My friend, Karen Campbell, was one of the leading voices against the stay-at-home daughters movement that tore through the Christian homeschool community around the years 2005-2008. She was the first person I sent the Botkin sisters apology video to when I saw it this morning.
Karen posted about it on Facebook this morning and David shared it with me (screenshot below). I think this is worth its own post. It’s truly difficult to overstate how important this is for those of us who suffered through this awful time. We battled this teaching online for literally years for the sake of those who were suffering because of it.
Karen wrote:
Were you homeschooling 20 years ago when the stay at home daughters movement was front and center of the teachings at conventions, in churches, and in online communities? If so, you will remember the book So Much More written by the Botkin sisters and promoted by Voddie Baucham, Doug Phillips (Vision Forum), and James and Stacy McDonald (Raising Maidens of Virtue, Passionate Housewives Desperate for God) to name a few. Some of us spoke out against these teachings that were touted as the only Biblical way to raise our daughters. We watched as families were broken and precious adult children deconstructed their faith. This morning Elizabeth and Anna Sophia Botkin have shared both a video recanting their false teachings and asking forgiveness. The link to their point by point refutation of these teachings is in the first comment below. Now, let’s see if others, especially those who profited from this movement, will show the same humility and character as these young ladies.
Voddie Baucham has passed away, but the rest of the men and women who promoted these teachings are all still very much alive. Most of them live lives completely different from the ones they touted for other Christian families. These former Christian leaders should follow the example of Anna Sophia and Elizabeth.
Re: Voddie Baucham
He famously said:
“A lot of men are leaving their wives for younger women because they yearn for attention from younger women. And God gave them a daughter who can give them that. And instead they go find a substitute daughter… you’ve seen it, we’ve all seen it. These old guys going and finding these substitute daughters.”
I found this post from Karen’s not presently working website.
https://web.archive.org/web/20150609010401/http://thatmom.com/2009/11/19/voddie-baucham-explains-the-video-clip-on-older-men-yearning-for-younger-women/
From my 2013 post when I went in righteous rant mode because of what this system did to Christian families.
“And if I sound angry, it is because I am.
How many families have been destroyed in the past seven years because no one was willing to stand up to this man? How many young woman are still stuck at home with no life and no future because their parents listened to this man?
Other people spent the weekend expressing sympathy for his wife and family. Fine. Feel sorry for them. But right now I’m feeling angry and sorry for all the lives that were destroyed because this garbage spread year after year.
Think about how his children will suffer for this all you want. Fine. I’m sorry for his kids, too.
But I’m even more sorry for all the young women (and men) who were shamed and vilified because they had an interest in someone of the opposite sex while the man promoting the shaming was apparently doing the same thing and still out there preaching against it.
Yes, I’m angry. I’m angry for every person who was turned off to Christ and Christianity because this garbage was forced down their throat.
Yes, I’m angry. I’m angry for every parent who provoked their children to such despair and anger with these teachings that they felt they had no choice but to flee their own family so they could have a life.
Yes, I’m angry. And if you’ve been paying attention, you should be angry too. This kind of stuff is horrible for what it does to people and their view of Jesus Christ and Christianity.
It sickens me when I read blogs written by women who escaped this garbage and now are atheists. It sickens me that this is their view of Jesus.”
https://sallieborrink.com/are-the-women-to-blame-for-doug-phillips-resignation-from-vision-forum-ministries/