You might have seen this diagram of Bill Gothard’s umbrella of protection floating around the internet or Facebook. It is a visual that summarizes Gothard’s teachings on the hierarchy in the church and home. According to him, living under God’s umbrella assures protection.

Peering Underneath the Umbrella: Musings on Gothardism by Dulce Chale is an excellent critique of this unbiblical teaching. She points out the key problem with much of Gothard’s teachings including:

Whatever God is speaking, he will speak to your husband/father. It doesn’t really matter what the topic is: A daughter’s future spouse, your callings and responsibilities, how you should spend your time, how you should raise your children. Any decision is between the father/husband and God, and the father/husband will let you know when he is ready to. Your responsibility is to cheerfully go along with it. Even if your father is not a believer (which is somehow also your fault, of course), you still have to rely on him to be the go-between between you and God.

There are all kinds of other, minor things that have become twisted and elevated into doctrine, some that I agree with aside from the theological status conveyed upon them, others very weird indeed. But to put it all into a nutshell, the fatal flaw of Gothard’s teachings is that he denies the power of Christ. It is all about Man (and here, the male gender is most definitely implied).

And, yes, by Man she doesn’t mean mankind (women and men). She means men.

Good food for thought. Don’t miss it or the comments that really expand on the topic!