I love the enthusiasm some of my friends have for the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. They take time and go to great expense and effort to make sure the
Converting a former house of worship presents both challenge and opportunity
The following is a guest post by a friend whose story of conversion from Roman Catholicism to Orthodoxy and back to Catholicism has taken a lot of bravery
To quote the famous philosophers of the Wu-Tang Clan: Cash rules everything around us.
Love visiting old churches? Get your free mini pocket guide to print & learn the important vocabulary to make the most of your next visit!
Spicy memes for your spicy life.
The interior of the national shrine and basilica of Our Lady of Victory in Lackawanna, New York. The church was built in the 1920s by Fr. Nelson Baker, who was widely known for his charitable works...
10,993 points • 67 comments
Hi there! I'm dashing this off as Sam packs for our quick trip to Sydney tonight with our church youth group. It's been a breakneck couple of weeks around here and I'm feeling a bit scattered as the learning curve has flung me around a bit lately. So I don't feel quite on top of my game, 1/3 energiz
Want to listen to the best new music from the week of August 18, 2023? We've collected the top songs by FIFTY FIFTY, Michaël Brun, Anne-Marie, Becky G and more
Bill Gothard Legalism Posted by Christine Pack A couple of years ago, I innocently posted this illustration on my Facebook wall which to me at that time, illustrated what I thought was a biblical concept of submission in the home. Shortly after posting it, I began receiving information that this illustration had originated with a man named Bill Gothard, and who was a very influential figure, if not the most influential figure, in the hyper-patriarchal homeschooling movement I had just begun to research. (Note: Bill Gothard recently stepped down from the organization he founded years ago due to allegations of moral impropriety with young women working with his ministry.) Now, my having grown up in a very liberal mainline denomination sometimes means that I don't recognize legalism when I see it. That was certainly the case with this illustration. As one former Gothardite explained it, this picture is used to teach, wrongly, that God is harsh and unyielding, waiting to smite those who step out of line. From the article: "One of the foundational truths of ATI was the 'umbrella of protection.' In a family structure, the father was the umbrella that protected his wife and children from Satan's attacks and God's judgments. If you stepped outside of that authority, you would face temptations and wrath. The umbrella came without an expiration date. As a teenager, the gradual increase of responsibility would not coincide with a gradual increase in decision-making. A young man would be eligible to step out from under the umbrella of protection only when he married. A young woman would only transfer from the father's umbrella to a husband's. This authoritarian approach forced the fear of both God and parents to become the main reason for obedience.......The ATI ministry structure was built around the same concept. Leadership within the organization provided the same protection from Satan and God. Questioning or challenging an interpretation of a verse or application of a principle was grounds for removal from the ministry." (Growing Up Gothard, my emphasis) To be completely candid, with my non-legalistic background, I had looked at the umbrella illustration and my first thought was, oh God is so good to provide order and structure for us, and to watch over us! But once it was pointed out to me exactly how this picture is used, and that it goes further in using extrabiblical concepts to drive home its points, I did see the legalism. At that time, I was using this picture to illustrate submission to my own children, but once I grasped the problems with it, and how it could be twisted to cause fear of God rather than love for his genuine loving care and provision, I immediately stopped using it. I also sat down with my children and asked their forgiveness for using this illustration, and then used simple, straightforward Bible language and terminology to explain to them what it means for wives/children to submit. Yes, sin is serious, and should not be minimized or ignored, but I don't want my children cowering in fear of some angry God waiting to whack them any time they do something wrong. So, I no longer recommend or use this picture as an illustration for God's protection. After all, it is always the goodness of God that draws sinners, right? Yes, God is high and holy, and righteously wrathful toward unrepentant sinners. But it was love of an extraordinary, supernatural nature that compelled him to make a way for wretched sinners righteously deserving of hell to be reconciled to Himself. In closing, I'd like to encourage any Christians who have somehow been influenced by Bill Gothard's teaching to look over the resources below. The American personality seems to love "systems" of all kinds, and with Bill Gothard's teachings, there is a massive system already in place that is very easy to plug into. Yet we must also be aware that the desire to systematize things can, and does, often lead to legalism. May we continue to return again and again to the simplicity that is found in Christ, and recognize and reject man-made systems, even those that dangle the carrot of the perfect family or perfect children or the perfect dating methodology, as Gothardism does. Additional Resources Josh Duggar's Infidelity Outed in Ashley Madison Website Hack (Sola Sisters) A Beginner's Guide To Bill Gothard (Ron Henzel) Growing Up Gothard (The Gospel Coalition) A Matter of Basic Principles (an excellent expose of Gothard legalism by Don Veinot) Battered Sheep - a review of Don Veinot's book A Matter of Basic Principles Bill Gothard Resigns, Duggars Still Slated To Speak at IBLP 2014 Conference Conservative Leader Bill Gothard Resigns Following Abuse Allegations (Religion News Service) The Duggars, Bill Gothard, Vision Forum, and The Quiverful Movement (I am aware that some of the links in this article are no longer active, but this article still gives a quick thumbnail sketch of Bill Gothard, the Duggars, Vision Forum, Hyper-Patriarchy and the Quiverfull Movement, and how they are interconnected and overlap with each other) How God Saves Us In Christ (And The Problems With Legalism) (Pastor Jeff Crippen) Abusers in the Christian Church: The 5 Stages of Biblical Repentance (The Aquila Report) Midwest Christian Outreach From the IBLP website A Matter of Basic Principles: Bill Gothard and the Christian Life Josh Duggar, Mike Huckabee and Fodder for Progressives Is Jesus a Sinner According to Bill Gothard’s Teachings? If Bill Gothard is Wrong, Then What’s Right? Bill Gothard: Who Knew What and When? A Question of Accountability ATIdentity Bill Gothard’s Analogous Teachings Bill Gothard; Déjà vu All Over Again Bill Gothard and the Continuing Sex Scandal Bill Gothard - Truly Repentant? Leveraging Lunacy: How Bill Gothard Rode a Wave of Evangelical Goofiness Four part series on Bill Gothard - Part 1, Bill Gothard's Evangelical Talmud - Part 2, Bill Gothard's Chain of Authority - Part 3, Bill Gothard and the Law - Part 4, Bill Gothard's Mystical Approach to Medical Issues An Evening With Bill Gothard Secular Articles When Having Kids Is A Religious Experience (ABC News) Quiverfull: More Children For God's Army (Newsweek writer Kathryn Joyce) Inside the Duggar Family's Conservative Ideology (Newsweek, Kathryn Joyce) Websites by Former Gothardites Recovering Grace Abuse Allegations Against Bill Gothard, Founder of Institute In Basic Life Principles (Dr. John Cornish and Kari Underwood, co-founders of Recovering Grace) Under Much Grace
Hundreds of families who had babies taken from Spanish hospitals, such as Randy Ryder (pictured), are now battling for an official government investigation into the scandal.
