CCP162: On Chip & Joanna Gaines’ Recent Controversy

5 snips

Aug 22, 2025

The discussion dives into the controversy surrounding Chip and Joanna Gaines featuring a same-sex couple on their show. It explores the backlash from the Christian community and the nuances of judgment versus acceptance. The hosts reflect on the moral dangers of being judgmental while emphasizing the importance of care in feedback. With a focus on grace and truth, they dissect the complexities of inclusion within Christianity. Ultimately, the conversation highlights the need for love and unity over doctrinal disputes in public Christian witness.

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INSIGHT

Judgment Vs. Moral Discernment

Judgmentalism is condemned by Jesus but is different from making moral value judgments.
Not being judgmental doesn't mean refusing to say something is right or wrong when love and truth demand it.

ADVICE

Intervene Out Of Love When Harm Is Clear

Warn and intervene when someone's choices are clearly destructive, because love sometimes requires confrontation.
Speak truth kindly to stop someone from metaphorically stepping off a cliff.

INSIGHT

What Real Judgmentalism Looks Like

True judgmentalism is personal condemnation and moral superiority, not corrected behavior.
Jesus warned that those who assume God's judging role will themselves be judged.

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In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the recent controversy surrounding former HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines who rose to fame from their home renovation show called Fixer Upper, which aired back in 2013. In 2019, they announced their departure from HGTV and the launch of a new network called the Magnolia Network, which finally debuted in 2022. But just last month, many of their fans turned on them after they featured a same-sex couple on their show, Back to the Frontier. Same-sex couples on TV shows are hardly uncommon nowadays, so why have the Gaines received so much backlash and from whom?

Episode Links

Christie D'Zurilla wrote an article in the Los Angeles Times titled, “Chip and Joanna Gaines' new show features a same-sex married couple. Some Christians are ‘disappointed.'” If you're interested in reading the full article you can find it HERE. Some people who question the Christian community's response to their decision are seemingly misunderstanding the difference between acceptance and affirmation, between making a value judgment and being judgmental. Dr. White gave a series at Mecklenburg Community Church that might be helpful to listen to. It's called “Unchristian,” and its installments are a response to people who say that Christians are judgmental, hypocritical and homophobic. You can find that series HERE.

There are two additional series that we think would be helpful for a deeper look at what the Bible has to say about judgmentalism, the true meaning of grace, and the significance of Jesus bringing both grace AND truth to bear on people's lives. Those series are “Judged” and “Getting Grace Right,” both available in .mp3 or .pdf formats at Church & Culture.

Finally, there were two authors Dr. White mentioned during today's discussion. The first was John Stott and his book Sermon on the Mount, which includes an exploration of what true judgmentalism is like, and how it can lead to setting yourself up as God. And the second was Dr. Henry Cloud and his book Changes That Heal for more of the discussion on grace and truth.

For those of you who are new to Church & Culture, we'd love to invite you to subscribe (for free of course) to the twice-weekly Church & Culture blog and check out the Daily Headline News - a collection of headlines from around the globe each weekday. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.