Jen Hatmaker

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well I’ve been one who kind of felt bad for Brandon being married to a narcissist for 20+ years but something shifted when I read our thread’s PI outlining a convincing story of his possible adultery. It may not even be true but it caused me to see him as more of a user. Like did he really need to post all the boobie photos of Tina? I get it’s been 2 years but come on man you’re 50 and your kids see this weird man child behavior out of you. Not to mention the endless liquor pictures. He seems about 21 emotionally, based on what puts a high emphasis upon. (Hot chick, booze, motorcycles, muscle cars, bars, concerts, sports events, expensive: hats/boots, vacations &gifts) surprisingly superficial stuff for a former pastor. Former ANCer’s was he always like this or did this escalate with his mid life crises?

Former ANCer here from about 2010.
Well you know, you go wow I obviously never knew them like I thought I did.
But no. Jen was always LOOK AT MEEEEE and selfish but Brandon seemed sweet & winsome & maybe even a little maudlin.
When he was around Tray he turned into a tool cause Tray is a total tool.
Now I think Brandon was/is just a follower.
I think - I know - Brandon was not at all cool with gay marriage.

I always thought B truly loved the Lord. I think Jen just used Jesus as her grift du jour. we know them by their fruit - Jen has no fruit.

My theory:
Brandon, already mostly castrated by his fame whore wife, has a serious spiritual crisis stemming from a. The golf cart death and b. Sydney coming out.
His wife sucks at empathy so she probably was supportive in the beginning but then maybe made it worse.
He’s very depressed and starts drinking, etc????? way too much. Plus some financial shenanigans.
He walks away from God. So all moral compass out the window now.
Tina comes along.
All the married-too-young-sow-wild-oats-my-wife-doesn’t-understand-me-she marksmen-feel-like-a-man-again crap kicks in.

Jen & Brandon abandoned Christ and embraced a prosperity gospel as vapid as that of Jim & Tammy Faye Bakker.
The prosperity gospel will never, ever deliver. And it will always, always disappoint when a crisis comes.
Only a true understanding that Christ, who suffered far worse for our SIN will heal us. But we must repent of that sin first, **not applaud it**
Jesus Christ the Son of the Great I Am is not our buddy, he is not our pal. He is our SAVIOR. He is the only Influencer who matters.

Brandon, you know this.
Turn around.
Nothing else will satisfy your heart.
Remember your first love.
He didn’t go anywhere. He’s still here.

Amen. Thank you for your thoughtful response. You articulated beautifully what I have felt as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP asked why we seem to go easier on Brandon than Jen -
I’ve been chewing on this. I think it is because this is a board made up mostly of Christian women and we tend to recognize the Holy Spirit in one another.

I saw it in Brandon, with my own eyes. So now I think of Brandon as my lost brother, the prodigal son I’m praying to come home after he finally tires of eating the pig slop, knowing that the Father will run across town to him, if he only comes home.

I don’t feel this way about Jen.
Jen
She makes me think of matthew 7: “ Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”


This is spot on. There is a sense that Brandon has a tender Jesus heart that suffered several wounds that caused him to skid out but the arm of the Lord is not too short to save.
I’ve had this dread for Jen as she’s become an activist of sorts proselytizing a gospel according to Jen. God is going to hold her accountable for her leading these women astray. As she twirls her hair and weaves this tale of how enlightened she is I feel a kind of terror for her if she doesn’t humble herself. What does it prosper a woman to gain the whole world if she loses her soul? How much worse if she leads countless others with her in her deception? Lord have mercy.

[Anonymous]

I know a lot of people on this thread aren’t on the more conservative Biblical side so the commenters above who are lamenting the fall of Brandon and Jen sounds a bit strange and overwrought but for those of us who saw the pre fame Hatmakers and then the post game Hatmakers it really rings true. Brandon once was a faithful and beloved pastor. He showed definite fruit. Jen played the part superficially but the more you got a view behind the scenes the more you realized that something was really off. Brandon, maybe out of devotion and duty, tried to serve his church and his wife but S time went in the tension proved to be just too much and he spun out of control. Add on the death of a close friend and maybe some substance abuse and you got what we got.
I think Brandon has or had a real heart for Jesus. I think Hen never really did. None of this to excuse any destructive rehabilitation that Brandon might have inflicted.

[Anonymous]

It seems to me that all of these overly sympathetic characterizations of Brandon from the Christian women on this board belie the deeply rooted misogyny so prevalent in a lot of Christianity.

