Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear

Jinger Vuolo

Jan 2023 · Sold by Thomas Nelson

About this ebook

New York Times Bestseller

Jinger Vuolo, the sixth child in the famous Duggar family of TLC's 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On, recounts how she began to question the unhealthy ideology of her youth and learned to embrace true freedom in Christ.

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,

• fastidiously obeying the modesty guidelines (no shorts or jeans, only dresses),
• eagerly submitting to the umbrella of authority (any disobedience of parents would place her outside God's protection),
• promoting the relationship standard of courtship, and
• avoiding any music with a worldly beat, among others.

Jinger, along with three of her sisters, wrote a New York Times bestseller about their religious convictions. She believed this level of commitment would guarantee God's blessing, even though in private she felt constant fear that she wasn't measuring up to the high standards demanded of her.

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.

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.

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.

Ratings and reviews

I loved this book that I had trouble putting it down. I loved the bravery she showed in leaving the harmful teachings of Bill Gothard and the IBLP and finding true peace.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have been a fan of the duggars and Jinger has always been my favorite although I love all of them. It was nice to see that she chose to focus this book on her faith and how she found her way through all of the issues with gothard and made her way back to Jesus. This book was very very inspiring and well written and I'm so happy that I bought it and was able to read it Thank you so much

Excellent and eye opening as a raised, IBLP follower, myself. Thank you for speaking truth, and pointing us all to Jesus, Jinger!

About the author

Jinger Duggar Vuolo grew up on TV. From the age of nine until twenty-seven, she appeared on her family's hit TLC reality shows, 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On. She is an author whose books include New York Times bestseller Becoming Free Indeed, her personal memoir The Hope We Hold and a children's book, You Can Shine So Bright. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Jeremy, and their two daughters, Felicity Nicole and Evangeline Jo. In her free time, Jinger enjoys traveling, hiking, and anything to do with good food.