Bill Gothard
Bill Gothard (born November 2, 1934) is a Christian conference speaker and founder of the Institute in Basic Life Principles. His conferences focus on "Basic Youth Conflicts". His solution is a conservative, authoritarian view of family life.
In 1964, Bill's alma mater, Wheaton College, invited him to design and teach a course based on his work with youth. The course was given the name Basic Youth Conflicts; two hours of upper-division undergraduate and graduate credit were awarded to students completing the course. Forty-six students, youth pastors, and teachers registered for that first class. The next year 120 students enrolled in Basic Youth Conflicts.
In the years that followed, Basic Youth Conflicts was offered in several new locations. Soon seminar attendance averaged between 10,000 and 20,000 youth and adults. Today, hundreds of smaller seminars are being conducted in cities throughout the United States and other nations.
Much of Gothard's teaching is consistent with Evangelical Biblical interpretation.
Gothard provides strong advice about family relationships. Wives are to submit to their husbands. Children are not to marry without their parents' approval. Particularly, daughters are to receive their father's blessing and live with parents before marrying.
Bill Gothard strongly criticizes contemporary Christian music.
A prominenent theme in Gothard's teaching is that God-given authority provides followers a spiritual "umbrella of protection", and that rejecting authority results in vulnerability to spiritual attack.
Controversies and Criticism
Within evangelicalism, criticism of Gothard centers around two issues: (1) what critics consider legalistic teachings and interpretations of Scripture, and (2) concern about Gothard's application of authoritarianism in his own organization, particularly during a sex scandal in the 1980s. Examples of critics within evangelicalism are Christian watchdog group Midwest Christian Outreach, and Christian rock musician Steve Taylor who was negatively mentioned in Gothard's writings.
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