I’m no Jen fan - I find her vapid, fake and immature, but these Brandon takes “poor Brandon - he cheated and abused alcohol and drugs bc he was married to someone more famous than he is but he really loves the lord” are outrageous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems to me that all of these overly sympathetic characterizations of Brandon from the Christian women on this board belie the deeply rooted misogyny so prevalent in a lot of Christianity.

I’m no Jen fan - I find her vapid, fake and immature, but these Brandon takes “poor Brandon - he cheated and abused alcohol and drugs bc he was married to someone more famous than he is but he really loves the lord” are outrageous.

The difference is that Brandon isn’t swindling people. No one is calling him a saint, but it’s hard to have the disdain for him that people do for Jen when she’s the one actively deceiving others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems to me that all of these overly sympathetic characterizations of Brandon from the Christian women on this board belie the deeply rooted misogyny so prevalent in a lot of Christianity.

I’m no Jen fan - I find her vapid, fake and immature, but these Brandon takes “poor Brandon - he cheated and abused alcohol and drugs bc he was married to someone more famous than he is but he really loves the lord” are outrageous.

The difference is that Brandon isn’t swindling people. No one is calling him a saint, but it’s hard to have the disdain for him that people do for Jen when she’s the one actively deceiving others.

How is she deceiving people? Literally all she does is sell shit online now. Seems pretty transparent to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems to me that all of these overly sympathetic characterizations of Brandon from the Christian women on this board belie the deeply rooted misogyny so prevalent in a lot of Christianity.

I’m no Jen fan - I find her vapid, fake and immature, but these Brandon takes “poor Brandon - he cheated and abused alcohol and drugs bc he was married to someone more famous than he is but he really loves the lord” are outrageous.

The difference is that Brandon isn’t swindling people. No one is calling him a saint, but it’s hard to have the disdain for him that people do for Jen when she’s the one actively deceiving others.

He swindled his wife, their marriage, their financial accounts, his kids. He swindled the people closest to him.

I wish him the best moving forward, but the love for Brandon here is insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems to me that all of these overly sympathetic characterizations of Brandon from the Christian women on this board belie the deeply rooted misogyny so prevalent in a lot of Christianity.

I’m no Jen fan - I find her vapid, fake and immature, but these Brandon takes “poor Brandon - he cheated and abused alcohol and drugs bc he was married to someone more famous than he is but he really loves the lord” are outrageous.

The difference is that Brandon isn’t swindling people. No one is calling him a saint, but it’s hard to have the disdain for him that people do for Jen when she’s the one actively deceiving others.

How is she deceiving people? Literally all she does is sell shit online now. Seems pretty transparent to me.

“This is amazing” , “this is my favorite _____”, getting a profit for promoting things without admitting it (such as online therapy)….need I go on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems to me that all of these overly sympathetic characterizations of Brandon from the Christian women on this board belie the deeply rooted misogyny so prevalent in a lot of Christianity.

I’m no Jen fan - I find her vapid, fake and immature, but these Brandon takes “poor Brandon - he cheated and abused alcohol and drugs bc he was married to someone more famous than he is but he really loves the lord” are outrageous.

The difference is that Brandon isn’t swindling people. No one is calling him a saint, but it’s hard to have the disdain for him that people do for Jen when she’s the one actively deceiving others.

He swindled his wife, their marriage, their financial accounts, his kids. He swindled the people closest to him.

I wish him the best moving forward, but the love for Brandon here is insane.

Except you don’t know if he actually swindled anyone. What we know is they divorced and that Jen has strongly hinted at the fact that he cheated. Everything else is speculation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems to me that all of these overly sympathetic characterizations of Brandon from the Christian women on this board belie the deeply rooted misogyny so prevalent in a lot of Christianity.

I’m no Jen fan - I find her vapid, fake and immature, but these Brandon takes “poor Brandon - he cheated and abused alcohol and drugs bc he was married to someone more famous than he is but he really loves the lord” are outrageous.

The difference is that Brandon isn’t swindling people. No one is calling him a saint, but it’s hard to have the disdain for him that people do for Jen when she’s the one actively deceiving others.

How is she deceiving people? Literally all she does is sell shit online now. Seems pretty transparent to me.

“This is amazing” , “this is my favorite _____”, getting a profit for promoting things without admitting it (such as online therapy)….need I go on?

