The founder of a chain of Christian “treatment” centers Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar sent their eldest son to for molesting five girls — including his sisters — resigned in 2014 under a cloud of accusations that he had “sexually groomed” and harassed young women and teens in his ministry.
According to RadarOnline Josh Duggar was taken by his father to the Basic Life Principles Training Center in Little Rock, for counseling after admitting to groping the young girls.
Bill Gothard, a Christian writer and minister, founded the Institute in Basic Life Principles(IBLP) in 1961, as a way to help families resolve issues by using Biblical principles. Among the services offered at IBLP are ministry seminars, community outreach, counseling for troubled Christians, and mentoring Christian youth.
In an interview, Harold Walker, a former leader at the Little Rock location said he recalled Josh Duggar being brought in, but couldn’t recall the reasons why.
“I really don’t remember the circumstances on why Josh came to our center,” Walker said, “He came down … they used to work at the center, the entire family did.”
In a police report filed after Jim Bob Duggar took his son to a local police officer to discuss what happened, police noted that the Duggars said they placed Josh in a “treatment facility” upon the advice of church elders.
Michelle Duggar later admitted that their son had also been farmed out to a friend who did home remodeling, where Josh did manual labor as part of his rehabilitation.
Gothard, and IBLP, has a colorful history with his Gothard’s brother Steve being forced out after having affairs with a few of the institute’s secretaries.
Gothard himself left under a cloud in 2014, amid accusations that he had sexually harassed multiple women and failed to report allegations of child abuse at IBLP.
IBLP issued an internal report stating Gothrad acted “inappropriately — which was in turn disputed by former members of the ministry who called it “deceptive” — however the 80-year-old chose to leave the ministry he founded.
In 2010, Michelle Duggar received a “Mother of the Year ” award from the head of a ministry who also resigned after admitting to adultery.
That ministry was subsequently shuttered.
A hand-out showing step-by-step how sex abuse cases are handled at IBLP can be seen below, courtesy of Recovering Grace::
