the case moved forward, the number of plaintiffs eventually reached 18.
At the time, Gothard and IBLP requested to dismiss the lawsuit for numerous reasons, including the fact that the statute of limitations had expired. Thecase was eventually dropped in 2018, although the reasoning is unclear. Gothard has continued to deny any wrongdoing and later called the accusations inthe lawsuit “false and defamatory statements.”
Gothard showed support for Josh Duggar following child molestation accusations
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In 2015, it was revealed that, as a teenager,Josh Duggarhad been accused of molesting underage girls, including some of his younger sisters. It was later discovered that Josh had initially admitted his “wrongdoing” to Jim Bob, but the police were not immediately contacted. Instead, Joshspent four months at a facility affiliated with IBLPcalled the Institute in Basic Life Principles Training Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. There, he participated in manual labor and intensive prayer.
According to its website, the center claims to “strengthen individuals and families through sound Biblical teachings and character development opportunities and to demonstrate Christ’s love through serving.”
Amid the news that the Duggars did not immediately go to the police following Josh’s confession, Gothard showed support for the family’s decision.
“They did the right things. They did maybe even more than was expected,” Gothard toldThe Chicago Tribuneat the time. “They certainly cannot be faulted in what they tried to do to correct the problem. The problem was corrected … The fact that he became an outstanding young man would indicate that kind of success.”
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Meanwhile, Jill was not so supportive of Josh andspoke about the aftermathof his sexual abuse scandal in theShiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secretsdocuseries. “In hindsight, I wouldn’t have done the Megyn Kelly stuff,” referring to herfamily’s interviewswith the reporter. “I felt like I was in a place, again, of bearing the burden and the weight.”
She also noted that she was prepared to testify against Josh in court, though, “I guess they got what they needed from someone else and didn’t have to have me testify.”
Josh is currently servinga sentence of 12 years in prisonon charges of receiving and possessingchild pornography.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are still followers of IBLP despite the accusations against Gothard
Kris Connor/WireImage
“The public accusations against Dr. Gothard in recent years are troubling and grievous. However, our faith in God is not based on following a fallible human man … Truth is truth, even if the messenger fails,” theytold NBC News.
Jinger Duggar Vuolo has spoken out against Gothard and the Institute in Basic Life Principles
Jinger Duggar/instagram
AlthoughJinger Duggar Vuologrew up as a practicing member of IBLP, she has since walked away from the organization. Jinger says that in 2017, shortly after she marriedher husband Jeremy Vuolo, her perspective about Gothard’s teachings began to shift. While she is still a Christian, she believes what Gothard taught was “harmful” and full of “cult-like tendencies” — and made fear “a huge part” of her childhood.
“[Gothard’s] teachings in a nutshell are based on fear and superstition and leave you in a place where you feel like, ‘I don’t know what God expects of me.’ The fear kept me crippled with anxiety. I was terrified of the outside world,” she told PEOPLE, adding that as a child, she believed she would be harmed if she accidentally wore the wrong clothes, played the wrong sports or listened to the wrong music.
She continued, “His teachings were so harmful, and I’m seeing more of the effects of that in the lives of my friends and people who grew up in that community with me. There are a lot of cult-like tendencies.”
Now, Jinger is hoping to help others who have been through similar experiences and those who are still living in fear.
“That’s the beauty ofthis journey,” she shared. “The teaching I grew up under was harmful, it was damaging, and there are lasting effects. But I know other people are struggling and people who are still stuck. I want to share my story, and maybe it will help even just one person to be freed.”
source: people.com
