Shiny Happy People – An African American Perspective

I watched the first two episodes of Shiny Happy People documentary a few weeks ago.

Shiny Happy People is a docu-series exploring the life of the Duggar family, of the popular TV show 19 Kids and Counting, and their connection to Bill Gothard and Institute in Basic Life Principles.

The documentary reveals Bill Gothard and IBLP as a lot of things. Like, A LOT. I’m glad for the clarifying, affirming, put-life-back-in-your-soul type of conversations that have taken place online.

I debated whether to share my thoughts (wrote and scratched many drafts) because my take and processing is different from most of what I’ve seen or read so far.   

Let’s start with some disclaimers.

• This article is a Growth-type idea. It is an educative piece for those desiring to learn and explore a different perspective and engage in self-reflection.
• The article is my perspective as an African American¹ (See Foot Note)

Shiny Happy People: An African Perspective

I took the picture below as my husband, and I watched the documentary. The context is Gothard forbidding “outside” cultural influences and, in this case, music.

If the picture is hard to read, here’s part of what it says: “The Origin of the “Rock Beat” The characteristic offbeat in today’s rock music has been traced to the Satanic rituals in the jungles of West Africa. It was this type of drum-beat which certain tribe members were specially trained for in order to open the people to demonic control. It was used to accompany all manner of diabolical perversion and gross immorality.…“

I didn’t capture the rest of it, but to people who look like me, the excerpt in IBLP curriculum is a glimpse of the Gothard/IBLP soul. It is a soul so used to othering (see meaning) he can casually degrade a group of people – their lives, culture, spirituality² to make a point.

The attitude has a long history. 

“In his book A History of Africa, scholar J.D. Fage describes the racially based logic of European intellectuals and missionaries saying: “Mid-and late-nineteenth-century Europeans were generally convinced that their Christian, scientific and industrial society was intrinsically far superior to anything that Africa had produced” (Fage 322). Unfamiliar with the diverse cultures on the continent of Africa, European explorers viewed practices unfamiliar to them as lesser and savage…Denouncing the religious practices of Africans as witchcraft and heathenism, European nations sought to convert, and then exploit the indigenous peoples of Africa.” Source 

For many who look like me, it doesn’t take much to figure out how Gothard and his organization felt about those who didn’t look like them. You of course don’t create a whole organization filled with people of European descent without reason or intentionality.

Gothardism shouldn’t be directly familiar to me.

As a Kenyan, born and raised, Gothard and IBLP shouldn’t really be directly familiar to me. But it is. 

I was a young adult, right out of college, living and working in the capital city when I was introduced to a young-feeling church in the city. It was a gathering of several thousand, filled with people my age, all excited about God and evangelism. The church was founded and (is still) led by a white American missionary pastor and his wife. 

For the next fourteen years, I was neck-deep in a high-control, works-based church environment. I was one of its many zealous leaders: immersed in authority/discipline/excellence/faithfulness/honor teachings, policing and repressing “self”, – from clothing to personhood – bathing in courtship and purity culture concepts, e.t.c³ 

I don’t know whether the missionary couple were directly influenced by Gothard and IBLP but the similarity is chilling.  

Many North American Christians who watched the documentary observe similar threads between Gothard/IBLP and the wider evangelical ideologies. Those who had never heard of Gothard or IBLP suddenly discovered they had been taught or observed similar views and practices in their evangelical churches. 

Shiny Happy People Documentary: Exploring Evangelicalism 

As I explore evangelicalism and its roots, I wonder about the direction of influence. I’ve read articles where writers believe Gothard grew out of evangelicalism. Not the other way around. 

The more I read up on European and American church history, the more I lean towards Gothard being a branch of the same old tree: He was just another wave of American evangelicalism. 

Concerning the outcomes of his reach, I don’t know how many American Christians realize the same mindsets and impacts they are observing at home are the same they dispatched worldwide for missionary activities. Related: Can We Talk About the Idolization of Christian Missionaries?

