The Pulse (formerly downtown Holiday Inn)

[Doug Loudenback]

520 W. Main
10 stories

Information & Latest News

The Former Holiday Inn, now part of Bill Gothard’s Institute in Basic Life Principles

This is a report of my “field” research yesterday (1/10/06) to determine how the old Holiday Inn building at 520 W. Main is being used today. You may find the results as fascinating as I did. Here’s what I learned.

As some of you know (from http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=5171&page=1 ), I’m in the process of substantially expanding my current downtown OKC map and building pics. On 1/2/2006, I took numerous new pics to further that process, including a couple of pics of the former Holiday Inn at 520 W. Main, just to the west of the Montgomery:

When I took the above pics on 1/2/06, I noticed that the building exterior had been nicely cared for and that a few automobiles were in the immediate vicinity ... see the limo at the right side of the 1st pic. That day, I went to the entrance but it was locked, natural enough, I thought, on Monday following 1/1/2006 ... building closed for a normal/governmental work day (see the OKC flag flying in the 2nd image). I figured the building (like the old Harbour Longmire, today “Main Place”), was largely used by the City of OKC. I peeked through the entrance doors and, by what I could see, the 1st floor entry was along the lines of “elegant” ... very nice looking through the glass doors.

I left the building and posted a couple of pics in the http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=5171&page=1 thread, querying if anyone knew what the current use of the old Holiday Inn was, today. None replied that they knew. One (no disrespect intended ... it was a long time ago) didn’t know there had been a Holiday Inn downtown. That illustrates why it is good to have a few old geezers hanging around, I guess, to bridge history time spans, for those who can remember!

Anyway, yesterday, I decided to make a visit to this location. I did. The front doors still did not open as would have an “open” business or government building’s front doors. To see if I could venture in (or find out something), I pressed the “Doorbell” button. Very shortly, a charming young lady came to the door. She did not immediately invite me in, but we stood in the threshold as I explained what I was about ... expanding my downtown map and images, and wondering how to identify this building. After shivering a bit (it finally turned cold again yesterday), I asked her (a 2nd time) if I could step inside, and she allowed me in.

When I entered, what I saw as a very elegantly furnished 1st floor of what would be a fine hotel ... nice chairs, furnishings all the way around ... a “reception” counter/area for guests to register, and lots of space for everyone to enjoy ... not cramped, very expanded. It was like a fine hotel.

I went with her into the “reception” area on the 1st floor, at which another nice young lady was present, behind a counter. There, I asked a few, but not many, questions, and not necessarily in this order:

(1) Was the building owned/used by the City of Oklahoma City (given the OKC flag flying in the frontage)? No.

(2) What is the building used for? The young woman who allowed me in said something like it was a character development center. I said, “You mean, like a rehabilitation center?” She said, no, it had nothing to do with rehabilitation. I asked her to explain a little. I don’t recall her exact answer, but it had to do with training programs to build character. Not really understanding and not wanting to be too nosey, I asked if I could have a brochure or something simple, and she gave me a single sheet “flyer” type of paper with the name “Character Council of Oklahoma City” at the top and which contained a picture of Mayor Cornett at the bottom. I asked if there was a website where I could read more, and the young lady gave me http://www.characterfirst.com and, later, I noticed another on the “flyer”, http://www.characterok.org . She also said that a monthly breakfast and lunch was available, the next being 1/24 at 7:00 a.m. and 1/26 at 11:45 a.m., and that I would be welcome to attend (after telephone a fellow to let him know for planning purposes). I asked about the condition of the building above the lobby level and I was told that most of them had been reconditioned, all but 2 or 3. I did not ask what they were used for. That was pretty much the extent of my visit and I left with good feelings, but still not knowing a lot more than I did in the first place.

(3) Who owns the building? On returning to my office, I looked up the address in Leonard Sullivan’s (tax assessor) pages. I found that Institute of Basic Life Principles Inc. of Hinsdale, Illinois acquired the property on 12/28/2000 in a non-cash quit claim deed transfer from Hob Lob Limited Partnership and that the building is classified as exempt from property tax.

(4) Who is Institute of Basic Life Principles Inc.? I Googled the name and found several interesting links. Its own main link is apparently http://www.iblp.org/iblp/ . At http://www.iblp.org/iblp/about/ Bill Gothard is described as the Founder and the description about him reads,

After 15 years of working with inner-city gangs, church youth groups, high school clubs, youth camps, and families in crisis, Bill wrote his master’s thesis at Wheaton Graduate School on a youth program that eventually led to seven Biblical, non-optional principles of life.

