As many of you know, I mark and avoid false teachers. On my video about the Jinger Duggar fiasco, someone asked me if she wasn’t right for calling out false teachings. I have heard many accusations against Bill Gothard and what he taught. In this post, I am only going to be writing about his teachings, NOT him as a man and the accusations against him. I am a truth seeker and want the truth of what is being said or taught from the source itself, not second hand by a young woman who said these teachings were harmful. She never mentioned Bill Gothard in her interview. She only mentioned the teachings of IBLP.

In order to find out what Institute of Basic Life Principles teaches, I went directly to their site. I agree with their statement of faith except for the phrase that husbands and wives submit to each other. However, they are the ones who came up with the umbrella illustration that shows the clear authority structure of the family, so I am not sure they mean that husbands actually submit to their wives. And no, they don’t teach that women are inferior to men as I have heard some claim: “We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position and value before God as both are created in the image of God, but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual and physical functions for men and women in the home and the church.”

All of the Directors are men, one includes Gill Bates who seems to be raising amazing, godly children. They have an article about courtship being different than dating and in this article includes this statement: “Because each individual, family, and set of circumstances is unique, each courtship will be unique. While those who choose courtship will hold to general guidelines for the relationship, their specific choices about when, where, and how to court may differ according to their needs and circumstances.” They give no specific guidelines. Each family must come up with their own.

They have an article written on being a godly wife and I can’t find anything in it that is false  or harmful teaching. “Expectations destroy gratefulness. Gratefulness is the basis of joyfulness, and a joyful wife is a crown to her husband. (See Proverbs 12:4.) An unhappy wife is a public rebuke to him. A husband feels like a prisoner of his wife’s expectations if she does not release them to the Lord. (See Psalm 62:5.)” All of you should read it. It’s great!

Now, I didn’t read every word on this site, and I am sure I don’t agree with everything they teach. I don’t agree with everything anyone teaches 100 percent except for God’s Word, but I would never label what they teach as false teachings or harmful. We must all be Bereans and search Scripture to see if something is true or false, not take it secondhand from someone else. Be a lover of God’s Word and His ways, women. This is the only way that you will be saved from false teachings and be led astray. This is what is harmful!

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Acts 17:11