Her parents drew much of their philosophy from Mr. Gothard’s Institute in Basic Life Principles, which issued detailed formulas for what he viewed as right living. That included everything from marriage (abstain from sex for two weeks each month) to music (avoid anything with a syncopated beat). The rules were so specific and strict that for years, the family attended a “home church” with a few other large families with similar lifestyles, rather than a traditional church where the children might encounter Christians who lived even slightly differently. Mr. Gothard himself never married.

Mr. Gothard is a distinctly less influential figure than he was in the 1990s and early 2000s. He resigned from his ministry in 2014 after more than 30 women and teens accused him of sexual harassment and abuse. Ten women filed a civil suit, which included accusations of rape, against him and his ministry in 2016. The plaintiffs later voluntarily withdrew their suit over complications including the statute of limitations, but made clear they stand by their stories. Mr. Gothard, who is now 88, started a new organization and has denied the accusations, saying he “never kissed a girl nor have I touched a girl immorally or with sexual intent.” Mrs. Vuolo writes in the book that the accusations against him are “too consistent to deny.”

Funny she ended up at John MacArthur church.