The Duggalos: Jinger and the Holy Goalie

[Oldernowiser]

“Hey, RFP...your “Call of Christ” left a message...something about “poser,” “hypocrite” and “Pharisee”...dunno, he was talking really fast so I didn’t get it all, but I think he said “smite” at least three times.”

P.S. WTF with that @suitreview tag???

[Churchhoney]

25 minutes ago, Oldernowiser said:

“Hey, RFP...your “Call of Christ” left a message...something about “poser,” “hypocrite” and “Pharisee”...dunno, he was talking really fast so I didn’t get it all, but I think he said “smite” at least three times.”

P.S. WTF with that @suitreview tag???

Guess he's advertising where he got his slightly off-price suit -- so other ambitious young clergy can make the same purchase .... and he can get some more free clothes.  ....

Do people really want clothing and food ads plastered all over their clergymen? 

"Welcome to SUITREVIEW! So Who Are We?

We are a company based in Cologne, Germany specializing in past collections created by the now world famous menswear brand, SUITSUPPLY! We have been in business for over three years starting with an initial store on eBay US. We have since then moved to our own domain and Instagram and are enjoying our independence."   https://www.suitreview.net/

[jcbrown]

5 hours ago, Lunera said:

The college flew them put and most likely paid for their universal tickets. Medi Corps Corps sure had no problem ditching those bohemian heathens for a day of fun.

Also, what the heck is Jinger wearing? That outfit is tacky and all over the place. 

Wow, that first picture. JereME looks so pretentious and condescending when he preaches. That's a hard look to carry off in a still, I'd think.

And the second shot: who told Jinger that a blazer should go down past your ass? Sweetie, try again. I don't know who the guy on the right is but his expression makes me kinda want to punch him.

5 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

Man, he sure can network. Used in this way -- to get what you couldn't possibly get on your merits -- that's not a skill I ever admire. And I especially don't admire it when a supposed man-of-God does it.

WWJD? Probably not take pricey free stuff bankrolled by students' tuition money for talking totally outside his area of expertise. 

He really is looking to be quite a piece of work. Dreck is probably jealous that his lack of good looks, charisma, and ass-kissing prevent him from achieving JereME's level of "success."

[QuinnInND]

Jinger is the most stylish of all the girls IMO. The jacket isn't needed, but she looks great in her dress, and looks put together and age appropriate.  And that's a cute picture of her and Felicity walking together. Jer is a douchecanoe, which goes without saying. 

[galaxychaser]

On 9/20/2019 at 7:22 PM, babyhouseman said:

They are going to be corrupted by Halloween, Harry Potter's magic, and gay Dumbledore. 

You had me at gay dumbledore! 

I don’t find Jeremy good looking. He is better looking aka well fed versus insect Dereck. Dereck was sorta cute back in the day.

[Zella]

45 minutes ago, jcbrown said:

Wow, that first picture. JereME looks so pretentious and condescending when he preaches. That's a hard look to carry off in a still, I'd think.

As soon as I saw that, I thought of this fellow:

Though as I've said on here before, I suspect Jimbo was a more lively, engaging speaker than Jeremy can ever dream of being. 

[Nysha]

4 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

Do people really want clothing and food ads plastered all over their clergymen? 

Most people, probably not. But Jeremy is trying to target the same young people other social media influencers are targeting. Most of them are going to be more worldly than your average 30+ year old Christian and have had years of this blurring the lines between information and advertisement. They aren't going to care and are going to look at the rest of us as old-fashioned.

[Churchhoney]

27 minutes ago, Nysha said:

Most people, probably not. But Jeremy is trying to target the same young people other social media influencers are targeting. Most of them are going to be more worldly than your average 30+ year old Christian and have had years of this blurring the lines between information and advertisement. They aren't going to care and are going to look at the rest of us as old-fashioned.

I'm wondering how many people  of that sort are churchgoers who'll be on hiring committees for pastors, though......I mean, there are some indications that he's still looking for a church job, ultimately.....For one thing, he's going around the country sermonizing! 

