“Fixer Upper” Star Chip Gaines Addresses Homophobic Church Controversy

" We are not about to get in the nasty business of throwing stones at each other."

From: NewNowNext

 Chip and Joanna Gaines, the popular hosts of HGTV’s Fixer Upper, got embroiled in controversy last month, when it was revealed that their pastor opposed LGBT rights. A Buzzfeed article from November indicated Jimmy Seibert, pastor at Antioch Community Church, is adamantly against marriage equality and endorses conversion therapy.

It could be argued celebrities shouldn’t be made accountable for their minister’s opinions, but the Gaines’ refusal to address the issue only added fuel to the media fire.

Now Chip Gaines has finally addressed the controversy, though somewhat obliquely.

In a January 2 blog post on the couple’s website, he called on readers to “lovingly disagree” rather than be divided.

While he didn’t call out the Buzzfeed article directly, Gaines decried “sound bites being fed to us that seem fueled by judgement [sic], fear and even hatred.”

He added that he and his wife “refuse to be baited into using our influence in a way that will further harm an already hurting world.”

Much of the post will ring familiar to those who have heard the “love the sinner” philosophy employed by evangelicals.

“Joanna and I have personal convictions,” writes Gaines, 42. “One of them is this: we care about you for the simple fact that you are a person, our neighbor on planet Earth. It’s not about what color your skin is, how much money you have in the bank, your political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender, nationality or faith… We are not about to get in the nasty business of throwing stones at each other—don’t ask us to cause we won’t play that way.”

We probably won’t get anything more clear-cut about the Gaines’ views, though in four seasons, Fixer Upper has never featured a same-sex couple—a rarity for an HGTV series. In a statement, the network claimed its always supported diversity.

“We don’t discriminate against members of the LGBT community in any of our shows. HGTV is proud to have a crystal clear, consistent record of including people from all walks of life in its series.”