Gay couple featured in Chip and Joanna Gaines’ TV series

Professing Christians and reality TV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines received criticism after their latest reality TV project debuted July 10, prominently featuring a male homosexual couple. As first reported by Realtor.com, their series “Back to the Frontier” for the Magnolia Network follows families as they abandon modern conveniences and assume the lifestyles of homesteaders living in the 1800s. In addition to two traditional families, the new series also features Jason and Joe Hanna-Riggs, a gay couple from Texas, along with the two adopted boys whom they refer to as their children, according to Realtor.com.

What was the reasoning behind Joe and Joe Hanna-Riggs appearing on a reality TV series helmed by Christian showrunners? The two wanted to appear on the show specifically to normalize same-sex relationships, according to an interview they did with Queerty, a pro-LGBTQ news outlet. The men told Queerty they have also used social media to promote adoptions among LGBTQ couples, and they saw the TV show as an extension of those attempts at normalization.

How is the Christian community responding? Several prominent Christian leaders have publicly criticized Chip and Joanna Gaines for featuring the Hanna-Riggs couple and their adopted children in such a positive light. Ed Vitagliano, vice president of the American Family Association, called the decision sad and disappointing. In the past, the Gaineses took a stand for Biblical marriage regardless of the personal cost, and it’s unclear why they’ve reversed course on that stance now, Vitagliano said. The decision to feature a gay couple is disappointing, according to a statement from Franklin Graham, son of the late Rev. Billy Graham. While Christians are called to love others, part of expressing love includes pointing people to a Biblical view of marriage that exclusively involves one man and one woman, Graham said.

Have Chip and Joanna Gaines responded? In a vague social media post that seemed to reference the controversy, Chip Gaines scolded what he called modern American Christian culture for judging others, rather than understanding them. He also accused American Christians of exposing nonbelievers to hate and vitriol.

Chip Gaines’ statement drew more backlash from those who accused Chip and Joanna Gaines of abandoning a Biblical view of marriage and platforming sin. God, not mere mortals, defines what a marriage is, and it is the job of a Christian to snatch souls from the fires of hell, not applaud them until they get there, wrote New York Times-bestselling author and Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham.

Dig deeper: Read Mary Jackson’s report on how Chip and Joanna Gaines responded to Pride Month in 2019.