I mean fine but if anyone is watching this crap and believing that all of this is really “the best” or “my favorite” it’s really on them. Agree, the online therapy shill is beyond the pale because that can do real-world harm.

[Anonymous]

All we know from Brandon’s mouth is he had an addiction issue, depression and received different types of therapy for 5 years before the divorce. The rest is pure guess work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems to me that all of these overly sympathetic characterizations of Brandon from the Christian women on this board belie the deeply rooted misogyny so prevalent in a lot of Christianity.

I’m no Jen fan - I find her vapid, fake and immature, but these Brandon takes “poor Brandon - he cheated and abused alcohol and drugs bc he was married to someone more famous than he is but he really loves the lord” are outrageous.

The difference is that Brandon isn’t swindling people. No one is calling him a saint, but it’s hard to have the disdain for him that people do for Jen when she’s the one actively deceiving others.

How is she deceiving people? Literally all she does is sell shit online now. Seems pretty transparent to me.

“This is amazing” , “this is my favorite _____”, getting a profit for promoting things without admitting it (such as online therapy)….need I go on?

I mean fine but if anyone is watching this crap and believing that all of this is really “the best” or “my favorite” it’s really on them. Agree, the online therapy shill is beyond the pale because that can do real-world harm.

If someone is blantantly lying, and someone believes them…it’s on them?!?? That must be what Jen tells herself.

[Anonymous]

Jen really jumped the shark for me when she posted a photo of herself moping on a boat or a porch and compared herself to Jesus Christ on GOOD FRIDAY. As if losing a book publisher/distributer equals being beaten to shreds by Roman guards. She needs a Nathan in her life to set her straight.

Brandon ain't no saint and he for sure did Jen wrong, but he has no Messiah complex.

[Anonymous]

The whole defense, “if you are stupid enough to believe her lies that’s on you” is reprehensible. Particularly when many of her early followers were introduced to her books/studies in their churches. She was presented as someone one who could be trusted by trustworthy church leaders. Jen loved the honor of being a Bible teacher. So when she chose to deconstruct her entire biblical understanding it made an impact on the countless women who had brought her materials into their homes and followed her advice.
Jen got up at IF conferences and wooed the crowds with her humor and story telling but it was all a theatrical production. The reality of her real life was a far cry from the one she sold the crowds. It still is, but now the cracks are showing. At least for some of us. Reading a few of the 400+ affirming comments to her Tyler video post reminded me how many are willing to embrace her version of reality.
When Glennon did her cut and paste of the Bible and changed her religious understanding I was slightly less appalled because she never claimed to be a Bible scholar, or pastor. Her books weren’t handed out at women’s Bible studies. She was just a recovering addict who needed a savior. When Jen decided to take the same route it was a willful rejection of all she’d taught and espoused for years.
There’s so many layers of deception with Jen. Please don’t blame the seduced for bring gullible when they naturally assume Jen operates with the same level of integrity as themselves. Jen’s been selling them on her superior virtue and trustworthiness for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The whole defense, “if you are stupid enough to believe her lies that’s on you” is reprehensible. Particularly when many of her early followers were introduced to her books/studies in their churches. She was presented as someone one who could be trusted by trustworthy church leaders. Jen loved the honor of being a Bible teacher. So when she chose to deconstruct her entire biblical understanding it made an impact on the countless women who had brought her materials into their homes and followed her advice.
Jen got up at IF conferences and wooed the crowds with her humor and story telling but it was all a theatrical production. The reality of her real life was a far cry from the one she sold the crowds. It still is, but now the cracks are showing. At least for some of us. Reading a few of the 400+ affirming comments to her Tyler video post reminded me how many are willing to embrace her version of reality.
When Glennon did her cut and paste of the Bible and changed her religious understanding I was slightly less appalled because she never claimed to be a Bible scholar, or pastor. Her books weren’t handed out at women’s Bible studies. She was just a recovering addict who needed a savior. When Jen decided to take the same route it was a willful rejection of all she’d taught and espoused for years.
There’s so many layers of deception with Jen. Please don’t blame the seduced for bring gullible when they naturally assume Jen operates with the same level of integrity as themselves. Jen’s been selling them on her superior virtue and trustworthiness for years.

Ok but her posts now are clearly commercials. They don’t have a spiritual component. Surely people, even those who followed her in the early days, can tell the difference between a commercial or not, right? I mean what do Able clothes have to do with Christianity? It’s not like she’s telling people that Jesus told her to buy these clothes.