As long as he's trying to be an "influencer," then the people you're describing are his market. Absolutely. But he doesn't seem to be on a track that could make him a full-time influencer. So he'll have to get something else, because it's unlikely the TLC show will go on for the rest of his life. 

And he's going to get a divinity degree. Because why not? It seems that'll come to him much more easily than any other credential. So there aren't a lot of jobs outside churches and seminaries that'll be interested in that .... 

Do you really think today's churches are full of people who are so happy with social media and influencers that they'd be happy hiring someone who's always covered with ads? 

[Zella]

27 minutes ago, Churchhoney said:

I'm wondering how many people  of that sort are churchgoers who'll be on hiring committees for pastors, though......I mean, there are some indications that he's still looking for a church job, ultimately.....For one thing, he's going around the country sermonizing! 

As long as he's trying to be an "influencer," then the people you're describing are his market. Absolutely. But he doesn't seem to be on a track that could make him a full-time influencer. So he'll have to get something else, because it's unlikely the TLC show will go on for the rest of his life. 

And he's going to get a divinity degree. Because why not? It seems that'll come to him much more easily than any other credential. So there aren't a lot of jobs outside churches and seminaries that'll be interested in that .... 

Do you really think today's churches are full of people who are so happy with social media and influencers that they'd be happy hiring someone who's always covered with ads? 

Yeah I don't think Reverend Useless has thought this through. And I've mentioned on here before, but I think his rather blatant fame-whoring would be a real turn-off ideologically, in theory, to the kinds of churches who would like his MacArthur connection. He has a real "of the world" vibe and doesn't seem to have a focus on his congregants or theology so much as on advertising himself.

I would love to hear what his old church in Texas really thought of him. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that, even though he was their pastor for a few years, they never thought like they ever got to know him since he was absent so much and so self-involved.  

Edited September 22, 2019 by Zella

[Nysha]

I think the same social media numbers that attracted John MacArthur, along with Jeremy's networking, brown-nosing, and his photo-ready wife and baby, will be used to further Jeremy's pastoral career. If he actually gets better at speaking/preaching, he may be able to make a lot of money doing conventions and guest pastor gigs at mega-churches, while being part of a pastoral team at a large home church.

Basically, I think that the same activities that would hinder him in a small church circle aren't going to be an issue in a larger one that is desperately seeking 18-30-year-old church members. 

Edited September 22, 2019 by Nysha
I can't take the little red "this is wrong" lines.

[Zella]

1 minute ago, Nysha said:

I think the same social media numbers that attracted John MacArthur, along with Jeremy's networking, brown-nosing, and his photo-ready wife and baby, will be used to further Jeremy's pastoral career. If he actually gets better at speaking/preaching, he may be able to make a lot of money doing conventions and guest pastor gigs at mega-churches, while being part of a pastoral team at a large home church.

Basically, I think that the same activities that would hinder him in a small church circle isn't going to be an issue in a larger one that is desperately seeking 18-30 year olds. 

That's true. I don't think he can single-handedly pastor a church. I do wonder if he had more direct supervision, though, if they'd notice how little he seems to work. Then again, he seems to be a first-class brown-noser. 

[Barb23]

The Vuolos were busy. They also visited John & Alyssa (Bates) Webster & their girls while in Florida.  

[Sew Sumi]

I guess they're taking a red eye back to CA so Jeremy can be back in class Monday. 

Yeah, right.

[GeeGolly]

7 hours ago, Nysha said:

Most people, probably not. But Jeremy is trying to target the same young people other social media influencers are targeting. Most of them are going to be more worldly than your average 30+ year old Christian and have had years of this blurring the lines between information and advertisement. They aren't going to care and are going to look at the rest of us as old-fashioned.

Good point. And I'm guessing some older folks don't follow SM. And if you're looking for new church goers, SM is the way to hit the young Christian market, and they may look at SM tags the same way many look at other advertising - just something that's there.