I believe we ended up with Gothard’s influence in Kenya because “evangelical denominations typically sought more separation from the broader culture, emphasized missionary activity and individual conversion..” Source

And in those other cultures, the “(white) customs, culture, and beliefs….operate as the standard by which all other groups of are compared” Source 

As more White Americans create space for expressing their grief and finding support and healing, I don’t know if non-white Image-bearers and their specific grief and pain is welcome. I don’t know if the harm done by white evangelicals in non-white cultures will be named and grieved and lamented, the same way harm done by white evangelicals in white culture is being named and grieved and lamented in white spaces.  

What was Gothard actually Selling?

“What Gothard was selling was sort of this mythical idea of returning to a time when things were better. Better for who? It wasn’t better for the women who were getting abused by their husbands and it wasn’t getting reported. It wasn’t better for black people who didn’t have the same rights as white people. It really was better for white protestants, is what was meant by that.” (From the documentary, Episode 2.)

I was pleased when one of the interviewees/commenters finally made the observation. Unfortunately, that angle fizzled out and I haven’t watched the rest of the episodes to know if it’s picked up again.

So I loved a discussion by author Marcie Alvis Walker of Black Coffee with White Friends Instagram page, who observed: “Bill Gothard established his institute at the height of black liberation movement in the 60s. When bussing was happening. When all the fights were happening about integrating schools…When you look at this movement you see all these whiteness..and people are wondering why?”⁴

Well, “In the southern United States, evangelicals split from their northern counterparts on the issue of slavery, establishing new denominations that did not call for abolition of slavery. (For example, the Southern Baptist Convention was founded over the issue of slaveholders serving as foreign missionaries.)” Source

Evangelicals from the south haven’t changed their mind: here’s where they were at in 2020 (yes, the year George Floyd, a black man was murdered and his death rattled the world’s conscience) : “The denomination, overwhelmingly white and founded on tolerance for slavery, opposes any suggestion that institutional and systemic racism even exists. After the six SBC seminary presidents, all white men, released a sweeping statement in November 2020 condemning so-called critical race theory as “antithetical to the Bible..” Source 

Of Whiteness Eating Itself 

My husband and I watched the Hillsong documentary the same week we watched Shiny Happy People. The Hillsong documentary was more appealing for mass consumption but it was the same operating system—white-centric, male-dominated, high-dose evangelicalism with fundamentalist roots.

We observed how in both documentaries, wicked patriarchal power systems ate their own to survive. Nothing was sacred. Including their own limbs: an “erring” part was simply hacked off so the system could keep going.   

The same power and control system that had sustained Carl Lentz was the same system that kicked him out when he was no longer serving its bottom line. Brian Houston was a “victim” (and I use that phrase very, very loosely) of a system he himself produced and greased, with notes from his father.  

The core mindset of superiority and dominance “outlived” these men. Ultimately, they were just two more white men in a long line of men who believed they were gods, entitled to take whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted and nobody dare resist or ask questions.

There has always been a historical system and method to the madness.

Shiny Happy People Documentary: Deconstructing Gothardism and Evangelicalism

In an article titled “How to connect the dots while watching Shiny Happy People,” Rick Pidcock wrote, “Collectively watching Amazon Prime’s Shiny Happy People docuseries is foolish if we’re not willing to deconstruct the entire conservative evangelical tower of Babel it reveals.”

He was not discussing Whiteness⁵, but from where I stand, the“entire conservative evangelical tower of Babel” in America is made of Whiteness. Its roots, its feel, face, its drivers, culture, Christian framework, beliefs..all deeply white and patriarchal. 

And so, I think anyone questioning, inspecting, and deconstructing this tower of Babel must pay attention to every inch of it. Why? Because it is (impossible?) to dwell in this siloed tower⁶ and have a broad understanding of how the rest of society is unlike the siloed tower. 

Add to that direct teaching and ideology and lifestyle, which cement that siloed existence – which creates a limited standard for measuring the rest of the world – and you have a catch basin for sameness and blindness. 

Gothard and IBLP engaged in – through curriculum and instruction, through exclusion, silence, and tolerance/participation in cruel practices – the brainwashing of others to look with disapproval and disdain (to put it mildly) people from cultures and continents they had never been or interacted with. (Example, the excerpt from IBLP curriculum.)

And it seems to me that everyone deconstructing from Gothard, IBLP, and Evangelicalism must cultivate awareness of the fact that the “evangelical tower of Babel” and all those ideologies which othered, abused, and threw them out to die is the same that had historically and systemically othered Indigenous People, Black People, and people of color. 

