{"id":45413,"date":"2025-07-17T11:55:25","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T15:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=45413"},"modified":"2025-07-17T11:55:25","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T15:55:25","slug":"chip-gaines-cites-bible-in-defense-of-featuring-gay-couple-on-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2025\/07\/chip-gaines-cites-bible-in-defense-of-featuring-gay-couple-on-show.html","title":{"rendered":"Chip Gaines Cites Bible in Defense of Featuring Gay Couple on Show"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Left: Magnolia \/MAX | Right: lev radin \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chip Gaines has stood by the decision to air an episode featuring a gay couple. The couple will appear on \u201cBack to the Frontier,\u201d a new show produced by Chip and his wife, Joanna on their network, Magnolia. The show features families who agree to live life like people would have in the 19th<\/sup> century. The episode in question features Jason Hanna and Joe Riggs of Dallas, a same-sex couple with 10-year-old twin boys.<\/p>\n

Chip and Joanna Gaines have been a staple of Christian living throughout their popularity, so when the appearance of a same-sex couple on the show was leaked, the backlash was quick. Franklin Graham took to X<\/a> to announce his disappointment with the news. \u201cI hope this isn\u2019t true, but I read today that Chip and Joanna Gaines are featuring a gay couple in their new series. If It is true, it is very disappointing,\u201d wrote Graham. \u201cWhile we are to love people, we should love them enough to tell them the truth of God\u2019s Word. His Word is absolute truth. God loves us, and His design for marriage is between one man and one woman. Promoting something that God defines as sin is in itself sin.\u201d Allie Beth Stuckey accused the couple of selling out. \u201cYou\u2019ve exchanged the God of Scripture for the god of self, because you think that you are better and wiser than God is,\u201d she said in a podcast episode<\/a> discussing the controversy.<\/p>\n

Gaines responded to the controversy on X. \u201cTalk, ask qustns, listen.. maybe even learn,\u201d he wrote<\/a>. \u201cToo much to ask of modern American Christian culture. Judge 1st, understand later\/never It\u2019s a sad sunday when \u2018non believers\u2019 have never been confronted with hate or vitriol until they are introduced to a modern American Christian.\u201d In another response, he lamented judgmental attitudes. \u201c’Christians’ have certainly come out in full force as if they do know. … ‘Judge not\u2026.’ ‘Love one another’ it’s not difficult,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

There did seem to be some willingness, however, on Gaines\u2019s part to hear some criticism. Joel Berry, managing editor for The Babylon Bee <\/em>encouraged Gaines to filter out the vitriol and consider the reasoned approach of\u00a0 his Christian fans. \u201cYou\u2019ll see no hate from me. I\u2019m just sad. I can\u2019t let my kids watch your show now, since I\u2019m trying to protect their eyes and hearts from the lies of the world\u2014lies you\u2019re now participating in,\u201d Berry wrote. \u201cWe should love the sinner\u2014that doesn\u2019t mean we celebrate and promote the sin and participate in the multibillion dollar industry dedicated to destroying the family,\u201d he later added. Gaines responded kindly, writing, \u201cDon\u2019t be sad Joel.. plenty of other stuff out there. I\u2019m sure everyone will be fine,\u201d he stated<\/a>. \u201cBUT I sincerely appreciate the advice about taking some of the thoughtful, heartfelt, encouraging constructive criticism to heart.. and I certainly will.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chip Gaines has stood by the decision to air an episode featuring a gay couple. The couple will appear on \u201cBack to the Frontier,\u201d a new show produced by Chip and his wife, Joanna on their network, Magnolia. The show features families who agree to live life like people would have in the 19th century.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":45416,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-television"],"yoast_head":"\nChip Gaines Cites Bible in Defense of Featuring Gay Couple on Show<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Chip Gaines defends featuring a gay couple on Magnolia\u2019s new show amid backlash, urging Christians to listen with love instead of judgment.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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