Fundie Royalty

[punkiepie]

I was wondering which families are considered fundie royalty? And what gets you that status?

[luckylassie]

I would say that the Duggars are definitely royalty because they have the show, books, and bring in some major dollars for Gothard and the like cult members. I think that the royalty status depends on their fame, how much business they bring to the movement, and how they tow the party line. The Duggars are totally royalty and live like it too...the other unknown families are more like the commoners.

[luckylassie]

IMO, even though the older Duggar girls are trapped as house keepers/nannies in the home they do have it pretty cushy compared to others in the movement. They have a humongous house with ATVs, several washers, two kitchens, and more money coming in still. I don't know of any "normal" families that could live as high as they do even with half the number of kids.

[starfish]

The Botkins.

I don't know if they've earned it, but they sure act like they are royalty.

[ophelia]

Doug Philips and family

Scott Brown and family

Peter Bradrick and family.

Voddie Baucham.

[FemaleScientist]

I'd add the Steve Maxwell and family to that list. They seem to be pretty well-known in the fundy world, and they have all their books.

[GenerationCedarchip]

Doug Philips and family

Scott Brown and family

Peter Bradrick and family.

Voddie Baucham.

From the VF crowd, I'd add the Chanceys and McDonalds to that list as well.

RC Sproul, Jr and family, and the Boyers probably rank up there, too.

[ophelia]

From the VF crowd, I'd add the Chanceys and McDonalds to that list as well.

RC Sproul, Jr and family, and the Boyers probably rank up there, too.

Except from RC Sproul I don't know any of the families you mention. Could you post some links?

[Effie]

Crawford and family?

[Deleted12]

Nancy Campbell and co.

[raineymott]

Michael & Debi Pearl

[punkiepie]

Who are the Boyers, Chanceys and McDonalds?

[raineymott]

James & Stacy McDonald have written a few books and speak at conventions. Stacy co-wrote a book with Jennie Chancey. Stacy also has an anti-Hillary McFarland (of quiveringdaughters.com) website.

[terranova]

I'd add the Steve Maxwell and family to that list. They seem to be pretty well-known in the fundy world, and they have all their books.

I imagine Steve and co as the Puritans to the others Royals. No nice things for the Maxwells, just hair shirts and cold water baths.

[onlyorganic]

The Botkins are royalty/"celebrities" in the sense that every SAHD's blog has pictures of AS and Eliz at those retreats with captions like "Ohhh the lovely Anna Sophia talks about staying at home to help your father's ministry. What a blessing to hear her speak." The SAHDs look up to them in the same way most preteens look up to say, Selena Gomez. The Duggars are the win card for "prove how awesome your Quiverfull family is by having a visit with them!" Voddie Baucham and Peter Bradrick are royalty in the sense that they are manly-men who've been highlighted in the "courtship" videos... and Doug is royalty in that he's the King of LOLs.

[FloraDoraDolly]

Who are the Boyers, Chanceys and McDonalds?

Rick and Marilyn Boyer are considered pioneers in the homeschooling/Quiverfull movement. They've written numerous books and have a website at thelearningparentDOTblogspotDOTcom. They had a total of 14 children (one died of cancer at the age of 17), most of whom are now grown. If you go to the web page, those cute little ones you see are the grandchildren. Compared to most of the families we discuss here, the Boyers would be considered liberals. The girls wear pants. They attend a real church. Their methods of discipline aren't so rigid and harsh. For example, here's a passage from a July 14 blog article about toddlers:

I remember Carrie, at about a year old, couldn’t talk very well yet, and would want to communicate with me, but couldn’t get her point across, so she would scream. This “season†didn’t last terribly long, but I tried to put myself in her shoes. She was number eight in the lineup, it was hard to get a word in edgewise, and she had trouble mustering up the words anyway. I would try to ask her what the problem was and remedy the situation, but it wasn’t always easy. Neither would it have been right to just spank her and expect quietness. She had a frustration and couldn’t express it so she had to be taught how to properly express it. It was just a blip in her training.