When loved ones die, they are still intimately concerned about our lives and are often allowed to return to help us through difficult times or to share in our joy. I have asked you to share some of your stories, and I am always amazed at what “family angels” are allowed to do…
What it is, and how we can fix it.
A super fun activity that will be a crowd-pleaser for your young men and young women! AN ESCAPE ROOM! Solve clues, figure out what's next to finally open the treasure! A great test of your
Liturgical Year Chart by Dr. Mark D. Roberts Copyright © 2011 by Mark D. Roberts Note: You may download this resource at no cost, for personal use or for
The U.S. Marine Corps has a slogan – Semper Fidelis, “Always Faithful.” More often, people shorten it to “Semper Fi.” In the church, there is a slightly different slogan: Semper Reformanda, which is short for
When it comes to church for Millennials, one of the questions almost every church leader I know is asking is, “How do we reach them?” Here are 5 things Millennials are looking for.
Design beautiful online newsletters with Smore!
From Crackpot to Blubberhouses: join us on a tour of the oddest-named places in Blighty
Discover the power of Icebreaker questions in 2023. Improve your team's interpersonal skills and create a positive work culture.
Related posts:Remember Your CreatorOld Law / New LawNebuchadnezzar's Dreams
October is drawing to a close. Don't let it end without remembering Reformation Day. This makes a great history lesson or mini unit study.
This liturgical year lesson plan is meant to be an introduction to the Church year so students can understand Jesus is the reason for EVERY season.
Where the adventure of fast talking, faster thinking, weirdness, and Christianity come together.
This set of visuals is a little different than what I normally have from Cathy.
Valentines Day is commonly called "Singles Awareness Day" among singles. Here are 45 memes that describe how YSA singles feel about Valentines Day!
THIS POST HAS BEEN TRANSFERRED TO OUR NEW WEBSITE IN FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.
15 empathy books and videos for the classroom to teach kids about empathy, compassion, inclusion, and community. Use these social awareness books and videos during social-emotional learning lessons.
As children begin to question more about their faith, use The Creed Explained to help them understand the basic beliefs held by the Catholic Church, and to begin delving more deeply into their faith. Published by Pauline Books and Media. Available in the US at paulinestore.org. In Canada, available through our Book Centre in Toronto. Visit paulinemedia.ca.
Paul was an enemy of the church until he met Jesus. These free, printable Paul Bible activities for kids and resources are related to Paul, the Apostle.
Last year the cup stack was one of my FAVORITE team building activities (see post here). So, naturally, I wanted to give it another shot! The Cup Stack is a fun, yet challenging activity that promotes team work. The supplies are basic: cups, string, rubber bands. I go ahead and tie the string to the rubber bands so it is ready to go. I make a few for groups of 4 and a few for groups of 5, this way no matter what the numbers are in the classroom I can make it work. I start by asking students what teamwork is. What does it look like? sound like? feel like? We brainstorm a list of ideas that I hang in the classroom for students to refer to. Each class comes up with a variety of ideas, but they all center around the same theme. Then I introduce their challenge. I start off my admitting that this will be a frustrating activity. We discuss ways to handle our stress and feelings that arise when others make a mistake or don't do what we want them to do. I model that they will each be given 6 cups and a rubberband with strings attached to it. Their job is to stack the cups into a design by only holding onto their individual string. I demonstrate that when everyone pulls on their string the rubberband opens wider, and vice versa. I also show them the challenges of picking up a cup that has tipped on its side or fallen on the floor. No matter what happens, they must follow the one rule: YOU CAN ONLY TOUCH YOUR STRING. No touching the rubber band, no touching the cup, and no touching other group member's strings. I reinforce how communication is so important in order to reach the goal. Then I set them off. Here are some videos and pics. After about 10-15 minutes, we pause and reflect on our experiences. I ask them to rate their group on how well they worked together using the ideas we wrote at the beginning of the lesson. I ask them what went well for their group. I also ask them what didn't go well for their group. We talk about different strategies and ways we an handle ourselves when things don't go the way we want them to. Throughout the activity I walk around and facilitate positive communication, so I usually have a few examples to help springboard the discussion.
