Book Club #4: Quiverfull by Kathryn Joyce

[Bethella]

Quiverfull by Kathryn Joyce

 

I'm still waiting to read this book again. I have it on hold at the library but it hasn't come in yet.* I did read it several years ago and I remember liking it. I was just starting to look past the Duggar's facade and found it; I'm not sure if I had found Free Jinger yet or not. But I remember reading it and thinking- this shit is real! and scary! Until then I think I had been able to rationalize things away by saying what I had found on the internet was just exaggerated grumbling by Duggar haters. But once I read the book and realized that it been well researched I started realizing that it really did exist.

 

Other thoughts?

 

*I'm wondering if someone is just reading it or if there's another Free Jingerite in my area (the next book Going Clear is also checked out)

 

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May 1: Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright

May 15: Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back by Frank Schaeffer

June 1: In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How it Changed a Nation, a Language and a Culture by Alister McGrath

June 15: Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by John Krackauer

July 1: Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?: A Historical Introduction by John Fea

July 15: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

[Boogalou]

I'm still tracking this book down. I have to get it through interlibrary loan so it's going to be a while. I should have been more organized! But, I'm looking forward to reading it.

[Jenny]

I just placed a request for this book, too. I know the Duggers' (and others') lifestyle is nutty but it will be nice to have a source to back that up.

[lilith]

I am currently reading it.

It is slightly outdated already, but contains valuable insight into the founding adherents and texts of the Quiverfull movement and is very well written.

It is aimed at a general audience though, and a lot of the info in it is already well known by those of us with an interest in the movement.

I do find it interesting that she traces the quiverfull philosophy from independent practitioners to the fundie groups and churches to the influence it now has in mainstream evangelical and southern baptist congregations. Members of mainstream churches may still be limiting family size, but many have been recruited to the cause of winning the culture wars through procreation and are increasingly having five or six children instead of two or three. I wasn't really aware of that trend before reading this book.

[Rita]

I don't have a copy yet. (Is 2 books a month a little fast for anyone else? I want to read all of them!)

Kathryn Joyce was on the radio today, about her latest book, [link=http://www.npr.org/2013/04/16/177350912/how-evangelical-christians-are-preaching-the-new-gospel-of-adoption]The Child Catchers: Rescue, Trafficking and the New Gospel of Adoption[/link] It's about a half-hour long.

Not breaking because it's public radio. I wasn't sure if this should go in Snark or here. Please move it if I guessed wrong!

ETA: Oh, jeez, I'm a speshul snowflake and I must've gone to the SOTDRT.

[Gertie]

2 books per month is a bit much for me too. (Mainly because I also want to read other types of books as well.)

I enjoyed the book, but it was mostly all stuff I'd learned since joining FJ. I find it good and important that this book exists to point how extreme the quiverfull/patriarchy movement really is.

I was really surprised at the definitions of feminism that some fundies seem to have. I will try to look up some quotes later. But it certainly didn't match my definition of feminism!

[Bethella]

I'm still waiting to get my copy from the library.

Also, if people want we can switch to doing one book a month.

[infooverload]

I am currently reading it.

It is slightly outdated already, but contains valuable insight into the founding adherents and texts of the Quiverfull movement and is very well written.

It is aimed at a general audience though, and a lot of the info in it is already well known by those of us with an interest in the movement.

I do find it interesting that she traces the quiverfull philosophy from independent practitioners to the fundie groups and churches to the influence it now has in mainstream evangelical and southern baptist congregations. Members of mainstream churches may still be limiting family size, but many have been recruited to the cause of winning the culture wars through procreation and are increasingly having five or six children instead of two or three. I wasn't really aware of that trend before reading this book.

I found this interesting as well. For example if you listen to mainstream non denominational churches there is this stressing of "trust God in all things" mantra. Keeping this in mind you do see family sizes going up slightly and more stay at home moms. Along with that almost every church offers Financial Peace university which stresses getting out of and staying out of debt. Friends of my husbands who still go to the mega fundamentalists leaning money grubbing church have 4 kids, and after the last child said they are leaving it up to God. From my description of the church as you can tell not a big fan of the church and their pastoral staff.

[MamaJunebug]

Y'know, I think I still have a copy - I"ll look today, and if I do, it'll go to whoever ... I dunno, let me see if I still have it, then we'll decide if somebody wants it. I can understand not wanting to give out snail-mailing information; also, I wouldn't mind if my congregation's library got it. I doubt Lutherans would be tempted to that nuttiness, but you never know.