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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
God Bless You
Seven years ago I launched this blog after someone asked me if I'd raise our young child in ATI. My visceral reaction ("Heck no!") surprised me and forced me to ask why. I'd never even considered it before that conversation. Thus began a long journey of articulating my objections to Bill Gothard's teachings. For me, this site was a personal catharsis -- the perversions of Gothard's dogma were best illustrated through satire. You have to admit -- some of the stuff he and his zealots come up with is so ludicrous you can only laugh.
After I started the blog I quickly realized that I was not alone. Thank you so much for reading and sharing your own stories. For me (and I know for many of you) my disagreement with Gothard was fueled by my desire to draw closer to Christ.
Those conversations that a few of us had quietly are now shared by hundreds. I especially commend to you RecoveringGrace.org and the Facebook page ATI Student Survivors. These sites are run by thoughtful people (not me) who are speaking out in order to bring healing and unity.
I haven't blogged consistently in years, obviously, and it's time to officially call it quits. I plan to leave the site up for the benefit of new "escapees," but X-er is going dark. (So if some bozo starts claiming credit for my brilliance you'll know he's lying.)
Peace to you.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." ~ 2 Corinthians 5.
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6 Comments:
Thank you for all you have written!
Although I was never involved in the Gothard movement, I was in Campus Crusade in college and saw similar tendencies. Your testimony here helped me process my CCC experiences and also helped me as a parent find better ways than Gothard to guide my children. This site is a real blessing. Thanks for leaving it online.
Good to hear from you again. Like you, I am very happy to see sites like Recovering Grace doing so well. You did plow some of this ground. The journey out of Gothard's influence and legalistic thinking is personal and challenging. Thank you for sharing some of yours.
Maybe some of the early rage is dissipating, maybe many have told their stories already, but it does seem that one group is moving on as another or others begin. The Gothard Discussion Yahoo group is very quiet, but the archives are still active. You don't hear a great deal from the wild-eyed Gothard supporters anymore either. That's okay.
You and I had some personal correspondence a couple of years ago. If I can be of any encouragement or if you would just like to touch base again, I would be blessed. It would be good to keep in touch, even if it is just occasionally over the years.
DaveO
I've followed this site for almost as many years as it has been operating. While this news is bittersweet, it's nice to get some closure. Thanks for the laughs man, it truly was the best medicine.
Would you consider changing the visual format of the blog so that it would be easier for older people like my parents to read?
Thank you for a job well done!
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