[Churchhoney]

10 hours ago, Nysha said:

I think the same social media numbers that attracted John MacArthur, along with Jeremy's networking, brown-nosing, and his photo-ready wife and baby, will be used to further Jeremy's pastoral career. If he actually gets better at speaking/preaching, he may be able to make a lot of money doing conventions and guest pastor gigs at mega-churches, while being part of a pastoral team at a large home church.

Basically, I think that the same activities that would hinder him in a small church circle isn't going to be an issue in a larger one that is desperately seeking 18-30 year olds. 

Okay, now I get it. Thanks.

There are social-media managers at some large churches these days, definitely. He could certainly try to get one of those. And, as you say, everybody wants those numbers. I'd bet people are deluded if they think most of the Vuolos' followers are in the 18-30 range, I'd be more inclined to think they're in the 18-80 range....and heavy on the 40-and-up crowd. But the assumption that most of the followers are young will persist, so it probably won't matter at all if their followers aren't actually the right target audience......Maybe MacArthur'll hire him for this in the end. That seems a likely outcome. Jer obviously doesn't want a smallish church anyway. He wants a big one in a big town.

If he gets a job like that he may have to start advertising more churchy stuff and stop advertising clothes, though. I've looked at some of the instagram accounts from social media-savvy churches and they're all about joining with the crowd at the service this Sunday -- not about pocket squares and tacos. 

I was curious about this (surprise) so I looked up a few of the pastor-influencer accounts I'd heard of one day last week, and I didn't see a tag for any kind of business on any of them, let alone any posts devoted to restaurants or whatever. Still, as you say, people who are on instagram all the time may be completely open to those tags, especially as time goes on, even if churches aren't using them now.

Ultimately it might end up the way it has with other kinds of ads, though, for the advertisers. Once people get used to seeing tags and social-media ads, we may just stop noticing them or paying any attention, just the way it's happened with ads in other places. But desperate giant churches who can't pay their mortgages will still want to give it a try, since there are few other options for getting people's attention at all. 

Edited September 22, 2019 by Churchhoney

[leighdear]

Work/study programs are the norm these days for post-grad degrees, no matter the concentration.  The traditional Ivory tower, classes-and-lectures-on-campus only programs just don't work in the real world.  Practical experience, interning, and assisting is a must.  Living in the here & now is crucial, especially to get younger folks involved. 

Jeremy is obviously following a goal-oriented program purposely set up for him, he's not just winging it. 

And as far as where tuition dollars are being spent, I never went to a single football game at my State University alma mater, never lived in a dorm, and never used the campus medical services, all funded by me.  Like paying our taxes, we can't just pick & choose the ones we agree with or think we will utilize. 

But as Jerm is in a private school, complaints coming from his peers and instructors are the only ones that count.  None of my business. 

I think they all look great & are having fun.  And since I'M not paying for it, I say rock on, Vuolos!

[GeeGolly]

Although it's not a popular opinion, I give Jeremy and Jinger some credit for striking while the iron is hot.  I do find looking at the Vuolo photos more pleasant than the Dillard photos.

Sometimes you have to make do with what you have. The Dillards had the same opportunity, but ... I guess they decided to go in a different direction. 😉

It'll be interesting to see where the Dillards and Vuolos are in 10 years.

[BitterApple]

8 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

I guess they're taking a red eye back to CA so Jeremy can be back in class Monday. 

Yeah, right.

Thanks, Sew. I always love starting my mornings with a good laugh.

[Nysha]

8 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

It'll be interesting to see where the Dillards and Vuolos are in 10 years.

Yes!

I think that the Vuolos will have another adorable kid or two, Jeremy will be part of the leadership at a mega church, their kids will be homeschooled through elementary and then in a Christian school with a sports program through high school, Jinger will always be available in a moments notice for photo-ops with Jeremy, and they'll both be generally happy and satisfied with their life.

