Gothard’s patriarchal curriculum reached millions and shaped major Christian Right leaders

Evidence

Christian homeschooling remained an effective mechanism for instilling and reinforcing “biblical patriarchy.” Within Christian homeschool circles, Bill Gothard continued to operate his IBLP and publish his homeschool curriculum infused with his understandings of masculine authority, female submission, and the need to restore America to its mythical Christian past. Gothard’s influence was not small; he estimated that more than 2.5 million people had attended his seminars. A number of leaders of the Christian Right had direct connections to Gothard. Mike Huckabee is an IBLP alumnus; Sarah Palin attended an IBLP conference while mayor of Wasilla, Alaska; and as governor of Texas, Rick Perry spoke at one of Gothard’s Advanced Training Institute conferences. — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 429

Categorization

• XREF: Direct evidence for the militant-masculinity strand reaching the political elite; connects to the reader’s question of whether this strand is white evangelicalism itself or a dominant strand within it.