September 11, 2004
BAAACK Exerpt from the Detroit News:
"The program focuses on authority. The minister behind Character First! is Bill Gothard, 65, whose Institute for Basic Life Principles is based in Chicago. Gothard says more than 2.5 million people nationwide have attended his seminars. Gothard has centered his teachings on the aspect of authority. He instructs his followers to obey all authority figures -- parents, bosses and political leaders -- because those figure are ordained by Christ. Critics believe that the Character First! curriculum is based on Gothard's values, which he says are rooted in a literal interpretation of the Bible. The minister believes that the Bible says women should be submissive to their husbands, the drum beat in rock music is Satanic and adopted children carry the sins of their biological parents. The Character First! program does not contain any references to these beliefs or to God, Christ or Satan. But Character First! volunteers, or character coaches, typically are teen-age members of Gothard's church and are home-schooled with an educational program developed by Gothard."
Posted by Vikke at September 11, 2004 09:02 AM