Uncover the Secrets of the IBLP: This Guide Has Everything You Need to Know!

Content warning: mention of sexual assault.

The Duggar Family Documentary Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets dives into the dark side of the brood’s rise to fame. In 2015, it was revealed that the Duggar’s eldest son, Josh, had sexually assaulted several young women when he was a teenager, including four of his sisters.

The documentary investigates the lengths to which Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar went to hide this information about their son. It also details the ideologies of the Institute for Basic Life Principles, or IBLP, the family’s controversial religion that may have had something to do with these events and other damage.

The Institute for Basic Life Principles is an extremely conservative Christian organization founded by Bill Gothard. The organization describes itself as “Christian-centered discipleship for individuals and families through events, programs, and teaching resources,” but happy and bright people it reveals the abusive tactics and problematic lessons at its core.

Here’s everything you need to know about the IBLP, the religion followed and promoted by the Duggar family.

What is the IBLP?

The IBLP is not technically a religion itself, but rather a Christian-leaning organization. It was founded in 1961, originally as a university group called “Campus Teams” according to chicago magazine. His ideals grew out of a master’s thesis Bill Gothard wrote at Wheaton College in Illinois. Originally, the group focused on helping teens resolve conflicts with their families.

In 1974, the organization was renamed the Institute on Basic Youth Conflicts, then given its current name in 1989: Institute on Basic Life Principles. The religion spelled out exactly how its members should act, right down to how women should wear their hair. He also created various organizations and spin-off ideologies, including the Advanced Training Institute, or ATI.

ATI was a Bible-inspired curriculum that integrated Christian teachings into all school subjects. Based on reports in happy and bright peopleIt seemed that many IBLP families would substitute an academic education with ATI, but the lessons were far from standardized.

In an interview in happy and bright people, a former IBLP member said she had only learned up to fractions in math, and her father said that was satisfying because it was all she needed to bake (women in IBLP followed very traditional household roles). ATI ceased to act as an exclusive educational program in 2021, according to their website.

Who is Bill Gothard?

Bill Gothard is the founder and leader of the IBLP. He is now 88 years old and founded the IBLP shortly after graduating from college because he thought his peers “seemed to lack direction in life and were making reckless decisions,” according to in weekly contact.

Gothard stood at the top of a hierarchy he created for the IBLP, which was extremely authoritarian, according to chicago magazine. He engaged in countless troublesome practices, in addition to the teachings he instilled in the members.

Although she did not have a medical degree, she saw the members for advice and gave factually bad advice (in a lawsuit against Gothard, a member alleged that he told her not to seek psychological treatment after she was raped as a child). She also regularly hired “attractive” young men to work closely with him.

In 2014, several female members accused Gothard of sexual harassment. The organization conducted an internal investigation that same year and eventually resigned. IBLP considered his behavior inappropriate, but not illegal, for chicago magazine. Several former members filed a lawsuit against Gothard in 2015, but it was dismissed due to statute of limitations, according to yahoo.

Gothard currently resides in La Grange, Illinois, according to tax records obtained by Patch. IBLP headquarters moved from Hinsdale, Illinois to Big Sandy, Texas in September 2015, according to chicago magazine.

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What rules does the IBLP follow?

The main essence of IBLP is that men are subservient to God and women are subservient to men. However, Bill Gothard often inserted himself into the place of God, becoming an almost cult leader of the organization, according to happy and bright people.

IBLP rules get specific, but most fall under a order umbrella. The documentary details the discipline invoked by parents on children (which tends towards emotional and physical abuse). But a former member says that this type of discipline is also expected between husbands and wives, due to the “umbrella” hierarchy.

Most of the IBLP rules are included in this main practice, but they can become extensive. Dancing, rock music (including Christian rock), and even Cabbage Patch Kids dolls are prohibited. Women are required to dress in a way that avoids “eye trapping” or anything that could be construed as revealing or sexual for a masculine look, including pants, skirts that reach above the knee, long necklaces, and shirts without sleeves. Television and most books are also prohibited.

Also: Traditional dating is prohibited within the IBLP. As documented in 19 kids and counting, members must go through a specific courtship process that is mostly orchestrated by the parents of those seeking a relationship. Courtship is defined on the Duggar family website as “a commitment to honor and protect both people in the process of meeting.” It involves a couple spending time with each other’s families and often refraining from any kind of intimacy until marriage.

Tim Levendusky currently heads the IBLP.

According to his website, Tim Levendusky now runs the organization. He lives in Big Sandy, Texas, with his wife and his son, and leads the IBLP board of directors with three other men: Gil Bates, David York and John Bechtle.

He IBLP estimates that more than 2.5 million people have attended his seminars. And because it is divided into so many branches, it is difficult to determine how many members are currently affiliated with the organization.

Not all Duggars follow IBLP.

While Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar often preached the IBLP teachings on their television shows and continue to do so on their family blog, some of the older Duggar children have broken away from their family’s beliefs.

Jinger Vuolo, née Duggar, recently published a comprehensive memoir, become free indeed, about breaking with IBLP practices. In his book, he compares his older brother, Josh, to Bill Gothard. “My faith is still intact, but it has changed. Instead of leaving the faith altogether, I have been unraveling it,” he wrote in his memoir, according to PEOPLE.

Jill Dillard, née Duggar, also walked away from the IBLP, detailing her experience in happy and bright people. She also plans to publish her own memoirs, counting the cost with her husband Derick, that you will examine the “red flags” you have noticed within your family.

Jessa Seewald, née Duggar, has also publicly parted ways with some IBLP ideologies (including its clothing choices and allowing her children to dance), but has never publicly renounced its teachings.

You can learn more about the IBLP and The Duggars at Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets now streaming on Amazon Prime.