I think the Dillards are stopping with Israel and Sam, Derick will still be career-hopping his way through life, the boys will have surpassed Jill's limited educational knowledge and will be parked in front of a computer doing a Christian online curriculum that bores them both to tears and leaves them with hours of free time spent in mind-numbing boredom, Derick barely tolerates the increasingly shrill and clingy Jill and spends the majority of his time at school/work/church, Jill becomes more and more unraveled until she is saved by Xanax and is able to stay sweet while her life passes her by, none of them are happy even though they did everything by the rules.

[galaxygirl76]

They haven't made it to Disney yet? Can you imagine all the adorable pictures the prop can take with the characters there. If Universal is ok, Disney should be too. 

[GeeGolly]

Just now, galaxygirl76 said:

They haven't made it to Disney yet? Can you imagine all the adorable pictures the prop can take with the characters there. If Universal is ok, Disney should be too. 

Prop-Bow may be at an age where giant fuzzy beings are scary.

[crazy8s]

Just now, galaxygirl76 said:

They haven't made it to Disney yet? Can you imagine all the adorable pictures the prop can take with the characters there. If Universal is ok, Disney should be too. 

maybe disney wouldn't give them free passes. also they would need special treatment to get lots pics with characters. the lines for pics are long and you need a fast pass to cut ahead.  the characters no longer just wander around disney for photo ops

[Churchhoney]

2 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

Although it's not a popular opinion, I give Jeremy and Jinger some credit for striking while the iron is hot.  I do find looking at the Vuolo photos more pleasant than the Dillard photos.

Sometimes you have to make do with what you have. The Dillards had the same opportunity, but ... I guess they decided to go in a different direction. 😉

It'll be interesting to see where the Dillards and Vuolos are in 10 years.

I think their fates are pretty predictable. 

I loathe the principles of their religion, but Derick's more interested in those principles than Jer. ....

Jer's interested in fame and money and things and looking hot on camera. He doesn't give a shit for the stuff he actually goes around telling other people to believe.

And people who are motivated only by ego and greed are almost always the ones who strike while the iron is hot. Plus, it's very easy for them to see where their goals will be best met. Because their goals are clear and simple -- visibility, ego strokes, cash and the potential to climb.

They have no actual annoying religious (or other) principles or goals to confuse them about what they ought to do. Look for the main chance that promises the most fame and money and go for that, no matter what it is. 

Although Der and Jer preach the same stuff, Jer would never in a million years think about doing something that isn't fame and money-oriented, like being a missionary in a low-income country, for example. 

Notice Jer's soccer career -- he declared initially that he was madly devoted to the game. But that lasted as long as he felt he had the possibility of rising.

When he realized that getting big fame and big money from it would be a chancier, harder road than expected, he was out immediately (he gave up in less than three seasons) and on to using his connection to his father to get him a position in a completely different field (in which he had no training but saw possibilities for being admired and earning high.)

(And now he has the old soccer uniforms and the title "former pro" that he can milk for more ego strokes and "hot" photos. And he doesn't even have to try to stop that damn ball.)

I have no respect for what Der probably hopes to do with his law degree to things like gender discrimination and separation of church and state. But I'm pretty sure he does want to do something with it that matters to him.

This means that, for Der, earning a living and following your heart, interests and principles are two different things.

And any time that's true, the two things are very likely to conflict. Just ask any poet or painter. (Or teacher, social worker, scientist working an as-yet unaccepted theory, small-church pastor, etc. etc.) So, yep, the Dillards' chances of "doing well" in the material and pretty-image sense are much much lower. Non-existent, probably,

Jer, on the other hand, will follow the visibility and money wherever they are.

And, like most others who have that as the goal, he has a great eye for others who are doing the same thing and he hooks up with them, kisses their asses and strokes their egos the same way he knows he'd like his to be kissed and stroked....and continues to rise on that basis. 

So is Jer likely to get way more of that kind of success than somebody of two minds, like Der? Heck, yeah. Of course. He's not distracted from it by goals, principles or interests of any other kind.......

But do I have any respect for someone whose only goals are personal visibility, a chance to preen and lots of money......at the same time as he pretends -- and harangues and preaches -- that he's super-concerned with virtue, saving souls and living by the highest spiritual and moral values and leading others toward those values, too? 