Other websites are not as flattering. See http://www.midwestoutreach.org/02-In.../Gothard-IBLP/ and http://www.apologeticsindex.org/i13.html for example. A Wikipedia description is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institu...ife_Principles and a snippet quote reads,

IBLP/Gothard touts the Basic Seminar as teaching "universal, non-optional principles of life". The "principles" are supported by Bible verses; more importantly, extensive "testimonials" are given showing how the "principles" worked for others, and how failure to apply these "principles" resulted in calamity. In several cases, the number of "testimonials" far outweighs the number of Scripture verses used to support the proposition.

The "principles", though, do not involve core Christian beliefs (such as Biblical inerrancy or salvation), but tangential areas where the general view is that Christians are free to engage or not engage in practices so long as God has not given them direction otherwise. The "principles" cover such topics as homeschooling, alternative medicine, Christian contemporary music, dating and courtship, and proper appearance (specifically for women). As such, critics claim IBLP/Gothard is teaching a legalistic view of Christianity, requiring its followers to keep extensive man-made "rules" not clearly laid out in Scripture.

A Yahoo forum is here: http://billgotharddiscussion.com/ . The forum’s description of itself:

Bill Gothard Discussion Group

A discussion of the theology and materials produced by Bill Gothard through his seminars and books, his homeschool curriculum (ATI), and other connected ministries (IBLP, Character First, Alert, Telos, Verity, etc.). This list is open to all sides -- those that use and support the materials, those concerned about problems with the materials or the organization, and those just looking for more information.

This is not a support group; it is open to critics and supporters both. This makes our group unique among those devoted to discussing Gothard's teachings. We welcome polite disagreement and debate, and we seek correction where error is found. Bring your opinions, and be prepared to support them with scripture, facts, and sound reasoning. While others are welcome to join, you should be aware that the group consists primarily of conservative Christians who take the Bible as the final authority on spiritual issues.

About the teachings/principles of the organizations, the same source says,

There are many teachings of Bill Gothard?s which are controversial, and he is not a stranger to critics. Here are several of his teachings that many have concerns about or feel are unbiblical in nature:

• Grace: Bill Gothard’s definition of grace is unbiblical and violates the Gospel of Christ.

• Hermeneutics: Bill Gothard’s use of Scripture constantly betrays a serious lack of proper hermeneutics. This includes rhemas.

• Legalism: Bill Gothard’s teachings put people in the bondage of legalism

• Umbrella of Authority: Bill Gothard’s view of authority goes beyond what Scripture describes

• The Law: Bill Gothard teaches that adherence to certain Old Testament laws is required for a godly Christian life.

• Rock Music: Bill Gothard’s strict stand on music cannot be supported by Scripture

• Generational Sins and Curses

• Spiritually Abusive: IBLP bears many of the marks of a spiritually abusive fellowship. Some would go so far as to say that the organization is cult-like

• Character: Character First! is teaching good character without Christ.

• Suspicion of modern medicine

• All diseases have a spiritual root

• Circumcision: Bill Gothard teaches that the only wise decision for Christian parents is to circumcise their sons, in spite of clear New Testament teachings that show the practice as unnecessary.

• Divorce: Bill Gothard teaches that divorce is never acceptable, and engages in odd interpretations of Christ’s words to support his view.

• Children: Bill Gothard is an advocate of no birth control and strongly encourages sterilization reversals

• Courtship and Betrothal: Bill Gothard is firmly against dating and offers courtship as only the Biblical model.

• Bill Gothard calls his way of living the Christian life "higher standards" and tells people to expect to be persecuted for them

These are just a few of the issues that have caused controversy.

I’m just a reporter here of what is probably under most Oklahoma Citian’s radar even with our heightened interest in Downtown Oklahoma City. I’m not a particularly religious person and I’d never heard of the various organizations or Bill Gothard before. This bit of research was simply born out of curiosity of what the former Holiday Inn was being used for in my expanded downtown Oklahoma City map!

To me, it was a fascinating find in January 2006! And, of course, I still am wondering why the City of Oklahoma City flag flies outside the premises! Fascinating!
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