Deconstruction by white survivors cannot not involve self-reflection in these areas that touch outside of their immediate lived experiences and communities.

Decolonizing My Faith

Decolonizing my faith from Whiteness and its values and dominant ideologies like patriarchy has been a crucial part of deconstructing my faith. 

I like how N. T, a regular Facebook Commenter, framed the journey.

“I believe that decolonization of one’s perspective and mindset is essential to being able to properly deconstruct. One has to be able to see the racism built into colonized faith systems before the other issues of sexism, patriarchy, and control can occur. White people, and white survivors, can cause such harm to people …if they only see through a lens of religious abuse and not one that is aware of how colonized faith systems have been designed to abuse through racism as well. Colonization is so intimately connected with religion as a tool of control and abuse that it’s impossible to clearly see religious abuse without considering how racism impacts people. My prayer is that we will be continually searching for ways to reduce the harm we do others, first and foremost by humbling ourselves to their knowledge.” (Check out the post N.T was responding to here.) 

Conclusion: Bill Gothard, IBLP, and the wider evangelical culture center Whiteness. ((white) customs, culture, and beliefs..(which) operate as the standard by which all other groups of are compared.) 

I believe it’s essential for those coming out of fundamentalism and evangelicalism to decolonize and deconstruct Whiteness: If they do not, there’s a chance they will carry the same wherever they go, centering Whiteness in their healing spaces and journeys and perpetuating the isolation and harming of those who have been historically and systemically harmed.

A first step in that journey: Add our grief to your list of griefs. Name our names: Indigenous People. Black People. People of Color. Name the sins: White supremacy. Segregation. Racism. Colonialism. Slavery. Genocide.

Shiny Happy People Documentary: Resources to Help You Learn

For anyone wishing to continue learning and exploring these areas, I have a few recommendations below. 

Most of these authors/scholars/non-profit founders/creators are on social media, but they also have websites, podcasts, books, courses, and services. Check them out. I’ll highlight some of the best platforms to follow on social media but check them out in all those other places as well.

• Black Coffee with White Friends (Instagram)
• Jasmine Holmes (Instagram)
• Be The Bridge (Instagram, Facebook)
• Latasha Morrison (Instagram, Facebook)
• White Girl Learning (Instagram)
• Some Thoughts from Your Black Friend/Patricia A. Taylor
• Ally Henny (Facebook)
• Equal Justice Initiative (Instagram, Facebook)
• Garrison Hayes (Instagram)
• Black Liturgies/Arthur Cole Riley (Instagram, Facebook)
• Be a King (Instagram, Facebook)
• Oh, Happy Dani (Instagram, Facebook)
• Ibram X Kendi (Facebook)

To Those Who Might Not Like What I’ve Said

I always receive pushback, mostly from white people, whenever I write about colonialism, missionaries, or racism.

To be clear: I’m not saying every person who was a part of IBLP, Bill Gothard, or evangelicalism is prejudiced against black people or people of color. I know white people who are deeply reflective, open minded and growth-oriented. They are great allies. What I’m doing is inviting people to self-reflection. 

If decolonizing your faith hasn’t been on your radar and you still have a lot on your plate (the documentary was a lot), operating within your tolerance window is okay. But now that it is on your radar, consider adding it to your reflection. Check out the individuals highlighted above, and browse their pages and resources.

If this post was offensive and not something you wish to reflect on, you have that freedom. I’m just not at a place where I can engage from that view. 

To everyone, and if it helps, consider how you prefer folks to engage with your traumatic or hurtful experiences. How it might feel when those around you pipe in as “neutral parties.” Or with grand reminders about the other party (the party that wounded you.) Or re-tell your story. Or believe you are unqualified to speak on the issue. Or say you are angry and “need to get over it” (never mind the harm has never stopped.) Sit a minute in that space. And consider offering the dignity you wish to receive to others. 

I’ll finish up with an excerpt from This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation and the Stories that Make Us, a book by Cole Arthur Riley.