Nope.

I don't have the slightest respect for someone who does that......In fact, I have more respect for someone who makes a ton of money by, say, fleecing other people in real-estate deals or the like. At least they're not 100-percent hypocritical. 

So, yeah, one way or another, Jer will "succeed" in the world's (value-free) terms way more than Der will.

I'm still not convinced he'll succeed as much as he wants to or as much as he imagines-- because I think that in the particular fame and money games he plays, to reach the top level you probably need more actual talents and a stronger work ethic than he's got.

But will he easily beat Der on the kinds of success measures that are the only ones Jer values? Absolutely. In a walk.

And while that may seem to be the key to happiness, I can't say that people I've known who have this kind of success are any happier than anyone else, or at least any happier than the average person who can more or less pay their bills. And some can be quite unhappy. Happiness doesn't have much to do with fame, a prestigious job or monetary success, one way or the other, as far as I can tell. 

Edited September 22, 2019 by Churchhoney

[Churchhoney]

3 hours ago, leighdear said:

Work/study programs are the norm these days for post-grad degrees, no matter the concentration.  The traditional Ivory tower, classes-and-lectures-on-campus only programs just don't work in the real world.  Practical experience, interning, and assisting is a must.  Living in the here & now is crucial, especially to get younger folks involved. 

Jeremy is obviously following a goal-oriented program purposely set up for him, he's not just winging it. 

And as far as where tuition dollars are being spent, I never went to a single football game at my State University alma mater, never lived in a dorm, and never used the campus medical services, all funded by me.  Like paying our taxes, we can't just pick & choose the ones we agree with or think we will utilize. 

But as Jerm is in a private school, complaints coming from his peers and instructors are the only ones that count.  None of my business. 

I think they all look great & are having fun.  And since I'M not paying for it, I say rock on, Vuolos!

I do wonder how many of the 600 students at Jer's seminary get free trips to theme parks (on the other side of the country) for them and their families as part of their work-study programs, though. There's nothing about that in the school handbook. 

Edited September 22, 2019 by Churchhoney

[galaxychaser]

I feel sorry that poor Felicity got dragged to the theme park. She is too small to understand anything. Jinger should have stayed home with her. Or left her with someone. It’s hot and loud and she is too little for rides etc. 

poor prop 😞

[Oldernowiser]

5 minutes ago, Churchhoney said:

I do wonder how many of the 600 students at Jer's seminary get free trips to theme parks for them and their families as part of their goal-oriented work-study programs, though. There's nothing at all about that in the school catalog.

There are 600 students in that program???? I was thinking fifty, a hundred tops.

There really is one born every minute...

[Ohiopirate02]

5 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

I feel sorry that poor Felicity got dragged to the theme park. She is too small to understand anything. Jinger should have stayed home with her. Or left her with someone. It’s hot and loud and she is too little for rides etc. 

poor prop 😞

I'm sure Aunt Jana babysat Prop so mommy and daddy could ride the roller coasters. 

[Churchhoney]

5 minutes ago, Oldernowiser said:

There are 600 students in that program???? I was thinking fifty, a hundred tops.

There really is one born every minute...

A lot of working clergy take most of it at the distance-learning facilities, probably. They have 'em in Northern Virginia, Northern California, Dallas, Spokane, Anchorage, and Bozeman, MT. (interesting selection of places....)

Edited September 22, 2019 by Churchhoney

[Guest]

So, according to this post, they rode the Incredible Hulk coaster at Islands of Adventure "many times over." The average wait time for that coaster is about an hour (depending on crowd size and it could be longer) so either they burned 2-3 (depends on what "many" means) hours waiting in line to ride it or someone donated an Express Pass to them to the tune of anywhere between $40 and $150 each. That, or they really did stay at Hard Rock or Portofino where the Express Passes come as a benefit of having a valid room key. 

Also, he looks like the third Property Brother. 

[GeeGolly]

Great points @Churchhoney.

I think Jer & Der could be argued either way.