The main thing to remember is to deal with your children reasonably and with understanding, as you would want God to deal with you.

Definitely not the Pearls. Also, Marilyn Boyer is very creative. Both she and her husband really seem to enjoy raising all those kids. Rick is really big on politics-- he's one of those America-is-a-Christian-Nation types. Two of the oldest sons are involved in politics.

[Bookworm]

Nancy Campbell qualifies. She runs Above Rubies.

[fundiefan]

Not the Maxwells or the Pearls. They've their own brand of crazy Christianity and neither are part of the Dominion crap the others promote. The Duggars aren't either, the way I see it, because they're sell outs. They sold their values for an image, and a whomping paycheck and a multitude of perks.

Anyway, when anyone talks of fundie royalty, I think of the dominionists. Dougie, Scott Brown, their whole crew and all associated with them.

I always envision the Mortons, Smiths and their friends as the court. I don't know about the Sanders family so much - not because their beliefs are any different, but because they only got one of their offspring married off to a Morton and there are no Smith marriages yet so they're not quite as literally connected to the circles.

This is just who I envision when fundie royalty is mentioned. I'm sure they all have their own levels of hierarchy - and I'd bet my life on them having those levels, defining them and laying out the rules of behavior/action/who can marry whom. I do honestly think the court plays the power struggle and intrigue games just as well as any member of any court in 17th century Europe.

[raineymott]

Who I consider "royalty" is the ones who are well-known basically.

[denimjumper]

The Bateseseses

[luv2laugh]

The Staddons and The Wissmans.

[MamaJunebug]

This is fun!

I think the real royalty - the unpublicized powers behind the thrones - are people like the Leiningers and Zeses. People w real money made not in the inbred fundie world.

The throne folks yes include Phillipses, Browns, Bradricks equivalent to the reigning monarchs. But very visible are the others who are presented as so wonderfully polished or accomplished that when you see photos if them in groups, THEY are doing the talking as their acolytes listen w gratitude andamazed respect: Botkins, Servens, Loomises, Thomases, Niednagels, McDonalds.

Absolutely agree that the Maxwells are the Puritan sect. The Pearls are the clown princes/jesters w a rather dark humor, lurking to remind the court of just how ugly they can appear if they don't really keep up appearances.

I see the Smiths & Mortons & Antonions & that house builder in Louisiana (they were featured in "Return of the Daughters" & the one daughter married a Bradrick, I think) and the Torreses as the married-in, exotics from far-flung reaches.

The Tommy Wallers (of Tennessee and Israel) are more slight embarrassments not quite as gauche as the Pearls but getting there. Nancy Campbell recently fell into the embarrassment category along with others who have been deposed formally OTOH are the family who run Franklin Springs Family Media and the families they film are pretty securely installed intheur useful dukedoms.

Bauchams & Morecrafts are the scholarly branches of the royal tree.

[Patsy]

I would say the Duggars are still fundie royalty. They get invited to mega-fundie events and people fawn over them. They're still used as examples, just not of every desired behaviour. They might have fallen out of favour privately in many people's eyes, even some of the royals, but I'm not sure that entirely,er, de-thrones them.

[ophelia]

I agree that the Maxwells are somewhere out of the inner circle of fundie royality.. I don't really know where to put them actually.. from a theological point.. are they closer to VF or ATI?

[tehgoobster]

I agree that the Maxwells are somewhere out of the inner circle of fundie royality.. I don't really know where to put them actually.. from a theological point.. are they closer to VF or ATI?

Theologically, they seem to be closer to ATI. From the old Corners, I got the impression that they may have been part of ATI at one point, but I think IBLP/ATI may be too liberal (!) for them these days. They're royalty on their own dour, remote little island. They interact with "flashier" royals from the mainland on occasion, but they mostly stay on their island.