Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear

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We got the call on June 26, 2021 that TLC was canceling Counting On. When the call ended, I wrapped my arms around Jeremy and cried. Hard,” Jinger recalled. “So many emotions poured out of me that day. I felt sad. Filming had been a constant in my life since I was around 10 years old. When the show was on break, and the crews didn’t come around for a few months, I missed the energy and excitement of interacting with all the creative people. The producers worked with my family to come up with ideas for episodes. It was fun to think of creative ways to give audiences a glimpse into our day-to-day lives.” Finally, Jinger calls out all the man made rules of her youth, but lays down her own opinion as truth. I know that most Christians believe this way, but it just stood out to me as a sharp contrast to go from “man made rules are wrong” to “if you don’t end up with Jesus, you’re wrong.” When one fan asked how the first day went, the Matchbox Coffee collaborator replied, “It went well. Happy I’ve got a few days before round 2,” adding a smiley face emoji. Jinger then revealed to another fan that it takes three days to record the full book. When Will Jinger Duggar’s Book Be Released?

We wholeheartedly agree with TLC’s decision not to renew Counting On and are excited for the next chapter of our lives,” the message continued. “We look forward to continuing our creative journey in Los Angeles and seeing what the future holds.” In Becoming Free Indeed, Jinger shares how in her early twenties, a new family member—a brother-in-law who didn't grow up in the same tight-knit conservative circle as Jinger—caused her to examine her beliefs. He was committed to the Bible, but he didn't believe many of the things Jinger had always assumed were true. 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 think the audience for this one is for evangelical women, who may be coming from IBLP or any other far right sect into other denominations. Alongside sadness that the show was ending, I felt grateful to have been a part of it. I had countless wonderful experiences thanks to the show. ... There are dozens of places and cultures I wouldn't know anything about if not for the show," Jinger wrote, confessing that she also felt "relief" to no longer be in front of the camera. "In many ways, the show's end was the last leg of a journey that 10-year old me could not have dreamed would occupy so much of my life." During the interview with People on Wednesday, Jinger got candid about her "cult-like" upbringing with her parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. The Counting Onalum married Jeremy Vuolo in November 2016 after a whirlwind courtship, and the pair share two daughters: Felicity, now 4, and Evangeline, now 2. According to Jinger, her relationship with the former soccer player, 35, contributed to her finding freedom — but their romance wasn't always easy. You’re 10 years old and we had camera crews enter. [At] first, it was just a documentary and we had a couple of people, who would come a couple of months in a row, they would come and film our family. And so, it was very odd when that started,” she recalled. “It was a challenge that I would realize the older I got.”

In Becoming Free Indeed, Jinger shares how in her early twenties, a new family member - a brother-in-law who didn’t grow up in the same tight-knit conservative circle as Jinger - caused her to examine her beliefs. He was committed to the Bible, but he didn’t believe many of the things Jinger had always assumed were true. 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. It’s been a lot of years since that time and so I was intrigued by the Duggar daughters who have grown up and seemingly parted from some of the more stringent beliefs their family held. I follow a couple of them on social media, Jinger included. This book was a great peek into her journey and I loved her use of disentangling her faith rather than deconstructing. Maintaining a faith in Jesus while recognizing some teachings you’ve had and followed are not biblical is a complicated process. I personally don't drink, but I don't have a problem with other Christians, it's their liberty to drink if they so choose,” she said in the new interview with People. Now with a renewed faith of personal conviction, Becoming Free Indeed shares what it was like living under the tenants of Bill Gothard, the Biblical truth that changed her perspective, and how she disentangled her faith with her belief in Jesus intact. Product Details Over the years, the Duggar family has weathered many storms in the public eye. “I’m still surprised the show lasted as long as it did,” Jinger confessed in her book. “In the early years, my family assumed the show would last no more than a season or two. It didn’t seem possible that that many Americans would be interested in a family with our conservative values.”When I saw that Jinger was coming out with a book about not being in the IBLP anymore, I cried. Seeing one of the big names from the Christian fundamentalist world speak out made me hope that we’d get more voices speaking against this evil.

You can’t rate someone’s life, but this was so helpful. Jinger is brave and honest whilst staying respectful, kind, and full of godly love. Her pain is palpable, but so is her new freedom. I’m incredibly grateful for her willingness to share. She didn’t write a tell-all dissing her family. Instead, she wrote a tell-all of God’s grace. I think that’s beautiful. Find this title with Libby, the award-winning and much-loved app for local libraries, by OverDrive.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. Something she (rightly) calls IBLP out on is proof texting, or only using a verse or two without context to prove a point. However, she continues to reference a verse or two here or there, falling into the same trap of proof texting. Much of what [Jinger] always believed about God [from her upbringing], obedience to His Word, and personal holiness,” are no longer in life with her beliefs today. What did help me untangle my faith from fear was the same as what did this for Jinger Vuolo. It was Scripture. Studying God's Word and especially committing it to memory (not because someone made me but because I wanted to) helped me to meditate on it deeply and understand that God's love isn't based upon our performance, our adherence to rules we believe will make us holier than others, and it doesn't ebb and flow with how well I think I am performing. God's love is pure and holy and free. And I have it completely through faith in Jesus Christ. Nothing—not pants or haircuts or attending school—can separate me from His love in Christ. A lot about this made me cringe, but the quote that made me cringe the most was, 'A woman's identity is in Jesus'. Which isn't surprising given she failed to quote any verse about any of the amazing women mentioned in the Bible or the fact she belongs to a church where women cannot share the Word as pastors. I have never been so glad to have been raised in a Christian faith that is accepting and told me I was my own person. I HIGHLY recommend this 5-star book. It is life changing and you are going to want to share it with those who really need to read it.

I wish I was surprised that it's clear Jinger has gone from one cultish sect of Christianity, IBLP, to another one, Calvinism. She went right from one conservative, transphobic, homophobic, and anti-women sect to another. When Jinger Duggar Vuolo was growing up, she was convinced that obeying the rules was the key to success and God’s favor. She zealously promoted the Basic Life Principles of Bill Gothard, Telling her story. Jinger Duggar grew up in the spotlight, but there was still plenty TLC fans didn't know about her life — until now. Jinger remembered feeling "a lot of pressure" from the outside world when she began her courtship with Vuolo. "Jeremy was the last guy to ask my father if he could court me," she wrote, admitting that she felt "a bit intimidated" by her now-husband at first. "He was unlike the previous guys in nearly every way." Jinger committed to studying the Bible—truly understanding it—for the first time. What resulted was an earth-shaking realization: much of what she'd always believed about God, obedience to His Word, and personal holiness wasn't in-line with what the Bible teaches.Written with such faith and grace. You will get a look into Jinger's life now that she has an understanding of the Bible and true love for Jesus. This was in no way a bash your religion book. It was how she came to an understanding that she Jinger had a lot wrong and as a young woman with her husband by her side with their Bibles she had a real come to Jesus moment. Jinger and her siblings were raised under the teachings of Bill Gothard, a conservative minister who founded the Institute in Basic Life Principles. Among those principles are strict guidelines regarding purity and modesty — but Jinger began to question the teachings as she grew up and started a family of her own. (While speaking to Us this month, Jinger referred to her childhood spiritual practice as “cult-like in many ways.”)