naming names

I know that there are other bloggers with experiences similar to mine who have opted not to identify specific churches or organizations, and I respect that choice. However, Im going to be naming them, for a couple of reasons.
The first is that, if you were ever involved with these groups, you will know who I am talking about even if I use a pseudonym; if you were not involved, it wont matter what name I use - so theres not really a point in my playing coy.
The second reason is that I think people deserve to know what these groups are really like. Perhaps someone who is considering involvement with them could come across this site, and think twice. Or maybe someone who is coming out of them could benefit from hearing about my experience in the same way I have been blessed by reading other blogs.
Finally, naming the organizations gives me freedom to provide links to their own sites or other sites about them. If youre really curious, you can read other perspectives besides mine.

but first, a note on “quiverfull”
Both the groups Im about to talk about can be considered part of the “quiverfull” movement, which started in the late 70s, as many Christians began to see that American Christians didn’t seem to be living any differently from those who were unsaved, and they began to seek what they considered a more Biblical form of Christianity. They ended up leaving a main-stream lifestyle and adopting pioneer virtues, simple living, homeschooling, radical Christianity, and conservative dress. “Quiverull” takes its name from a verse in the Psalms which says that children are like arrows in the hands of a mighty man; that a man is happy when his quiver is full. This is one of the foundational verses for the belief these families adopt, that parents should have as many kids as possible.
There’s more to the movement than that, of course, but Im not intending a treatise on the quiverfull movement as a whole. Certainly my parents were part of this movement, and both these organizations can be viewed as part of it.

Charity Christian Fellowship
In the late 70’s a man called Denny Kenaston was saved out of the hippie lifestyle. His faith started with “Jesus people” outreach but he and his wife began to look for more. They were drawn to lifestyles of conservative Mennonites and Amish, who live simple lifestyles separate from “the world.” It wasn’t long before they got connected with Mose Stoltzfus, a recent escapee from the Amish church. They started a church in their basement which has grown to a large congregation. Their core beliefs are simple, “separate” living and radical obedience to the Bible.
Their influence has spread widely thru a series of sermons preached by Denny and distributed on cassette tape called “The Godly Home.” People hear the tapes and then begin to gather in groups of others who wanted to follow their teachings, creating church plants around the country. Followers of Denny’s teaching adopt a manner of dress that is sort of a blend of stereotypical conservative homeschoolers, Mennonites, and Little House on the Prairie. The women and girls wear distinctive white veil-style headcoverings. A couple of times a year, Charity holds gatherings that provide an opportunity for followers to gather with others like them. Revival meetings are held for a week every summer. Youth Bible School (YBS) is not only an opportunity for youth to gather but also to scout prospective spouses, as well as for leaders to proselytize to seeking youth and draw them away from their parents into the Charity lifestyle.
Charity has become sort of an extreme group on the fringe of what is now caled the “quiverfull” movement. I think Denny Kenaston started in the same place as a lot of other “quiverfull” leaders - seeing that American Christians were basically indistinguishable from anyone else, and wanting something different. However, I think his teachings became more strict because of the extremely conservative influence of the Mennonites and Amish in the community. (Did he settle there because of them? Or just happen there and then adopt their lifestyle? I don’t actually know.)
For more information (and to get a look at the clothing!), you can view their website: http://www.charityministries.org/ Denny’s own version of his testimony is on there, as well as back issues of their semi-monthly magazine.

Institute in Basic Life Principles
Around the same time as Denny Kenaston was beginning his journey from “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll” to the life of a conservative modern puritan, a young man called Bill Gothard was attending Wheaton Bible College to become a youth minister. He soon had the revelation that the best way to reach young people was to reach their parents and families. He started a discipleship organization that grew into the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), and drew thousands of followers. He is perhaps most well-known for his Basic Life Principles Seminars, which in the 80’s packed arenas with people eager to hear the keys to “a new approach to life.” He also founded a homeschool program, technically known as the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) but also called “Wisdom Booklets” (after the unit studies.) His teachings are especially known for their emphasis on character, which he codified into 49 qualities (with corresponding fruits of the Spirit, spiritual gifts, Bible verses, etc.)
Along the way, IBLP adapted and adopted the teachings of many leaders of the quiverfull movement (generally promoting them until they deviated from the party line, at which point they were never heard from again - at least in IBLP.) A number of IBLP leaders started a host of programs, some of which have lasted longer than others. Most of them had names that were either virtues or acronyms - or better yet, acronyms and virtues! A number of them have gotten media coverage at times, including Character First! (a Bible-free character program for public schools) and ALERT (a paramilitary program for men.)
Unlike Charity, IBLP is larger and more diverse. Strict adherence to all the teachings of leadership is not required for everyone who uses any aspect of the program. There’s also no strict dress code for every-day life, altho certainly many people in the program look like what you think of when you think of homeschoolers. Like Charity, they had annual gatherings, most notably the Knoxville conference for homeschoolers (which was phased out a few years ago.)
Bill Gothard has a website http://www.billgothard.com/bill/ and there is also http://iblp.org/iblp/ and http://ati.iblp.org/ati/ Many of the individual programs have their own sites, as well.
For the sake of simplicity, from now on, Im going to use the term "IBLP" to refer to the whole organization and the teaching of Bill Gothard.

fun trivia
Denny Kenaston and his family were, for a time, enrolled in the ATI homeschool program! They dropped out when they felt IBLP was becoming “too wordly,” altho some of the teachings and materials stayed around and were incorporated into Charity teaching.

Note: In these summaries, as well as everything else on this blog, I am going based on my own knowledge and experience. Other’s knowledge and experience may be different from mine. Certainly, those still involved might have a different perspective (altho in this particular post I have tried to be more objective.) Also please keep in mind that time has passed since my experience in both these organizations, so what was true in my experience may no longer be the case.