The Strangeness of the Duggar Family and the Gothard Teachings

3min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

The Duggar series was a hit because the Duggar's were popular. And then the story is lurid and to people who are not in deeply ensconced in evangelical Christianity in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, strange. The strangeness of the Duggar family, the 19 children, hardly typical, helped draw an audience. But you're going to get an audience that is sort of like rubbernecking at a crash site on an interstate.

Shiny Happy People, a new docuseries documenting the effects of the teachings of Bill Gothard on the Duggars, had the biggest debut of any documentary series ever produced by Amazon. In this episode of the Good Faith podcast, guest host Nancy French and “founding friend” David French discuss this popular series, the legacy of Bill Gothard, purity culture, and the true hope for those affected by this anti-Biblical ideology.

SHOW NOTES:

Shiny Happy People on Amazon Prime

‘Shiny Happy People,’ Fundamentalism and the Toxic Quest for Certainty by David French, New York Times; June 13, 2023.

‘They Aren’t Who You Think They Are:’ The inside story of how Kanakuk—one of America’s largest Christian camps—enabled horrific abuse by David French and Nancy French, The Dispatch; Mar 28, 2021

‘It was just a thing at Kanakuk’: Campers and staff say nudity was part of camp cultureBy Nancy French, Springfield News Leader, May 26, 2022

Survivors, ex-employees say Kanakuk Christian camp 'ministered' to its sexual predators, by Nancy French, USA Today, May 26, 2022

Nancy French’s Tweet Thread on Kanakuk Ties to Bill Gothard

Joe White Says Pete Newman’s Wife Should’ve Been His First Layer of Accountability [Deposition Video]

Check out the opportunities at George Fox University

Check out the opportunities with the Matthew 5:9 Network.