Oak Brook, Ill. — Bill Gothard, an Illinois-based advocate for home schooling and conservative dress who warned against rock music and debt, resigned from the ministry he founded after allegations of sexually harassing women who worked at his ministry and failing to report child abuse cases.
Gothard’s resignation from the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), according to a letter sent to families affiliated with the ministry he founded, comes after he was put on administrative leave. According to an organizer involved in the whistle-blowing website Recovering Grace, 34 women told the website they had been sexually harassed; four women alleged molestation.
Gothard told the board of directors he wanted to follow the New Testament command to listen to those who made accusations against him, according to an email sent from David Waller, administrative director of the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) to families involved in the ministry.
“To give his full attention to this objective, Mr. Gothard has resigned as president of the Institutes in Basic Life Principles, its board of directors and its affiliated entities,” Waller’s email said.
Waller said the two institutes will continue under interim leadership, including upcoming conferences in Nashville and Sacramento under ATI president Chris Hogan.
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