Fundamentalist Exchange: The evangelical pipeline between New Zealand and the United States.

Part 1: Bill Gothard

Bill Gothard

I was in 9th grade in Canada when Columbine occurred, and alongside that tragedy came a burst of energy in Christian youth culture that arrived to save us poor sinners and goths. It also meant an uptick in documentaries that examined this modern iteration of the youth counter-counter culture (leaving us to perpetually wonder what the kids of Jesus Camp are doing). I missed out on youth group hijinx, as the lure of Christian rock and rounds of chubby bunny was not that strong, and I was that sort of teenage atheist jerk that even my most devoted Sally Anne friends knew I was a lost cause.

But, in some perverse way, I still have a lukewarm spot for American evangelical/pentecostal culture.

Much of my writing for the Skeptics as of late has focused either on the history of the New Age cults that establish themselves in the Antipodes, or the Mormon church-adjacent shenanigans of many an MLM. I'm more than happy to leave investigations on NZ based-churches of Destiny, Arise, and City Impact to people (or really, a person) with superior connections and superior writing skills than I. Still, while I am happy to puzzle over the operations of many of our country's great and not-so-great homegrown cults, I experience a distinct thrill when I come across the trans Tasman cross-pollination of my special interest in Christian fundamentalism and New Zealand.

I should probably see someone for that.

But anyhoo….

The Duggar Family, circa 2007

This week saw the release of (and subsequent fallout from) Jinger Vuolo's fourth book, Becoming Free Indeed. Jinger is the fourth of 19 children from the conservative Christian mega-family (and letter J enthusiasts) The Duggars, stars of eponymous documentaries and reality series including: 14 Children and Pregnant Again, Raising 16 Children, 19 Kids and Counting, and Counting On. Jinger was the break-out star of the family for many fans, gawkers, and hate watchers - she had a personality that was contrary to her sisters and a stated preference for big cities, coffee, fashion, and eye-rolls over babies and prairie dresses. Jinger is the inspiration of the Free Jinger discussion boards and Free Jinger “movement”, which has expanded beyond critiquing the Duggar's to taking in the greater universe of American evangelicals.

Jinger Vuolo's book

The Duggars are fervent independent baptists who have become best known for their adherence to the patriarchal Quiverfull movement, and loyalty to Bill Gothard's Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) and its homeschool arm, Advance Training Institute (ATI). Gothard is a Christian minister who built his ministry around homeschooling, avoiding debt, and a strict patriarchal hierarchy called the “umbrella of protection”: if you remove yourself from underneath the umbrella, then you are more susceptible to attacks from Satan.

If you come out from under the umbrella of protection, the devil is gonna get ya.

Like many of his ilk, Gothard also claims to have god on speed dial, and a tendency to selectively take what he wants out of the bible. He's also not adverse to introducing some extra-biblical doctrines to keep his followers nice and fearful that any misstep will anger god. For example, his pamphlet on 10 scriptural reasons why rock beats are evil or a more hysterical example courtesy of Jinger's current press junket regarding Gothard's literal interpretation of “Man cannot live on bread alone”.

Gothard has been in the ministry game since 1961 with “Campus Teams”, which was geared towards resolving conflicts between baby boomers and their parents. The organisation would undergo further name changes before growing its remit beyond naughty teens and becoming the Institute in Basic Life Principles in 1989. There is anecdotal evidence of Bill Gothard touring New Zealand churches between 1961 and 1989; in 1979 he was allegedly in Dunedin.

However, it isn't until the 1990s and the introduction of his homeschool programme, Advance Training Institute, that Bill's connection to New Zealand becomes stronger and more sordid. New Zealand was reported to be the first country outside of the United States to host IBLP seminars in 1990. The ATI NZ website claims that governing officials in NZ requested meetings with ATI leaders and students. This is partially corroborated in a thesis by Jeffrey Lees, who writes that Gothard had been invited by the Department of Justice to present a seminar on “How to Solve Crime in New Zealand”. Lees adds that he began working closely with IBLP in NZ after receiving a copy of a report on the seminar. In particular, he was working on the Making Right Choices (MARC) programme, a residential course for high-risk offenders based on IBLP teachings, between 1995 to the mid-2000s.

Whether this was a wise move needs to be asked, especially when you read what has been published by the IBLP with regards to sexual assault and abuse, which is nothing more than victim-blaming trash - see here and here.

