Bill Gothard (born November 2, 1934) is a conservative Christian conference speaker and founder and president of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) (formerly known as "Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts), based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

His conferences focus on family relationships and specializing in "youth conflicts." His solution to family and youth problems is a conservative, biblical view of family life.

Biography

When Bill was in 5th grade, he trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior.  He was saved through the ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship and begin attending church with his family.

In 1964, at the age of 30, Gothard was ordained as a minister.  Bill's alma mater, Wheaton College, invited him to design and teach a course based on his fifteen years working with inner-city youth and gangs. The course was given the name Basic Youth Conflicts; two hours of upper-division undergraduate and graduate credit were awarded to students completing the course. Forty-six students, youth pastors, and teachers registered for that first class. The next year 120 students enrolled in Basic Youth Conflicts.

Gothard gained popularity in the 1970's due to his calls for strong authority in a time of social unrest. His calls were a product of deeply conservative evangelicalism. He was ordained by LaGrange Bible Church in suburban Chicago. Since then the Basic Youth Conflicts (later referred to as Basic Seminars) grew and attendance averaged between 10,000 and 20,000.

In 1996, Character Training Institute (CTI) was started (with help from businessman Thomas A. Hill) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and helps instill the values of following biblical authority into hundreds of elementary, middle, and high schools, state and city offices, corporations, police departments, and jails. This includes a "Police Dynamics Class," which "in a nutshell, is biblical wisdom that's been packaged into a law enforcement message," according to what CTI instructor Ray Nash told Rev. Mark Creech in a November 2004 article for Alan Keyes' RenewAmerica Web site." Currently "160 cities ranging from Compton, California, to Hamburg, New York, 31 counties, and seven states--Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Carolina--have now passed "character" resolutions and proclamations based on CTI's teachings and materials." Current board members include Texas Republican Representative Sam Johnson.

These principles are based on the commands of Christ and have now been taught for more than 40 years in seminars around the world. Millions of people have found lasting help from this 32-hour seminar. Today, third-generation families continue to report life-changing transformations from the truths they learned at Basic Seminars.

Books

* The Power of Spoken Blessings, 2004, ISBN 159052375X
* Rewards of Being Reviles, 2004, ISBN 0916888304
* Nuestro Dios Celoso/Our Jealous God: El Amor que no me deja ir/The love that doesn't let me go, 2004, ISBN 0789912155
* Our Jealous God, 2003, ISBN 1590522257
* Careers Guidance in Context, 2002, ISBN 0761969063
* The Power of Crying Out, 2002, ISBN 1590520378
* The Sevenfold Power of First Century Churches and Homes, 2000, ISBN 0916888185
* How to Evaluate Music, 1989, ISBN 6052230010
* Research in Principles of Life: Advanced Seminar Textbook, 1986, ISBN 0916888118
* Self-Acceptance, 1984, ASIN B0007270AO
* Rebuilder's Guide, 1982, ISBN 0916888061
* Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts: Research in Principles of Life, 1981, ISBN 0916888053
* Men's Manual, Vol. 1, 1979, ISBN 0916888045
* Basic Preparation for Engagement, 1971, ASIN B00073AKU0

Education

B.A., Wheaton College (1957)

M.A., Wheaton College (1961)

Ph.D., Louisiana Baptist University (2004)

Links

Bill Gothard's Official Web Site
Institute in Basic Life Principles