About “That” Picture - A Far Place With Strange Fire

Sadly I am slightly defending Katie Joy Paulson. Paulson is a YouTuber and former Patheos blogger who goes by the moniker “Without a Crystal Ball.” She tends to cover reality television in her videos.

One of my big objections to Ms. Paulson’s business model is not the content. It’s the methods she uses to share it. The tabloid-like proclamations.

Over the last year Katie Joy Paulson has used an old photograph of Bill Gothard with John MacArthur and Joni Eareckson from the era of late 70s/early 80s. It was taken at the Northwoods Conference Center. In a tabloid-esque twist Paulson has used the photo a few times, making allegations about Gothard and MacArthur having some theological overlap. She misidentified the occasion the photograph was taken at, and said that the photo was evidence of a close association between MacArthur and Gothard. Rachel Denhollander has shared the photograph with Paulson, unknown to the holder of the photo copyright.

Ron Henzel of Midwest Christian Outreach stepped into the breach and wrote a very long blog posting picking apart Ms. Paulson’s use of the photo and her claims that Gothard and MacArthur had ties. I have no quibble with his claims that she illegally used a photograph she didn’t have clearance to use. Oh no, it’s not that. Perhaps neither man considered each other friend. More likely they considered each other to be a rival on the writing, speaking, conference circuit.

But… I have to address the obvious thing here. It’s just that Paulson does have a point. Both men believe almost identical theology. After expressing that view on Twitter several people rushed forward to say I misunderstood the entire thing. No, I did not. Henzel objected to Paulson’s use of the photo and the misinformation she gave about its origin. He said Gothard and MacArthur weren’t likely to link arms, make daisy chains for each other and skip merrily into the sunset. Fine. But they believe similar things, and I posit that perhaps they, like almost every other evangelist, borrowing copiously from each other. Which makes some of Paulson’s claims true.

So let’s side-by-side compare Gothard and MacArthur’s very similar stances:

Women working –

Gothard – In the 1983 “Men’s Manual” from one of his own financial freedom seminars Gothard states that women should not be working outside of the home. His reasons? Transference of affections from the husband to her boss. The expenses of day care, grooming and wardrobe.

MacArthur – In a November 2022 podcast on MacArthur’s own website he cites Titus 2:4 -5 and also states that women should never work outside of the home. His reasoning? He claims that women working outside of the home engage in extramarital affairs much more often. That scriptures say she must, and that home is the place of her greatest possible blessings on her husband and children.

Salvation – This one may be a bit silly because this description is how many define salvation.

Gothard – After a lot of silly babbling about head brains, heart brains and gut brains Gothard defines salvation as believing, having faith followed by obeying his (Gothard, not God’s) rules.

MacArthur – He’s more straightforward, giving the standard Evangelical scriptural response of John 3:16 and 5:24.

Complementarianism or submission of women–

Gothard – Gothard is the originator of that terrible graphic of umbrellas, the first one labeled for men, followed by women and children. To quote a recent article on this subject I ran across this “Gothard has denied that he teaches wifely submission,” a statement in complete opposition of his Umbrellas and IBLP materials. Complementarianism and the submission of women is something Bill Gothard taught for years!

MacArthur – MacArthur has stated many times that the traditional Biblical gender roles for men and women must be adhered to. Sadly the video from 2015 has been privated. He’s even gone so far as to try and order women pastors to step down and go home.

Women in Ministry –

Gothard – All you have to do is look at the above illustration and there’s no room on there for anything for a woman but the roles of wife and mother.

MacArthur – He’s said many times that women are not to be pastors, or elders, or deacons. Apparently the only roles in the church allowed women are support ones, like bringing the potato salad to the picnic. Interestingly enough on his own website he was directly asked the question on the role of women as pastors and disengiously weaseled out of answering.

Education of Children –

Gothard – It’s been documented in many of the links about Bill Gothard that he teaches a radical and isolating version of home education school theology. At part of the IBLP an entire home school curriculum was sold and heavily promoted as “Wisdom Booklets.”

MacArthur – In an undated Grace to You podcast John MacArthur waffled all over the place by claiming he could not possibly know if home schooling, Christian schools or public schools were he best option for your children. Yet in May 2021 he stated that government schooling, and in particular college or university harms your children. Which is it? I guess it depends on what day you approach him.

Modesty of Women –

Gothard – Bill Gothard’s version of modesty for women and young girls is almost like something out of a Victorian bodice ripper, very long curly hair, long skirts, white countenance enhancing collars on blouses. No pants ever! Nothing clinging or hinting of curves. It puts the entire onus of gate keeping sexuality on women, presuming that men are nothing more than animals who cannot control themselves. In the Gothard world if a woman is sexually assaulted she’s brought on herself.

MacArthur – In March 2021 MacArthur did the same thing he did on the issue of home schooling, spoke so verbosely that you have to parse the coded language. He believes the same things as Gothard about women, modesty and gate keeping sexuality. But he doesn’t have the “no pants” rule. But he does say you should be adorned properly and hints it should be expensive-looking.

By now it should be pretty obvious that both of these men believe almost identical things, save for a few salient points. There’s not a lot of difference here, which is what I believe Paulson was trying to say while sharing that photo several times.

This is why I am opposed to most people writing on the issues of recovery from high demand religious organizations. Because unless you’ve lived under these strictures you have less than a full understanding of the pain, suffering and true horror attached. You can look in, from the outside, and see it’s bad. But the deeper depths of your understanding that world are seriously lacking.

I’m also sick of Evangelical Christian men stepping in to tell we poor women how wrong we are.

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Links used to determine what each man believed below:

Gothard women working – https://baptistnews.com/article/the-seeds-of-evangelical-angst-over-gender-and-sex-were-sown-decades-ago/

MacArthur women working – https://www.gty.org/library/bibleqnas-library/QA0176/does-scripture-permit-women-to-work-outside-the-home

Gothard Salvation – https://billgothard.com/teachings/

MacArthur Salvation – https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/DOC-13/the-doctrine-of-salvation-assurance

Gothard Submission – https://www.newyorker.com/news/on-religion/the-unmaking-of-biblical-womanhood

MacArthur Submission – https://www.gty.org/library/blog/B150220/john-macarthur-on-mens-and-womens-roles