It’s been more than a week since Jinger Duggar’s memoir hit bookstores, and at this point, it’s safe to assume that just about everyone in her family has read it.
We know the idea of multiple Duggars reading a non-Bible book is tough to fathom, but their names were all over this particular tome, and narcissism is a powerful motivator.
Some members of Jinger’s inner circle, such as Jessa Duggar, have chosen not to publicly acknowledge the project.
For a while, Jinger’s husband, Jeremy Vuolo, was suspiciously quiet about the book.
Now, however, he’s broken his silence — and like the evangelical preacher he’s training to become, he’s laying on the praise a little thick:
“Having lived her life in the public eye, she is a naturally guarded person. Many of you know this about her. But, she’s done it anyway. Why? Because she feels compelled,” Jeremy wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.
“She wrote this book for you,” he continued.
Now, it was certainly brave of Jinger to publicly reject some of the more backward beliefs she was raised with, but let’s keep things in perspective here.
She’s a former reality star who signed a lucrative publishing deal and wrote a memoir; it’s not like she ran into a burning building to rescue a bunch of orphans.
Jeremy went on to argue that Jinger wrote the book not for herself, but “for you who are hurting, you who’ve been hurt by spiritual leaders.”
“She wants to encourage and rescue those who are confused. She knew going into this whole process that there would be hard questions. But she wanted to face them,” he continued.
“It hasn’t been easy. But God’s grace has been so clearly evident.”
Jeremy concluded by noting that despite the mixed response from his in-laws, he remains “in awe” of his wife’s memoir.
“I am left in awe of her eloquence, composure, and strength. She has handled difficult questions so well — bold and courageous, yet kind and merciful. Watching her has taught me much about grace,” he wrote.
“I’m grateful she’s my wife and praying that her story is a blessing to many of you.”
While Jesus preached the importance of humility, the Duggars have always seemed to believe that it’s an overrated virtue.
While Jinger and Jeremy might have ditched many of Jim Bob’s beliefs, it seems his emphasis on the importance of self-promotion really took root.
We can’t say we blame these two.
After all, Jim Bob didn’t give his kids much, aside from a famous name — and Jinger might as well get something out of being raised in that wildly dysfunctional family.
As for Jeremy, well, he’s being a supportive husband and chasing clout at the same time, and we suppose there’s nothing wrong with that.
After all, this guy is trying to make it as a preacher in LA.
We don’t know much about the SoCal evangelical scene, but it probably doesn’t reward shyness.