The Institute in Basic Life Principles: Background information when reading A Well-Trained Wife

In the memoir A Well-Trained Wife, the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) serves as author Tia Levings' gateway from mainstream conservative Christianity into patriarchal Christian fundamentalism. Readers may already be aware of the IBLP thanks to the popular Amazon Prime documentary Shiny Happy People, which focuses on the abuses this ministry has enabled.

The Institute began as a series of seminars given by evangelical minister Bill Gothard in 1961. While Gothard was unmarried and childless (and has remained so), he spoke with authoritative confidence about how to be a good spouse and parent. At the core of the IBLP's teachings is the idea of a strict hierarchy: God is on top, below are pastors and church elders, then husbands, then wives, then children. The IBLP teaches that when someone steps out of that hierarchy, they are creating an opportunity for bad things to happen.

It also encourages homeschooling with its own curriculum and discourages any form of ...