Chip Gaines Finally Addresses Pastor Controversy

Peggy Truong
Updated

Chip says he and Joanna want to “change the conversation” in 2017.

From Cosmopolitan

On Monday, Fixer Upper’s Chip Gaines shared some thoughts for 2017 in a post titled “New Year’s Revelation” on the Magnolia Market website. Among his remarks: what appears to be the first-ever official comments Chip has made on the show’s anti-LGBT scandal since BuzzFeed’s report that the HGTV couple’s pastor Jimmy Seibert opposes same-sex marriage and views homosexuality as a “sin.” Chip writes in his New Year’s post, “Jo and I refuse to be baited into using our influence in a way that will further harm an already hurting world, this is our home. A house divided cannot stand.”

He continues in his blog post that if there is “any hope” for everyone to move forward, engagement is key. And then there’s this:

Joanna and I have personal convictions. 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. That’s all fascinating, but it cannot add or take away from the reality that we’re already pulling for you. 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.

Chip adds that in 2017, he and Joanna have “decided to change the conversation,” whether it’s about how to connect people who disagree, healing, compassion, kindness, and restoration.

Also, let’s cut each other a little slack. This living out loud thing is not for the faint of heart. Jo and I don’t want to hide, we want to live brave & bold lives and we wish that same thing for you as well. But words can cut deep and having someone misunderstand your intentions can hurt as much as just about anything. If I misjudge people and am wrong, I want to be wrong having assumed the best about them. The bottom line is, I would rather be loving than be right… Our family wants to fight for a world that knows how to lovingly disagree. We believe it starts when we operate from a position of love in all things. If your position only extends love to the people who agree with you, we want to respectfully challenge that position. We propose operating with a love so real and true that you are willing to roll up your sleeves and work alongside the very people that are most unlike you. Fear dissolves in close proximity. Our stereotypes and vain imaginations fall away when we labor side by side. This is how a house gets unified.

While Chip's post does not mention Jimmy Seibert, the controversy, or his and Joanna's views on same-sex marriage directly, it's much more than what fans and critics got in December. Following BuzzFeed's explosive report, Chip took to Twitter to share inspirational messages about being courageous and strong in times of crises. The timing of the tweets led many to believe he was responding to the anti-LGBT pastor headlines.

At the time, HGTV released a statement saying it doesn’t discriminate against any members of the LGBT community on its programs. (To date, Fixer Upper has never featured a same-sex couple on the show). “HGTV is proud to have a crystal clear, consistent record of including people from all walks of life in its series.”

Read Chip’s full New Year’s blog post here.

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