In the Church Library

I raised my daughters in the late 1980s-90s, heavily influenced by our church’s GKGW curriculum. It seemed a little too legalistic/b&w for me at the time and I toned it down, but I still have so many regrets for using this. It was all about authority, control and respect. My eyes have been opened to the harm these people have caused so many children. My adult children have thankfully not used these dynamics w/ their children. Thank you SO Much for your program!

Don’t be sad for our family re comment you made towards the end of the podcast….I was a new mom that found a lot of help in their books from baby to middle schooler…. too much to comment on but I have 3 grown daughters who love God and love others, and love us too! Extremely helpful books, but always use common sense.

As someone who appreciates nuanced conversations around the cultural artifacts shaping American Christianity, I was genuinely excited to hear from voices like Kelsey Kramer McGinnis, Marissa Franks Burt, and Emily Hunter McGowin dig into the parenting books that informed an entire generation of evangelical families. Their academic backgrounds and lived experience bring insight and context that is sorely needed when dissecting the implicit theology passed off as “biblical parenting.” That said, I was disappointed to hear the repetition of the tired and unsubstantiated claim that “Quiverfull ideas are in the White House.” This is one of those tropes that gets passed around in the deconstruction space like gospel truth, despite lacking credible evidence. It’s not only intellectually lazy—it’s irresponsible. Claims like this undermine the integrity of otherwise valuable critiques by lumping together complex belief systems, political affiliations, and fringe movements into a single boogeyman narrative. And frankly, it distracts from the more pressing, demonstrable issues around authoritarian parenting theology, gender roles, and the idolization of the nuclear family in evangelical subculture. I want to hear thoughtful, evidence-based conversations that resist both fundamentalism and reactionary overcorrections. Deconstruction doesn’t have to mean embracing a new dogma—it should mean embracing critical thinking, curiosity, and intellectual honesty. Let’s not become the very thing we left behind.