47 pages • 1 hour read
Jill Duggar, Derick Dillard, Craig BorlaseCounting the Cost
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Index of Terms
ATI
The Advanced Training Institute, or ATI, was a homeschool curriculum developed by Bill Gothard and the IBLP. Instead of textbooks, the curriculum was delivered through “wisdom booklets” that had a heavy religious emphasis. As of 2021, ATI is no longer operating as a homeschooling system. They have an extremely limited mathematics section along with inaccurate historical, medical, and scientific information. It is unclear to what extent, if at all, the Duggars’ education relied on sources outside of these booklets.
Courtship
In Christian fundamentalist communities, courtship is a type of romantic relationship. It bears some similarities to dating but is much more heavily restricted. Young men may ask young women to enter an official courtship (if they have permission from the woman’s father). Courtship is intended to lead to engagement and marriage, usually within a matter of months. Courting couples may not hold hands or kiss. They are not allowed to have any unsupervised conversations (including text and phone conversations), and they cannot spend time together without an adult or sibling chaperoning them. Jill and Derick started courting in November of 2013, and they got engaged in March of 2014. Engaged couples may hold hands, but they are not permitted to kiss until their wedding day.
Ministry
In Christian communities, a ministry is any activity intended to spread or bolster Christian beliefs. Some ministries take place primarily within Christian communities: a church, a Bible study, or a Sunday school is a ministry. Others have a more outward-facing approach: Televangelists are engaging in ministry work. Jim Bob thinks of 19 Kids and Counting as a ministry. It is an opportunity to show people what it means to be a Christian, ideally encouraging others to pursue a similar lifestyle. A ministry differs from a mission because it does not have to involve direct contact with non-Christians.
Missionary
A missionary is an individual who tries to convert others to Christianity (or another proselytizing religion). Missionaries often travel to other countries to do their work. Missionary work is, in the eyes of some scholars, a form of cultural imperialism that seeks to supplant existing cultures and impose Christian values. In many parts of Africa (and around the world), Christian missionaries have been directly responsible for perpetuating anti-LGBTQ biases as well as misogyny and other forms of bias. Missionary work is, some scholars say, predicated on a racist, paternalistic understanding of world cultures that presupposes that non-Christian cultures are intellectually and culturally inferior and in need of salvation.
NDA
An NDA is a nondisclosure agreement. It is a legally binding document in which the person or people signing agree not to reveal certain information, usually for a set period of time. NDAs are common in many situations: People working on movies often have to agree not to reveal details of the plot or script prior to the film’s release. Some businesses use NDAs to ensure that their competitors do not learn their business secrets or future plans. The document will state the consequences for revealing the information, which might include a fine or the termination of an employment contract. Jim Bob and Michelle asked several of their children to sign an NDA that would prevent them from talking about certain aspects of the show (and their compensation) in perpetuity.
Quiverfull
The term “quiverfull” does not appear in Counting the Cost, but it is very relevant to the Duggars’ lives. The quiverfull movement is a Christian fundamentalist movement that encourages couples to have as many children as possible and to raise them to spread Christian beliefs. Typically, quiverfull families do not use any form of contraception. Despite their desire for large families, they generally also choose not to pursue infertility treatments. Many adhere to IBLP-like principles, even if they do not explicitly align themselves with Gothard’s ministry. In these communities, a woman’s worth is often explicitly or implicitly tied to her ability to have children. Part of Jill’s journey involves coming to terms with the possibility of having a comparatively small family.
