Jinger Vuolo’s (née Duggar) husband, Jeremy Vuolo, seemingly took a stab at father-in-law Jim Bob Duggar’s religious beliefs during a recent guest appearance on a podcast.
The Counting On alum, 37, spoke about legalism — the idea that a person can earn salvation only by obeying certain rules and laws rather than simply being devout — on Costi Hinn’s “For the Gospel” podcast on Thursday, September 5.
“If you really want to assault the character and nature of God, give your people a list of rules and say, ‘Climb this to Heaven.’ Or, ‘Climb this, and he’ll still be happy with you,’” Jeremy said. “One of the fallouts of legalism is it distorts the very character of God, and it’s devilish. It’s a devilish religion. At the heart of every law God has given us is love.”
Jeremy did not name Jim Bob, 59, on the podcast. However, the father of 19 and wife Michelle Duggar raised their children under the teachings of the controversial Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), a non-denominational religious organization closely tied to Christianity.
Along the lines of legalism, the IBLP has been known to have strict rules for its followers, including women dressing modestly and remaining submissive, courtships under supervision and abstaining from consumption of alcohol and drugs.
Over the years, a handful of Duggar children have separated themselves from the IBLP’s belief system. Jinger, 30, left the organization in September 2017 and has been vocal about her decision ever since. In her 2023 memoir, Becoming Free Indeed, the sixth Duggar child wrote that she had “rejected” the IBLP’s teachings in order to start a new “spiritual journey” as a devoted Christian.
“My faith is still intact, but it has changed. Instead of leaving the faith entirely, I’ve been disentangling it,” she wrote.
Though she has distanced herself from the IBLP, Jinger still frequently discusses what it was like to grow up with the organization’s religious beliefs. She did admit during a May appearance on the “Grace & Truth” podcast that her parents rejected some of former IBLP leader Bill Gothard’s ideas.
“I can remember Bill Gothard even at one time telling a girl before she came to Christ that she needed to do his ‘steps,’ and then she could find freedom,” the mom of two explained. “So there were things that were taught throughout the teachings, which my parents would have denied or pushed out and said, ‘Kids, that’s not right.’”
Jessa Seewald (née Duggar) and husband Ben Seewald, Joy-Anna Forsyth (née Duggar) and husband Austin Forsyth and Jill Dillard (née Duggar) and husband Derick Dillard have also confirmed that they no longer associate with the IBLP.
However, Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets producer Blye Faust exclusively told In Touch in June that “a lot of family members” are “still in the IBLP or are associated with the belief system.”
“Whether it’s Jill [Duggar] or whether it’s people who are not part of the Duggar family, it takes a very long time to often break free and to really understand what it is that you were a part of and how that affected you in your life,” Blye said. “And it’s very brave.”
