Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts : Research in Principles of Life

God has instituted 7 non-optional basic life principles in this universe of ours. Every person in the universe, regardless of background, must follow these principles God has instituted, the way God wants us to (the right way), we are blessed as a consequence. When we violate these principles, we suffer the consequences. Non-optional means we cannot choose to leave them out of our lives. The 7 principles are: 1. Design, 2. Authority 3. Responsibility, 4. Suffering, 5. Ownership, 6. Freedom, 7. Success. As i accept the way God has designed me: my height, my birth order, my family of origin, my ethnicity, the way i look (things i can't change,) i learn to be grateful to God & have self-acceptance & won't feel the need to waste $$ to change anything God gave me. As i accept God's design of the chain of command God has placed in my life & honor their position over me, i have inward peace because they are designed for my guidance & protection. As i learn the responsibility of my words, actions, thought, & motive, ask forgiveness & make restitution where needed & possible, i develop a clear conscience. As i allow the hurts in my life to reveal the 'blind spots' in me, learn to help & forgive the offender, i develop genuine joy as i learn to change my blind spots with God's help. As i yield all i have & am to God's ownership, God brings true security. Enjoying the power & desire to do what is right rather than claiming my privilege to do what i want, regains surrendered ground to sin, i gain moral purity. By discovering God's purpose for my life, engrafting Scriptures into my life & thoughts, meditating God's way, i learn to make wise decisions for God's purpose in my life. It does not matter whether people claim these principles are right or wrong, as you study God's Word for yourself, which is the Holy Bible, you will discover for yourself what God teaches.

Bill Gothard's work aims at diagnosing the problems behind the failures of Christian living. He places great emphasis on submission to authority. He believes that God shapes our character through the authorities that are above us--whether they are just or unjust. Furthermore, he contends that if we escape from or rebel against the authorities above us, we only expose ourselves to destructive temptations and other influences of Satan. Gothard also contends that, if we reject the authorities He has placed above us, God will simply replace them with other (perhaps harsher) authorities. Imagine the irony of a young man joining the army to escape the "strictness" of his parents! Also, a young woman who has problems with the authority of her father will have problems with the authority of her husband. Gothard's ideas prick the conscience. He suggests that it is more than possible to be in outward obedience to God while actually in rebellion against Him and His authority. Imagine the plight of churchgoing parents who experience the pain of their teenaged children rebelling against them and against God. Gothard suggests that God has sent these teens as a picture to the parents of their own (however subtle) rebellion against God's authority. Bill Gothard's work is controversial. Some have accused him of legalism, or even of creating an "Evangelical Talmud". Others have suggested that he places too much emphasis on how we are to live as Christians and not nearly enough on how the Holy Spirit enables us live the way we should. Nevertheless, whether substantially balanced or not, Gothard's work is valuable in that it forces us to confront the nature of our Christian lives in a way that few Christian teachers have done.