tia levings writer

Parenting Things

My Gothard Fundie Mentors

Said I Could Skip to Have a Quiverful

Having a giant family for God?

It sounded nice...at first.

Me and my firstborn, newly recruited into Bill Gothard's IBLP by mentors at our Baptist megachurch.

Additional Context

Documentary on the IBLP

To learn more about Bill Gothard's Institute of Basic Life Principles and how fundamentalism spread through America's churches, watch Shiny Happy People on Amazon. A high-level overview of my story is included.

My Memoir

A WELL-TRAINED WIFE: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy, comes out August 2024, with St. Martin's Press. Sign up for book updates at TiaLevings.com

Breaking It All Down

I'm on a mission to help connect the dots between high-control religion and our news headlines today. Find my work on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok & Substack

VIDEOS ABOUT THE LIST

And how does a Quiverful mom decide what to choose?

The Quiverful strategy intentionally neglects the needs of older children by forcing them to become young parents to their siblings.

The Christian Patriarchy wants you to live the way they do. Here's what that means in government.

THE LIST

My mentors, and the fundamentalist authors they recommended, said I was overcomplicating parenting

by doing too much of what the secular world said children needed. They said I could have an unlimited number of babies for God if only I'd simplify my lifestyle and skip these things.


These videos may sound satirical at first, but they are no joke. I use the actual language my mentors used to coax me into agreeing with their ideology.

A mortgage

A second income

Academics

Advocating for my child’s needs

Art

Autonomy

Baby food

College

Consent

Contraception

Critical thinking

Dentists

Diversity

Education for girls

Friends





Government Assistance

Gynecologists

Haircuts

Holidays

Mandatory reporters

Medical appointments and well care

Medication

My extended family

Neighbors

Pants

Personal items unique to each child

Playdates

Prenatal care

Privacy




As survivors of high-control religion and church-sanctioned domestic abuse share their stories,

this list grows. The truth is, the systematic trauma behind closed doors in quiverful families, robs childhoods and requires a lifetime to overcome.

*topics in bold have videos

WHY HAVE AS MANY

BABIES AS POSSIBLE?

Population Dominance to Advance Dominionist Theology: a group of Christian political ideologies that seek to institute a nation that is governed by Christians and based on their understanding of biblical law.

Patriarchal Control of Gender Roles and Complementarianism: Complementarians assign primary headship roles to men and support roles to women based on their interpretation of the Bible. Men are the authority in marriage, parenting, courtship, and politics. Women serve as subordinates, stay home, and submit to male authority in all things.

Population Dominance to Support Racial Supremacy: Christian Nationalists believe America was founded by Christians who modeled its laws and institutions after Protestant ideals that are under threat from non-whites, non-Christians, and immigrants––whom they are mandated by God to dominate. By having a quiverful of babies, they weaponize children in their cultural war to make America a Christian Nation.

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.


-Psalm 127:5

I escaped high-control religion, healed from religious trauma, and now share the realities of what it’s really like

living in the Christian Fundamentalism influencing our culture and headlines today.


I believe the Christian patriarchy wants to run our country the way they run their homes

––which is why it’s so important we understand how they live.

I'm available to speak to your group or organization about taking conscious steps to safeguard against fundamentalism. I bring the human context and real-life perspective to news and human-interest stories related to:




anti-abortion bills

book bans

travel restrictions for women

religious freedom

gender roles and definitions

high-control religious groups

evangelical Christian cults

traditional lifestyles (aka “trad”)

anti-feminist conservatism


Invite me to be a guest expert on your podcast or news segment, interview and research source, and as a fundie SME for your film or book project. Media and PR inquiries see my One Sheet.

Copyright Tia Levings Writer, LLC 2023