Janet and I want to affirm our support for the Duggar family. Josh’s
actions when he was an underage teen are as he described them himself,
'inexcusable,' but that doesn’t mean 'unforgivable.' He and his family
dealt with it and were honest and open about it with the victims and the
authorities. No purpose whatsoever is served by those who are now
trying to discredit Josh or his family by sensationalizing the story.
Good people make mistakes and do regrettable and even disgusting
things. The reason that the law protects disclosure of many actions on
the part of a minor is that the society has traditionally understood
something that today’s blood-thirsty media does not understand—that
being a minor means that one's judgement is not mature. No one needs to
defend Josh’s actions as a teenager, but the fact that he confessed his
sins to those he harmed, sought help, and has gone forward to live a
responsible and circumspect life as an adult is testament to his
family’s authenticity and humility. Those who have enjoyed revealing
this long ago sins in order to discredit the Duggar family have actually
revealed their own insensitive bloodthirst, for there was no
consideration of the fact that the victims wanted this to be left in the
past and ultimately a judge had the information on file destroyed—not
to protect Josh, but the innocent victims. Janet and I love Jim Bob and
Michelle and their entire family. They are no more perfect a family
than any family, but their Christian witness is not marred in our eyes
because following Christ is not a declaration of our perfection, but of
HIS perfection. It is precisely because we are all sinners that we need
His grace and His forgiveness. We have been blessed to receive God’s
love and we would do no less than to extend our love and support for our
friends. In fact, it is such times as this, when real friends show up
and stand up. Today, Janet and I want to show up and stand up for our
friends. Let others run from them. We will run to them with our
support.
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