Derick seems a little lost and unsure of his direction when considering his accounting degree, his stints as a missionary and now law school. And Derick and Jill continue to use their (her?) fame the same as J & J on SM. Also,I'm not sure spewing hate proves Derick believes in Christianity any deeper than Jeremy.

While there's no doubt Jeremy loves fame, he did work hard for his initial claim at when he played soccer. And preaching in Laredo must have humbled him a tad bit, and I'm thinking a non-believer would not have gone that root, especially one who enjoys fame as much as Jeremy seems to.

And while I carry no global judgement of anyone's income, aiming low due to passion can be as irresponsible as aiming high sometimes.

Now, or in ten years, I'm guessing I won't have any more respect for Jeremy or Derick than I do now, which is equally low. I'm also unsure what they'll be doing. I wouldn't be surprised if Derick struggled to find success as a lawyer, nor would I be surprised if Jeremy ended up to be a small time preacher in New Jersey.

I'm very curious to where all the Duggars will be in 10 years. 

[PradaKitty]

How nice for Jinger to be able to go to a theme park and not hear “Look at those weirdly dresses people.”!

Dressed.

[GeeGolly]

1 minute ago, PradaKitty said:

How nice for Jinger to be able to go to a theme park and not hear “Look at those weirdly dresses people.”!

Dressed.

I wonder what they think when they happen upon Fundy-dressed folks.

[Churchhoney]

29 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

And preaching in Laredo must have humbled him a tad bit,

I can tell you didn't hear the Roloff podcast! 😀

I couldn't stand more than about 10 or maybe 15 minutes of it.

But so far from being humbled by the Laredo experience, he depicted his tenure there as a major triumph of a pastor expertly shepherding an entire church at a very "young" age. That's what he claimed. So young -- and doing a great job running an entire church.

But no way in hell was he running that church. He was doing a lame job putting together a website bragging about himself and he preached some of the sermons (badly). His own previous description of his schedule there made clear that he wasn't managing any of the other activities at the church. And there's no way the little plant church wasn't being run out of  the main church in San Antonio. Among many signs of that, there's no way Jer was lining up all the many pastors who preached there on the many Sundays he was away. 

In addition, he crowed to the awed Roloffs and their rapt listeners, pre-Jingle he had to fight off the many many temptations that came to him specifically because he was an unmarried man in his high position.....And there was no mistaking what he meant. IOW, a ton of devout Christians were losing all control and throwing themselves at him as candidate sex partners --

It's a wonder his ego fit into the room when it came to the ways he described his ministerial triumph as a mere youth -- and his sex-god status -- in Laredo. 

I'm pretty sure this isn't a guy who gets humbled easily.

He apparently thinks he's a great preacher, for example. 😈

ETA: On the Der-Jer future question.... I think the only predictable thing is that neither of them will achieve quite the success that each of them is sure he's due.....But that Jer'll do a little better....because I think his slightly bigger ego will insulate him from more shocks and keep him rolling a little more determinedly than Der's. (Also Jer isn't quite so unfortunate looking, despite his baboon mouth.)

Edited September 22, 2019 by Churchhoney

[Zella]

3 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

I do wonder how many of the 600 students at Jer's seminary get free trips to theme parks (on the other side of the country) for them and their families as part of their work-study programs, though. There's nothing about that in the school handbook. 

Word. That's my biggest problem with Jeremy showing off his golf outings and food trips with senior admin and amusement park comps. It seems like blatant favoritism rather than an opportunity extended to everybody there. I did an assistantship while I went to grad school, and it entailed, you know, work. We were told to treat our academics and our assistantship as the equivalent of a full-time job. 

Jeremy wouldn't get jackshit of this if he wasn't on TV and positioning himself as an "influencer." And I don't see how he has time to study or work or attend class with all the outings he does, let alone being married and having a child.

Edited September 22, 2019 by Zella

[awaken]

13 hours ago, Barb23 said:

The Vuolos were busy. They also visited John & Alyssa (Bates) Webster & their girls while in Florida.  

