We’re all ‘Fixer Uppers’

It wasn’t surprising this week when the news outlet BuzzFeed reported that Chip and Joanna Gaines, hosts of the popular HGTV program Fixer Upper, attend a Christian church where their evangelical pastor teaches Biblical truth.

But the BuzzFeed report reads more like a new revelation than a settled conviction among true Christian churches: “Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Church Is Firmly Against Same-Sex Marriage.” The church’s pastor teaches homosexuality is “a sin.”

This shouldn’t be a shock.

This is what Biblically based, Christ-centered churches have believed and taught since the Holy Spirit inspired the writing of the Holy Scriptures. The truth doesn’t change when a Christian becomes popular.

Still, BuzzFeed demanded an accounting, though the Gaineses haven’t spoken out publicly about homosexuality. Indeed, the couple doesn’t speak overtly about their Christian faith on their television program, though they have discussed it in interviews and in their new book The Magnolia Story.

Their show has become a soaring hit and a ratings bonanza for HGTV, as the Gaineses incorporate a happy marriage, a commitment to their four children, and a diligent work ethic into producing beautiful work that helps other people.

Yes, it’s a television show, and the Gaineses aren’t perfect, but there’s an irony to BuzzFeed’s attempt to tank the couple over their Christian commitment: The couple’s universal appeal is rooted in the Christian faith the media outlet scorns.

Indeed, Genesis 2 shows the building blocks for a fruitful life in God’s creation: marriage, family, work, and enjoying the world He created. This is what the Gaineses seem to capture on their show—a glimpse of loving each other and producing good work as those made in God’s image.

Sadly, Genesis 3 shows us how sin marred those building blocks, and how God would send a Savior to restore His creation. We don’t live our lives in neat, hour-long television segments, but when Christian families work hard, love each other, and serve other people, it’s a beautiful picture of how Christ is working in the world—restoring us from the inside out.

It’s appealing.

To demand the Gaineses—or any other Christians—deny one of the teachings of their Christian faith is to ask them to abandon what likely makes them appealing to others—including those outside the church.

It also misses the point of the Christian faith. We’re all “fixer uppers.” Because of sin, every person is in disrepair. We all need Christ to forgive us and restore us into His image.

In his book Broken-Down House, Christian author Paul Tripp compares creation (including the people in it) to a crumbling house in need of repair:

“Sin has ravaged the beautiful house that God created. This world bears only the faintest resemblance to what it was built to be. It sits slumped, disheveled, in pain, groaning for the restoration that can only be accomplished by the hands of him who built it in the first place.”

The gospel is the good news that Christ comes to restore those who trust Him by faith.

The Gaineses’ pastor, Jimmy Seibert of Antioch Community Church in Waco, Texas, responded to the recent criticism, saying his teaching about marriage isn’t a definition he made up: “It’s straight from the Scripture. One man, one woman for life. That’s how God created us. That’s what He has for us.”

Seibert also said he preached a sermon on the subject after the Supreme Court’s decision on same-sex marriage last year because many Americans “don’t know what the Bible says anymore on issues of sexuality. People don’t know what God says on homosexuality or any other issue. I felt the need to say we are all a mess—but the fixed points were set by God—not us.”

By Friday morning, the Gaineses hadn’t officially responded to the BuzzFeed story, though Chip Gaines tweeted early Thursday morning:

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. DO EVERYTHING IN LOVE.

— Chip Gaines (@chippergaines) December 1, 2016

HGTV did respond to the story by saying the network doesn’t discriminate against LGBT people in any of its shows. Other programs on the network have featured same-sex couples looking for homes. It’s unclear whether the statement sets up a potential demand for Fixer Upper to do the same.

It isn’t the first time HGTV has grappled with the issue. In 2014, the network canceled plans for a house-flipping show featuring twins David and Jason Benham, after complaints over the brothers’ statements about Christian teaching on homosexuality.

But a few months earlier, the television network A&E faced swift backlash for suspending Phil Robertson, a star of the popular reality series Duck Dynasty, over his blunt opposition to homosexuality in a magazine interview. After an outcry from fans, the network quickly returned Robertson to the show.

By Thursday, HGTV was facing some of the same kind of backlash. Comment sections and Twitter feeds filled with support for the Gaineses and their pastor, including links to a petition drive set up by the Family Research Council. And in a compelling editorial in The Washington Post, a gay writer planning his same-sex wedding called the BuzzFeed story a dangerous hit piece.

Brandon Ambrosino wrote that he disagrees with those who believe marriage exists for one man and one woman, but he noted it’s a belief that nearly half the country holds:

“Think about that for a moment. Is the suggestion here that 40 percent of Americans are unemployable because of their religious convictions on marriage? That the companies that employ them deserve to be boycotted until they yield to the other side of the debate—a side, we should note, that is only slightly larger than the one being shouted down?”

Ambrosino argued there’s space for “ideological diversity,” and he says gay Americans should be willing to engage those who disagree with them instead of seeking to silence them.

Whether or not that advice prevails, Pastor Seibert urged Christians facing growing hostility over their beliefs to persevere and trust God. “Do we believe God and His Word is right and enough?” he asked. “As a believer, I need to do what’s right and trust God with what’s wrong.”