Gothard did not travel to New Zealand alone in 1992, but rather brought a sizable group of followers with him on a tour of NZ and Australia. At least one follower stated that Gothard sexually harassed her on this flight. During this tour, he also met New Zealand-based followers, at least one of whom (Rachel Lees, aka Meg) is given the opportunity to work for him in the US. Rachel would later document how she was groomed by Gothard until immigration issues forced her to return to New Zealand prematurely. Rachel would later find out that Gothard had approached his Board of Directors for permission to marry Rachel in the early 1990s, when she was 20 and he was 60.

In 2001, Lower Hutt Mayor and long-serving labour MP John Terris was accused by opponent Scott Dalziell of being allied with IBLP. Dalziell's accusation was centred on Terris' City Vision team and its “city of character” morals and ethics programme. Hank Schouten's article on the stoush noted that the literature was developed by the IBLP. It appears at one point there was an International Association of Character Cities which had the dual goals of equipping familiars to build character, and helping communities reinforce that character. Its headquarters was in the Character Training Institute, an allegedly secular organisation founded by an oil and gas tycoon with the mission to instill 49 character qualities into family, business, education, and law enforcement. However, while the name Gothard isn't mentioned, the connections to the IBLP are legion as of 2006: CTI's founder was also the chairman for the IBLP, the logo for both organisations was similar, both groups used the same 49 character qualities (except that CTI removed the word jesus), and the CTI shilled Gothard products. Tom Hill would later sell the Character First part of the business in 2009, and links to Gothard and the 49 character qualities have been scrubbed.

In 2000/2001, the Green family (of anti-gay marriage/anti-obama care/ancient artifact smuggling Hobby Lobby craft store fame) were allegedly acknowledged by Gothard as being the buyers of the Arahina Training Centre in Marton, best known to thousands of kiwis as a Girl Guide Centre for many decades.

Then, as they did with multiple buildings in the US, the Green family donated Arahina to Gothard to use as an IBLP training centre.

Arahina Training Centre

The site would go on to host many of the hallmark seminars of IBLP, such as Journey to the Heart. Gothard had plans to expand his holdings, and bought a 7.2 hectare, arsenic-laden section in 2003 with plans to develop a lake and recreational facilities. At an unknown date, a building owned by IBLP containing approximately $200,000 worth of native timber was torched in a case of suspected arson. Interestingly enough, the building where the timber was being stored had been slated for demolition as part of the aforementioned development plans. However, the development never came to fruition and Gothard sold the section to Rangitikei District Council for $500,000 in 2011. In 2009 Arahina's director, Jim Wenstrom, and his family had their expression of interest to apply for permanent residency declined. Wenstrom did make an interesting admission: He was not employed or earning a salary during his tenure as director. What the centre did receive was $250,000 of funding from IBLP headquarters, based in Illinois, alongside any contracts they won from government departments for youth programmes.

Between 2012 and 2014 Gothard's past sexual predation caught up with him, and he was publicly accused of sexual, physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychological abuse. Gothard and the IBLP were sued by the victims in 2015, but the suit was voluntarily dismissed due to the statute of limitations. Gothard resigned from the IBLP in March 2014. To add insult to injury, Gothard was later trespassed from the annual IBLP conference in Big Sandy Texas. In December 2021 the Arahina Training centre was sold off to Rangitikei Development for $4.3 million. No mention is made by Harcourts about the IBLP whatsoever, while the Manawatu Standard article merely mentioned that the IBLP no longer needed the facility, with not even a whiff of scandal.

The Institute in Basic Life Principles remains a registered charity in this country, with no board members currently listed as having a permanent residence in New Zealand. Current board members include Gil Bates (of Bates Family fame) and other fundamentalist notables like Stephen Paine and Robert Barth,

The Duggars' have also been the subject of scandal and derision in recent years, due to revelations that eldest son Josh Duggar committed acts of sexual assault against his younger sisters, cheated on his wife (while lobbying against abortion, divorce and LGBT marriage rights), before finally being jailed for receiving and possessing the worst of the worst in child pornography. While Jinger Vuolo's book title seems to be a call out to the popular forum she inspired, it has been described by many as a theological memoir rather than an outright tell-all. Jinger may have stepped away from her belief in Gothard, but she still holds a less conservative Christian faith. While her current church lets her wear pants without fear of damnation, its leader John MacArthur is a young earth creationist, is anti same sex marriage, and argued against the closing of churches during the pandemic.