 Wow, preaching, universal, AND visiting the Bates? Very busy weekend! I’m sure he spent each evening up late doing schoolwork and preparing his sermons! 

[Churchhoney]

2 hours ago, Giant Misfit said:

So, according to this post, they rode the Incredible Hulk coaster at Islands of Adventure "many times over." The average wait time for that coaster is about an hour (depending on crowd size and it could be longer) so either they burned 2-3 (depends on what "many" means) hours waiting in line to ride it or someone donated an Express Pass to them to the tune of anywhere between $40 and $150 each. That, or they really did stay at Hard Rock or Portofino where the Express Passes come as a benefit of having a valid room key. 

Also, he looks like the third Property Brother. 

Jer's just doing his job for MacArthur -- making The Master's Seminary look like the best deal in Calvinism for grad students.

The students he just preached to will see the #RefBibleCollege hashtag and that'll lead to all his posts from the weekend. They're all some kind of Calvinist theology undergrads and many, or even most, will -- now or later -- almost certainly look for a Calvinist masters or doctoral program to advance their careers. 

So now they'll see that Jer, as a Masters Seminary student, spent an expenses-paid weekend --  in the middle of a school semester and accompanied by his family -- skipping the  lines at the Universal theme park, apparently as part of his curriculum. Not what they'll be able to expect from most religion graduate studies. (not what anybody but JV can expect from TMS, either, but they won't know this.)

Knowing about that kind of perk should move MacArthur's program to the top of a lot of "preferred" grad-school lists -- and he gets a shot at poaching from other schools some students who otherwise may not have thought of TMS. .... On the east coast and in the south, for example -- regions where TMS might have more competition and been less able to expand its reach up to now. 

Returns coming in on JM's investment in world-class ass kisser and social-media darling JV. 

Edited September 22, 2019 by Churchhoney

[galaxychaser]

More like taking 100 nightly selfies and plates of food and the prop. 

[GeeGolly]

It's known that this was a paid work study trip? Or is that speculation?

[Churchhoney]

31 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

It's known that this was a paid work study trip? Or is that speculation?

It's a speculation that some have used...... I picked it up for lack of a better term. The seminary handbook -- which I've read -- doesn't mention anything about work-study classes of any kind. So, strictly, it couldn't have been that because that option doesn't seem to exist.

But this is taking place on a weekend about one month into a semester -- in a school whose published curriculum seems quite class-heavy and study-focused. So it seems unlikely that, whatever this is, Jer would have done it without the school's blessing. 

Meanwhile, what we do know from the WASC investigation and a bunch of commentary from some TMS alums and former staff online and in media accounts is that handing out various kinds of expense-paid perks to his favorites to reward them for their ass kissing, is a time-honored practice with MacArthur....So the idea that it's a special opportunity offered to Jeremy seems highly possible. And that suggests that, no, Jer probably didn't have to pay for it. 

And I was serious about what I said above -- that it could be sort of a PR/stealth-student-recruitment trip assigned to Jer because of his social-media and tv profile. 

Clearly there's a quid pro quo in the special treatment he's getting from the school. And something of that kind would be part of his (kind of undercover) "campus job," basically. (Undercover because nobody seems to admit that he's almost certainly having a completely different experience than others in his class -- and it's because of what he can provide because of his 'fame.')

I also know that because of Jer's participation in MacArthur's let's-squash-social-justice letter -- and possibly through other channels -- he's connected to the Sproul family and Ligonier ministries, the founders of this college. So it seems highly unlikely to me that they wouldn't have put up money for his trip.....

I can't see many people asking a full-time student to spring for cross-country plane fare, food and lodging for his family for a weekend just because they'd like him to speak at their institution....So, again, there's somebody else who seems likely to have paid for it -- or maybe paid for the part of it that MacArthur didn't pay for?

Edited September 22, 2019 by Churchhoney

[Zella]

22 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

It's known that this was a paid work study trip? Or is that speculation?

