Jonathan and Alison Schumm Abuse Case Raises Questions

The Schumms are not the first abusive family to receive the Angels in Adoption award.

The Political Reach of Bill Gothard: Jeri Lofland’s Thoughts

“With Bill Gothard’s ceaseless emphasis on authority, obedience, and chain-of-command, it should be no surprise that he is compulsively attracted to men (and more rarely, women) whom he perceives to be in a position of power. He believes without question that his organization has answers that can solve the problems faced by any public official, if they can only work together to promote Gothard’s vision. This characteristic has resulted in an extensive mycelial network whereby Gothard silently influences public policy across the country.”

Connecting Homeschooling and Religious Abuse

“They have turned something that was meant to liberate children into something that is often horribly oppressive. This is why the two issues cannot be decoupled – homeschooling is successfully being used as a powerful tool by these people, no matter how many kids their power grab disguised as ‘advice’ hurts.”