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Via the "About Us" page of the Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky:

The Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky is a nonprofit, 501 (c) (3) organization founded in 2000. The Council is devoted to promoting good character in order to improve the lives of our residents and enrich the spirit of our community.

...The Council joins organizations in more than 200 cities, in association with Character First!, that have pledged to encourage good character. Local businessman and entrepreneur, Michael P. Daly, is Founder of our Character Council. Football Hall of Famer, Anthony Muñoz, is our Character Council's spokesperson. Mary Andres Russell is our highly-aclaimed [sic] Character Trainer and Coach.

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Via The Cult of Character by Silja J.A. Talvi, a January 9, 2006 In These Times cover story:

Each of the 49 Character Qualities in CTI's secular materials have their exact counterpart in (evangelist Bill Gothard's Institute in Basic Life Principles) materials. In books like Gothard's Power of Kingdom Living and The Sevenfold Power of First-Century Churches and Homes, they are typically referred to as "The Laws of the Kingdom."

The IBLP's "blue book," formally titled The Power for True Success, is carried around by many of the IACC officials. It explains the imperative for learning the 49 character qualities this way: "Character reveals the Lord Jesus Christ, since He is the full personification of all good character qualities." It continues, "understanding character explains why things happen to us, because all things work together for good to conform us to the character of Christ."

...In the blue book and other IBLP materials, the 49 character qualities take on a more strident and extremist tone. "Obedience" is defined as the "freedom to be creative under the protection of divinely appointed authorities. All legitimate authority comes from God. He is the One who sets up rulers and takes them down. ... God ordained government to carry out his will in matters of justice."

"Those who violate God's laws are like citizens who commit crimes," Gothard explains in Sevenfold Power. "They are still citizens, but they lose certain rights and privileges that they otherwise would have enjoyed."

Presumably Gothard himself lost certain rights and privileges last March when he abruptly resigned as head of his deep-pockets IBLP ministry in the wake of sexual harassment allegations made by over 30 female followers.

Back to In These Times:

(The IBLP blue book) is now in the hands of most of the 1,200-strong Cincinnati police force, courtesy of a life insurance salesman and CTI cheerleader named Mike Daly who, along with Phil Heimlich, helped turn Cincinnati into a City of Character. The two worked hand-in-hand to implement the CTI training into nearly all facets of government and secondary education. During one of his trainings, Daly gifted curious officers with the religious books while telling them to become "apostles for character."

Click here for the year 2000 resolution declaring Cincinnati a "City of Character," introduced by my brother Phil Heimlich* (a self-described "Bible thumping Christian") when he was a city councilman.

Via the Cincinnati/NoKY Character Council's site:


Via the website of Gothard's ex-ministry:



Along with Gothard, his "Character Cities" program appears to have fallen from grace, perhaps the result of media exposes, the 2006 conviction of a former Arizona State Treasurer for accepting commissions to push the program, and the dubious premise that studying "character qualities" and attending "character training" seminars will make you a better person.

Despite the scandals, the apparently irony-challenged Queen City chapter soldiers on, presenting an upcoming seminar entitled...


* My brother's most recent venture, Hard Truths, consists of minute-long paid opinion radio spots. Among other topics, he criticized the anti-abortion movement, accused U.S. Sen. Rob Portman of political cowardice, and praised Ed Snowden's courage for leaking NSA documents.

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"Honored Guests" for tomorrow night's "Heroes of Character" event include Steve Raleigh (WCPO-TV meteorologist), Dr. O'dell Owens, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College), and Kim and Bonnie Nuxhall (source)

What does the screenshot above -- which advertises an awards event tomorrow evening arranged by the Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky -- have to do with the screenshot below from the March 7, 2014 Washington Post?


Via Cult of Character, a January 9, 2006 In These Times cover story:

(Bill) Gothard, the 74-year-old, unmarried man at the head of the Oak-Brook, Illinois-based Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) – which brings in an estimated profit of at least $63 million annually – has been in the evangelism business since 1964.

...Although legally and fiscally independent, the CTI (Character Training Institute) is for all intents and purposes a “secular” front group for Gothard’s IBLP. In the last decade, the CTI has quietly gained entry into hundreds of elementary, middle and high schools, state and city offices, corporations, police departments and jails.

Though he never uses the term, Gothard’s ideology fits into the framework of the burgeoning “Christian Reconstructionist” movement, which aims to rebuild society according to biblical mandates. Within the Christian Reconstructionist worldview, modern-day chaos is directly attributable to the division of church and state and the consequent degradation of individual character.

...Each of the 49 Character Qualities in CTI’s secular materials have their exact counterpart in IBLP materials. In books like Gothard’s Power of Kingdom Living and The Sevenfold Power of First-Century Churches and Homes, they are typically referred to as “The Laws of the Kingdom.”

The IBLP’s “blue book,” formally titled The Power for True Success, is carried around by many of the IACC officials. It explains the imperative for learning the 49 character qualities this way: “Character reveals the Lord Jesus Christ, since He is the full personification of all good character qualities.” It continues, “understanding character explains why things happen to us, because all things work together for good to conform us to the character of Christ.”

This book is now in the hands of most of the 1,200-strong Cincinnati police force, courtesy of a life insurance salesman and CTI cheerleader named Mike Daly who, along with Phil Heimlich, helped turn Cincinnati into a City of Character.

That would be my brother Phil, a former high-profile Cincinnati elected official who in 1981, according to a Topeka, KS, newspaper, found Jesus in a Big Boy hamburger restaurant.

Via his September 2005 lecture to the International Association of Character Cities entitled -- yes -- Truthfulness in Politics, here's a quick clip of Phil asking if Bill Gothard is in the audience. (H/T to the Cincinnati Beacon.)




Today Cincinnati's WLWT posted this interview with Mary Russell, longtime Executive Director of the local Character Council. She explains the "49 character qualities," but doesn't say anything about the Institute in Basic Life Principles.




Last week I e-mailed multiple inquiries to Ms. Russell and asked if she'd ever communicated with Bill Gothard or any other IBLP representatives.

She said no about Gothard. She didn't respond to the rest of the question.

Here are the recipients for tomorrow's awards ceremony:


Do they or the celebrity guests know about the IBLP and Gothard conections?

Does it matter?

I'll send out some inquiries and report the results.