“We are told that the pinnacle of piety is niceness, and we are shamed out of conflict protest, advocacy. We can cry but not too loud, our agony never allowed to disrupt the illusion of unity. I like that God doesn’t play or talk nice to the hands of injustice. What freedom it is to witness a God whose primary concern is not for how he makes the oppressor feel, but for feeling alongside the oppressed, and telling the truth about it. For so long, Black people, noosed and muzzled, have not been permitted the liberty to tell the truth about the evil we’ve endured. And now, the language of niceness and more recently, civility- serves to muzzle us further. .. Audre Lorde said, “I cannot hide my anger to spare you guilt, nor hurt feelings. . .. Guilt is not a response to anger; it is a response to one’s own actions or lack of action. If it leads to change then it can be useful, since it is then no longer guilt but the beginning of knowledge.”

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FOOTNOTES

1. I titled this article An African American Perspective, but I want to be clear that I use the term “African American” literally. I’m both African (Kenyan) and American. I make the distinction because I don’t want my perspective interpreted as telling the story of those with ancestral rooting in America. For that perspective, I encourage you to follow and learn from the individuals I’ve highlighted above.

2. The African drum (“a tool for Satan,” according to Gothard in the Shiny Happy People documentary) is actually a typical musical instrument across the African continent. In my country Kenya, we play the drum in social events – weddings and marriage ceremonies, church and religious meetings, burials and wakes, political events, etc. 

For those who’ve wondered, I do not practice African Spiritualism. I am unlearning the lies of colonialism, including how the British taught us to hate and erase ourselves. As someone who was part of an evangelical church that perpetuated colonial mindsets, it’s important to me to dismantle oppressive supremacist thinking that were used against me and my people and begin to honor those parts of myself that are…me.  

3. Like every culture and people group on earth, we have our own problems. But as Christians, we have this gospel of Christ which is supposed to transform. But instead, and like I said in this post, evangelicalism and fundamentalism cement those parts of our unhealthy culture that we should be getting rid of. 

Instead of Christ being a hope, comfort, and liberator to the vulnerable and oppressed in church, He becomes the biggest reason to keep them in prison. Toxic church makes things everything worse. And not just for women but for men too (Ps.I don’t believe things were always bad between men and women in the African culture.)

3b. Some people have asked me to share personal experiences in my evangelical church in Kenya. At this point, I’m only comfortable sharing what I have shared. For added perspective, check out this video on the outcomes of conservative evangelical influence in Uganda, Kenya’s neighbor to the West. It’s evil, despicable, and not representing Jesus. 

4. Marcie Alvis Walker (Black Coffee with White Friends), an Instagram Live on Shiny Happy People documentary.

5. “White vs. whiteness: White, as a term describing people, refers to light-skinned people of European descent. “Whiteness” as an ideology derives from the historical practice of institutionalizing “white supremacy.” Beginning in at least the seventeenth century, “white” appeared as a legal term and social designator determining social and political rights. Eventually, it was used widely to decide who could vote or be enslaved or be a citizen, who could attend which schools and churches, who could marry whom, and who could drink from which water fountain. These and thousands of other legal and social regulations were built upon the fiction of a superior “white” race deserving special privileges and protections. (Jay (2005:100-101). Whiteness Studies and the Multicultural Literature Classroom. University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee)” Source 

“Whiteness and white racialized identity refer to the way that white people, their customs, culture, and beliefs operate as the standard by which all other groups of people are compared.” Source 

6. An illustration to help you process Happy Shiny People documentary from a non-white point of view: When we talk about Christian marriages (my usual topic in this blog), we often explore how healthy couples exist in their own little worlds, where every issue can be addressed by more strategy, skill, marriage counseling, fun dates, a new hobby, talk-to-your-mom, a better schedule for the kids, another job, healthier friendships e.t.c. 

We talk about how couples in safe marriages tend to take the same approach for all other marriages. Not realizing some unions exist in a completely different universe, with a completely different set of rules and experiences. So to become a healthy ally for those residing in Planet GM X889KP for example, they have to remove Planet MK 95RB lenses.  

Address their privileges, biases, philosophies, perspectives, behavior which might work great in their home planet but are woeful inadequate and downright harmful in the harmed spouses planet. Those desiring to be healthy, supportive allies to those in harming marriages must recognize they’ve lived in a silo even if they didn’t know they did and be ready to do the hard work of becoming abuse and trauma aware.