A Matter of Basic Principles (book)

A Matter of Basic Principles: Bill Gothard and the Christian Life is a Christian apologetics book written by Don and Joy Veinot and Ron Henzel, all affiliated with the Christian apologetics ministry Midwest Christian Outreach (MCO; the Veinots are the founders, Henzel the senior researcher). It was originally published by 21st Century Press in 2002, with a revised and updated edition published by MCOI Publishing in 2023 (under the new title A Matter of Basic Principles: Bill Gothard and His Cultish Teachings).

The book is a critical analysis of Gothard and his teachings which he publicized through his Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), a (then) Illinois-based Christian organization known for its highly ultra-conservative and legalistic interpretations of the Bible and how Christians should live (to the point where IBLP has been called "cult-like", as it does not deny any of the historical tenets of Christianity).

The Prologue begins with notable religious movements within American Christianity (both genuine and heretical) and its impacts on society at large, leading ultimately to the anti-intellectualism of what would be called Fundamentalism in opposition to the rise of liberal Christianity and the 1960s anti-authoritarian movements. It then mentions Gothard's upbringing and his earning of both a B.A. and M.A. from Wheaton College, his termination from a ministerial position after "confessing to spiritual pride" and the harsh treatment he received, his entry into youth ministry which ultimately led to the founding of what was then called Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts (ultimately changing its name later) and its unlikely success in the turmoil of the 1970s where Gothard (dressed in a conservative dark suit) would preach what appeared to be standard Christian doctrine: follow Biblical principles in making decisions and obey authority figures God has ordained.

But while IBLP was growing in popularity (and financial success), behind the scenes Gothard was showing signs of the same "spiritual pride" that cost him his first job, and his ensuring that he would not go through that treatment again. The book then accounts for the 1980 scandal involving Gothard's brother, Steve (accused of sexual misconduct; he was one of roughly 15 people -- including Bill -- credibly accused of such) and the ensuing attempts by Bill at cover-up, which ultimately led to Gothard resigning from IBLP in July 1980 (only to, within weeks, regain his position, terminate much of the staff which he believed was behind his removal and reorganize IBLP to where he would never have to fall under the "authority" which he taught to his followers).

Later, the book accounts numerous attempts to confront Gothard over his teachings and actions (by both MCO and others) and his constant obfuscations, half-truths, and stonewalling in the process, along with critical assessments of both teachings (including his now-discontinued Medical Training Institute of America, which could only be described as "alternate medicine" at best and outright quackery at worst, and his views on courtship, which the Duggar family -- IBLP's most notable followers, and stars of a reality TV show featuring their lives) and events (such as the disastrous construction of a facility in the Arkansas Ozarks, which contained numerous building hazards and -- contrary to Gothard's teaching to "follow authority" -- failed to follow applicable building codes, and his continued stonewalling and obfuscations in dealing with the problems, leading the property owners to terminate their lease).

Revised Version

In 2023 MCO (in light of more recent events surrounding Gothard and IBLP) issued an "Updated 20th Anniversary Edition". The revised edition (though containing most of the original content) differs from the original edition, as follows:

• The Foreword to the original book (written by Dr. Ron Rhodes of Reasoning for the Scriptures Ministries) was replaced with a new Foreword, written by Jinger Duggar Vuolo, a member of the noted Duggar clan (adherents of IBLP, featured in the television series 19 Kids and Counting). Vuolo discovered the book shortly after her marriage in 2016, when she was leaving IBLP, and was "glad [she] discovered it early in my journey from entangling truth from error". (Portions of the original Foreword were moved to a different section.)
• A Preface (not in the original book) introduces the reader to John Cornish, founder of Recovering Grace, a ministry (founded in 2011) which initially sought to merely expose the world to the harm of IBLP teachings in the words of former adherents. However, in 2012 the ministry began to receive and publicize reports of alleged misconduct by Gothard, including "accusations of unwelcome physical contact, misconduct during private counseling sessions, and failure to report instances of abuse involving minors". The group engaged in dialogue with both Gothard and other influential people within IBLP, and ultimately published their findings. Their actions would lead IBLP to place Gothard on administrative leave in February 2014, and to ultimately dismiss him from the organization in June of that year. Later, a group of former IBLP students would sue Gothard and IBLP in 2015 but would ultimately dismiss their suit in 2018. (The Preface also mentions that, shortly after publication of the original book, Steve Gothard would affirm what the book published about his departure and Gothard's original resignation.)
• A new "Chapter 11" discussing the misuse of Bible passages about "touch not mine anointed" by authoritarian groups.
• Two addenda:
  • The first, related to Chapter 2, discussing further meetings and discussions with Gothard on his teachings, which proved as unsuccessful as prior meetings
  • The second, related to Chapter 9 providing an update to the Arkansas facility discussing a later meeting between Gothard and the landowners, which resulted in mutual forgiveness between the parties (and partial reimbursement by IBLP to the landowner), as well as more details of the results of the state inspection