Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear

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It’s fine if she wants to use the word disentangling, and the visual of pulling out dried putty from your hair resonated with me. I wish I was surprised that it's clear Jinger has gone from one cultish sect of Christianity, IBLP, to another one, Calvinism.

Jinger discusses some of the overlooked consequences of an extremely sheltered and insulated childhood, such as how she didn’t know how to make friends because she had only and always had her siblings around. While introducing her memoir, she noted that it is not a “tell-all about my family” but rather an inside look at her “spiritual journey. I asked my mom if any of those families we attended church with during those 10 years still adhered to Gothard's teachings, especially in light of the allegations of sexual abuse and grooming against him. According to Jinger, her relationship with the former soccer player, 35, contributed to her finding freedom — but their romance wasn’t always easy. Vuolo tackles the false teachings she was raised on, led by Bill Gothard of the IBLP (Institute in Basic Life Principles).She shows how the tenants of his teaching are at complete odds with Scripture and she saturates this book in the true gospel of Jesus. She is an author whose books include her personal memoir The Hope We Hold and a children's book, You Can Shine So Bright.

She challenged me, but without saying, "It's your fault for falling for this stuff" or even, "How could you believe what I did, you didn't grow up under Gothard" (because I admit, I sometimes felt guilty reading this book, since I *didn't* grow up that way and thought, "Why do I feel the way I feel? Such rules included modesty guidelines which dictated how they dressed, avoiding “worldly” music and submitting to authority, among others. Rather than the Bible giving women a long list of clothes they can't wear, the Bible gives women a long list of clothing that they can wear.

In promotion of the interview, Jinger posted to Instagram to share images from the accompanying magazine photoshoot. For those looking for a sensationalized account of a terrible childhood and a dramatic tale of throwing everything away in adulthood, Jinger is quick to explain that this book is not that. This is not a tell-all book on the Duggars, but it does expose many of the beliefs they were taught that turned out to be man-made rules (the man being Bill Gothard).

His influence, along with the help of a pastor named Jeremy Vuolo, caused Jinger to see that her life was built on rules, not God's Word. I wasn’t expecting (or desiring) this to be a theological treatise, but early on the author refers to this book as her theological journey.The way she shames any person that decided to leave the church completely isn't very Christian in my opinion. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's large brood — and their controversial religious background — was the focus of the show until its cancellation in 2015. I am on the fence about whether I think Vuolo should have mentioned this in her book or not, but I cannot rest without mentioning it here.

While she touches on mental health issues, but only social anxiety, she explains it as just not trusting Jesus enough. But if the Son—Jesus says, referring to Himself—makes us free, then we “are free indeed” (John 8:36). During an appearance on the “ Candid: Conversations With Jonathan Youssef ” podcast in September, the mom of two opened up about what it was like growing up on reality TV , admitting that it was “so tough,” especially since the religious family didn’t have a television in their home at the time.Jesus then explained that, if a person is committing sin, that person is enslaved by sin, and slavery is not fitting for sons (John 8:34–35).