Bill Gothard

William W. (Bill) Gothard (born November 2, 1934) is an American minister, speaker and writer, and the founder of the Institute in Basic Life Principles.

Biography

Gothard is the third of six children born to William and Carmen Gothard. His father was the general manager of an engineering firm and later served with various ministries. He also acted as executive director of Gideons International.

In the 5th Grade, Gothard and his family joined a Literalist church.

Gothard received his B.A., in Biblical Studies from Wheaton College in 1957 and his M.A., in Christian Education in 1961. Based on years of working with inner-city gangs, church youth groups, high school clubs, youth camps, and families in crisis, Gothard wrote his master’s thesis on a youth program that eventually led to his development of seven principles of life he believed were not optional .

In 1964, Gothard was ordained and commissioned for youth work by LaGrange Bible Church in suburban Chicago. That same year, Gothard'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.

Gothard started an organization in 1961 called Campus Teams, which in 1974 changed its name to Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts. Later, in 1989, the name changed again to Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP). Gothard is currently the president and a board member of this organization.

In the 1970s, Gothard presented the Basic Youth Conflicts Seminar (later referred to as Basic Seminars) across the United States. Attendance grew, averaging between 10,000 and 20,000 attendees at each seminar. In the early 1980’s the seminar attendance began to decline. Today seminars continue to be conducted around the world and have an alumni base of more than 2.5 million.

In 1984, under Gothard’s leadership, a homeschooling program, the Advanced Training Institute of America was founded. The curriculum for this program uses the teachings of Jesus from Matthew 5, 6, and 7 as a foundation for other areas of study.

An author, Gothard's publications have been endorsed by leading Christians including Dr. Gary Smalley, Dr. Charles Stanley, the late Adrian Rogers, and the late D. James Kennedy as well as congressmen Jim Ryun and Sam Johnson.

In 2004, Gothard received his Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Louisiana Baptist University, an unaccredited, conservative Christian university.

Gothard has remained unmarried and has no children.

Teaching

Gothard's teaching focuses on seven "life principles", 49 character qualities, and 49 commands that Jesus gave. He teaches that while there is only one interpretation of scripture, many applications can be taken from it. On his website he states "the goal of my teaching is to provide Biblical principles and concepts of life to guide people in their choices."

Gothard discourages listening to any "un-Christian" music, including all popular and contemporary Christian music and encourages homeschooling; IBLP publishes its own homeschool material;.

As a part of the IBLP, Gothard organized the Medical Training Institute of America (MTIA), the purpose of which is to "train men and women to assist families in making wise decisions about health care issues." The Medical Training Institute of America is run by Director Dean I. Youngberg, M.D., who first attended an IBLP seminar in 1976. Other medical doctors that support MTIA include Billy Boring, Jr., M.D. and James Leininger, M.D., both of whom are members of IBLP's board of directors.

The institute publishes Basic Care Newsletters .

Books

• Basic Preparation for Engagement . Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts, 1971, ASIN B00
• How to Evaluate Music . Life Change Books, 1989, ISBN Unavailable
• Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts: Research in Principles of Life . Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts, 1981, ISBN 0-916888-05-3
• Men's Manual, Vol. 1 . Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts, 1979, ISBN 0-916888-04-5
• Nuestro Dios Celoso/Our Jealous God: El Amor que no me deja ir/The love that doesn't let me go . Editorial Unilit 2004, ISBN 0-7899-1215-5
• Our Jealous God . Life Change Books, 2003. ISBN 1-59052-225-7
• Rebuilder's Guide . Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts, 1982. ISBN 0-916888-06-1
• Research in Principles of Life: Advanced Seminar Textbook . Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts 1986. ISBN 0-916888-11-8
• Rewards of Being Reviled . Life Change Books, 2004. ISBN 0-916888-30-4
• Self-Acceptance . Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts, 1984. ASIN B0007270AO
• The Power of Crying Out . Life Change Books, 2002, ISBN 1-59052-037-8
• The Power of Spoken Blessings . Life Change Books, 2004. ISBN 1-59052-375-X
• The Sevenfold Power of First Century Churches and Homes . Life Change Books, 2000. ISBN 0-916888-18-5

See also

• Institute in Basic Life Principles

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Bill Gothard's Biography from billgothard.com
2. ^ ^{a b c} What Bill Gothard teaches from billgothard.com
3. ^ ^{a b} Institute in Basic Life Principle's History from iblp.org
4. ^ Institute in Basic Life Principle's Board from iblp.org
5. ^ ^{a b} Advanced Training Institute's History from ati.iblp.org
6. ^ About the Advanced Training Institute from ati.iblp.org
7. ^ Bill Gothard. The Power of Crying Out Multnomah Publishers (2002), leading pages
8. ^ Dean I. Youngberg, M.D., A Message From the Director of the Medical Training Institute (last accessed 23 August 2006 )

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William ("Bill") W. Gothard (born November 2, 1934) is an American speaker and writer. At the age of 15, he gave his life to helping teenagers and their parents live their life in ...

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