LifeWay pulls Hatmaker books over LGBT remarks

Retailer LifeWay Christian Stores is pulling from its shelves books by best-selling author Jen Hatmaker after she said in an interview she supports same-sex marriage.

In an interview with Religion News Service, Hatmaker was asked, “Do you think an LGBT relationship can be holy?” She responded, “I do. And my views here are tender. This is a very nuanced conversation, and it’s hard to nail down in one sitting. I’ve seen too much pain and rejection at the intersection of the gay community and the church. Every believer that witnesses that much overwhelming sorrow should be tender enough to do some hard work here.” Hatmaker also stated she supported the legalization of same-sex marriage and would attend a gay wedding.

The author of several best-selling books and the subject of an HGTV series called My Big Family Renovation, Hatmaker’s Southern charm, laugh-out-loud humor, and passion for family gained her massive popularity both in and out of the Christian mainstream in recent years. She has more than 600,000 followers on Facebook and has appeared on national TV and in The New York Times.

Following publication of the Religion News Service interview, a LifeWay spokesperson told Baptist Press the store would no longer sell Hatmaker’s books.

“In a recent interview, [Hatmaker] voiced significant changes in her theology of human sexuality and the meaning and definition of marriage—changes which contradict LifeWay’s doctrinal guidelines,” LifeWay spokesman Marty King said Thursday. “As a result, LifeWay has discontinued selling her resources.”

LifeWay has barred other well-known Christian authors from its stores because of doctrinal differences. It pulled books by author and pastor Mark Driscoll and stopped selling resources by people who claimed to have visited heaven.

Hatmaker, a mother of five and wife of Pastor Brandon Hatmaker, has not issued a statement in response to LifeWay’s decision.