A Matter of Basic Principles: Bill Gothard and His Cultish Teachings

Bill Gothard, his teachings, and his organization, the Institute in Basic Life Principles, have had an impact on segments of the church more far-reaching than the three million he claims have attended his seminars. Are his teachings on authority, grace, and other areas of teaching biblical or cultish? Does he live according to his teachings, whether they are biblical or not? How do his teachings affect his followers and those to whom they pass them on?

Bill Gothard, his teachings, and his organization, the Institute in Basic Life Principles, have had an impact on segments of the church more far-reaching than the three million he claims have attended his seminars. Are his teachings on authority, grace, and other areas of teaching biblical or cultish? Does he live according to his teachings, whether they are biblical or not? How do his teachings affect his followers and those to whom they pass them on?

L.L. (Don) & Joy Veinot are co-founder and President of Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc., a national apologetics ministry and mission to new religious movements based in Wonder Lake, IL., with a branch office in Quincy, IL and Cape Coral, FL. He, along with his wife of 53 years, Joy, have been involved in discernment ministry as missionaries to cults and New Religious Movements since 1987. Don is a frequent guest on various radio and television broadcasts, including The John Ankerberg Show as well as being a staff researcher and writer for the Midwest Outreach Journal. He and Joy are co-authors of Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret, A Matter of Basic Principles: Bill Gothard and the Christian Life, and Don is a contributing author of Preserving Evangelical Unity: Welcoming Diversity in Non-Essentials, as well as articles in the CRI Journal, PFO Quarterly Journal, Campus Life Magazine, Journal of the International Society of Christian Apologetics, Midwestern Journal of Theology, The Christian Post and other periodicals. Don is also co-host of the weekly "Unknown Webcast" on the Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc. YouTube Channel. He was ordained to the ministry by West Suburban Community Church of Lombard, IL, at the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem, Israel, in March of 1997. Don is a charter member of ISCA (International Society of Christian Apologetics) and is also the current President of Evangelical Missions to Non-Christian Religions (EMNR), a consortium of Counter cult/ apologetic ministries and missions to non-Christians.