Last month, Fixer Upper stars, Chip Gaines and his wife, Joanna Gaines, who are devout Christians, experienced some harsh criticism when reports started circulating that their pastor, Jimmy Seibert teaches the Bible and its definition of marriage. The couple hadn’t responded to the criticism until now, Chip Gaines wrote on the couples Magnolia Market blog, that in 2017 it’s time to change the conversation.“This past year has been tough. In my lifetime, I can’t recall humanity being more divided. Plenty of folks are sad and scared and angry and there are sound bites being fed to us that seem fueled by judgment, fear and even hatred. 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,” Chip Gaines wrote.
“If there is any hope for all of us to move forward, to heal and to grow – we have got to learn to engage people who are different from us with dignity and with love. 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, ” Gaines continued.
Gaines went on to say that the world must learn to lovingly disagree.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
