After a long silence, Chip and Joanna Gaines addressed recent media controversy with a beautiful blog post touting the importance of loving disagreement. And Cosmo noticed.
Titled “New Year’s Revelation,” the Gaines’ post outlined their 2017 goal to practice and encourage love toward those with different viewpoints. “Jo and I refuse to be baited into using our influence in a way that will further harm an already hurting world,” Chip Gaines wrote, obviously addressing the November 29 BuzzFeed hit piece that embroiled his family in a media firestorm.
Although Cosmo‘s Peggy Truong called the controversy an “anti-LGBT scandal,” the writer described the post in a surprisingly positive light. In fact, it would be hard not to. The Gaineses are a light in a divided world and media landscape.
“You wanna talk about how to build bridges between people that disagree? We want to be a part of that conversation,” Gaines continued. “Do you want to talk about healing and compassion and kindness and restoration? We’re in the restoration business, we can for sure make time for that,” the Fixer Upper star wrote.
“Disagreement is not the same thing as hate, don’t believe that lie,” he concluded. “We propose operating with a love so real and true that you are willing to roll up your sleeves and work alongside the very people that are most unlike you.”
Chip Gaines practiced this on December 3 when he tweeted to followers: “Regardless of our decision to make a statement about all this craziness, or not, I ask that people please! Respect @KateAurthur & @ginamei.” Arthur and Mei were the respective writers of the BuzzFeed hit piece and a Cosmo article that followed.
If this sweet couple had expressed biblically based views on marriage, they would be labelled “hateful” … which is why their words are so very apt. Here’s hoping that Cosmo, BuzzFeed and other liberal media outlets take note. {eoa}
This article originally appeared on NewsBusters.org.
