Most of the attention paid to “Shiny Happy People” will focus on the accusations of sexual abuse — some of them proven in court — surrounding the Duggars and Gothard. If you lived in evangelical America in the 1980s and 1990s, you’d often encounter men and women who were deeply influenced by Gothard. She and her family followed Gothard’s teachings and attended events sponsored by the Institute in Basic Life Principles. She told me that she couldn’t marry a man who hadn’t attended its introductory course, the Basic Seminar. Just as important, as it happened, her father said he would not allow his daughter to marry anyone who refused to attend the seminar.

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Persons: ”, Bill Gothard, ” Gothard, —, Gothard, you’d, I’d, couldn’t, hadn’t Organizations: Amazon Prime, Institute Locations: America