Bill Gothard

I thought he'd already tipped over.

You shall know a tree by its fruit.

God's will be done.
 
I'm thankful that I heard of him through a "doubter" rather than a follower. When I did meet my first follower I had a goodly amount of skepticism on hand.

Extended family members went whole hog. They spent $10k on getting his vasectomy reversed so they could atone for the sin of having only two kids. Didn't work. Adopted four children from "troubled" homes (hellscapes in reality). Then proceeded to make their lives worse. Now divorced and four of their kids have "deconstructed".

Legalistic performance rituals.
 
I'm sorry that Bill Gothard is sick and I wish him well. I attended the Basic and Advanced Bill Gothard seminars. I was mostly impressed with him at the time, but many of us former Gothard followers, including Jinger Duggar, have seen through the flaws in his philosophy, including the abusive "chain of command" and "umbrella of authority" teachings.

For those not familiar with Gothard, his teachings, and the controversies around them, see these web sites:





 
Comment from the Sharper Iron forum:

JD Miller
assignment-ind-filled.svg

Mon, 06/29/26 5:39 pm

"I didn't know he was still alive. I do know a lot of lives have been destroyed and churches have been disrupted by his teachings. It is sad how many families who embraced his teachings have had sexual abuse in them. (It is not just the Duggers, many people who know Gothard families can testify to the pattern and it was not just from Bill and his brother but often from the boys who grew up in those families). If you do not want your kids and grandkids sexually abused, keep them away from Gothard and his teaching. Even for those who are not theologically astute enough to spot the errors of his teaching, remember that by their fruits you shall know them.

"I fear part of the problem was the teachings oversexualization of women and the idea that if a man stumbled it was always the woman (or girls) fault. Years ago my wife personally spoke to a lady who relayed that she had told Bill Gothard that she was being sexually abused (as a minor) by her brother and Gothard told her it was her fault. The evidence has continued to pile up as years have gone by since then.

"When the Duggar boys and others were taught that their sin was the fault of their sisters and other little girls, then it is no wonder that they felt emboldened to sin as they did.

"This should alert us to the broader issue of the danger of evangelicals in general excusing pornography as all the woman's fault by suggesting that men cannot resist. We tell our boys that temptation will cross their eyes whether they look for it or not, but they have a responsibility to control their thoughts and hearts no matter how attractive an image may be. No doubt God makes women attractive and we should be thankful for that, but that is no excuse for lust."
 
This should alert us to the broader issue of the danger of evangelicals in general excusing pornography as all the woman's fault by suggesting that men cannot resist.

A very "Muslim" argument. Women need to cover themselves up completely, because if men catch a glimpse of their hair or any skin, they won't be able to control themselves. Hilariously, I recently saw a video of an imam arguing this is also the reason men need to grow beards.
 
Comment from the Sharper Iron forum:

JD Miller
assignment-ind-filled.svg

Mon, 06/29/26 5:39 pm

"I didn't know he was still alive. I do know a lot of lives have been destroyed and churches have been disrupted by his teachings. It is sad how many families who embraced his teachings have had sexual abuse in them. (It is not just the Duggers, many people who know Gothard families can testify to the pattern and it was not just from Bill and his brother but often from the boys who grew up in those families). If you do not want your kids and grandkids sexually abused, keep them away from Gothard and his teaching. Even for those who are not theologically astute enough to spot the errors of his teaching, remember that by their fruits you shall know them.

"I fear part of the problem was the teachings oversexualization of women and the idea that if a man stumbled it was always the woman (or girls) fault. Years ago my wife personally spoke to a lady who relayed that she had told Bill Gothard that she was being sexually abused (as a minor) by her brother and Gothard told her it was her fault. The evidence has continued to pile up as years have gone by since then.

"When the Duggar boys and others were taught that their sin was the fault of their sisters and other little girls, then it is no wonder that they felt emboldened to sin as they did.

"This should alert us to the broader issue of the danger of evangelicals in general excusing pornography as all the woman's fault by suggesting that men cannot resist. We tell our boys that temptation will cross their eyes whether they look for it or not, but they have a responsibility to control their thoughts and hearts no matter how attractive an image may be. No doubt God makes women attractive and we should be thankful for that, but that is no excuse for lust."
I know people very close to me that believe if a woman is dressed inappropriately and she is raped that she holds some of the responsibility. When having this conversation with them it literally made my stomach sick.

I couldn’t believe it. One of them explained it this way, it’s kinda like a choice between a Porscha and a Pinto, does that make sense? I was speechless, literally.

I did say, so if a woman is dressed inappropriately at Walmart, you sin every time? They didn’t want to answer. At least in front of their wives.
 
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