As far as I know, it's just speculation. I must confess, I didn't read the caption. I just took one look at Jeremy's smarmy ass preaching in those photos and was done. LOL

[Sew Sumi]

He did have a preaching gig, but I think that was through his G3 connections, not TMS.

[Churchhoney]

1 minute ago, Sew Sumi said:

He did have a preaching gig, but I think that was through his G3 connections, not TMS.

True. But those are all connected to a fairly major extent as well. The G3 people and the Sprouls are all heavily represented among MacArthur's social-justice letter signatories, for example. Jer's developing a web that an orb spider would be proud of. 

Why anybody would give him a preaching gig is beyond me, though. Unless they think there's something else they can get out of it -- like social-media mentions attached to pictures of the cute baby.....

[Zella]

1 minute ago, Churchhoney said:

True. But those are all connected to a fairly major extent as well. The G3 people and the Sprouls are all heavily represented among MacArthur's social-justice letter signatories, for example. Jer's developing a web that an orb spider would be proud of. 

Why anybody would give him a preaching gig is beyond me, though. Unless they think there's something else they can get out of it -- like social-media mentions attached to pictures of the cute baby.....

Maybe they are angling for an L.A. food crawl invite. 😉 

[Churchhoney]

Why do I keep thinking of "Feed me, Seymour" when I think about this situation?

Edited September 22, 2019 by Churchhoney

[Zella]

Just now, Churchhoney said:

Why do I keep thinking of "Feed me, Seymour?" when I think about this whole situation. 

Bahahahaha

This is where my mind has gone:

I think this kid was admitted to Midvale because he was an Instagram influencer and on reality TV. 😉 

[Oldernowiser]

How’s the Greek coming along, RFP?

[OpieTaylor]

I have some different speculation, because I just can’t believe that Jer and family would get an all-expenses-paid trip, including Universal, from The Masters Seminary.

Here’s my ideas: Jing learned some of her family would be at Universal and she really wanted to go. Jer used some connections to get a guest speaking gig at that place. He got TMS to OK time off from classes plus some “extra credit” in acknowledgment of his speaking gig. It was deemed an independent study project or something. The Vuolos paid their own way - perhaps John David flew them there?

[Churchhoney]

33 minutes ago, OpieTaylor said:

I have some different speculation, because I just can’t believe that Jer and family would get an all-expenses-paid trip, including Universal, from The Masters Seminary.

Here’s my ideas: Jing learned some of her family would be at Universal and she really wanted to go. Jer used some connections to get a guest speaking gig at that place. He got TMS to OK time off from classes plus some “extra credit” in acknowledgment of his speaking gig. It was deemed an independent study project or something. The Vuolos paid their own way - perhaps John David flew them there?

Also a possibility..... 

Don't think they flew with John David, though. He doesn't have a jet. So that'd take quite a while for a 2500-mile journey from coast to coast. If he's still flying the Cirrus they had, that's got a top speed of under 250 mph. And there'd be fueling stops, too.

Too slow for a weekend trip. 

RE: Being skeptical that he could get the trip from The Masters Seminary....I'm not certain he could, either....But -- have you read the WASC report? Because it suggests it wouldn't be out of character for MacArthur.

Edited September 22, 2019 by Churchhoney

[OpieTaylor]

5 minutes ago, Churchhoney said:

Also a possibility..... 

Don't think they flew with John David, though. He doesn't have a jet. So that'd take quite a while for a 2500-mile journey from coast to coast. There'd be fueling stops. And this was a weekend gig. 

Agreed that JD didn’t fly them - Jing has an Instagram story today showing them at Orlando Intl Airport, seemingly awaiting a flight. 

[JoanArc]

9 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

If he gets a job like that he may have to start advertising more churchy stuff and stop advertising clothes, though. I've looked at some of the instagram accounts from social media-savvy churches and they're all about joining with the crowd at the service this Sunday -- not about pocket squares and tacos. 

Dude is JUST NOT a good draw. His 'success' mystifies me - the same way he'll be mystified when he dumped for being no longer useful.