Gothard has been dismissed from his work by his board, for revelations of sexual misconduct. It is a merciful thing for his followers, and hopefully will loosen the fetters he has had on a subculture of Christians for over 40 years.
His teaching was a mix of anecdote, personal opinion, the Law of Moses, control freakiness and out-of-context scripture. The hook that snared people was the implication via peer pressure that this is authentic and pure godliness, and if one did not buy into it, one is stained and compromised by the world and culture.
I think the hook that snared people is easy answers, clear guidelines to Godly living. All with a bow on top.
Problem is that nothing is simple. Just because something sounds good does not mean it is. The program is seductive to well meaning people to lazy to think for themselves.
The whole patriarch movement is a cess pool of sexual abuse, tyranny, control. Really an Orwellian nightmare.
http://www.recoveringgrace.org/2014/05/1984-and-ati/