HGTV Cancels Show Over Hosts' Christian Views

Here we go again...

Trouble erupted for HGTV when it was revealed that the hosts (twin brothers David and Jason Benham) of their upcoming show, "Flip It Forward," are outspoken evangelical Christians who hold traditional Christian views on abortion, homosexuality, divorce, and pornography.  A couple of days ago, Right Wing Watch released an article documenting how one of the two hosts of the show, David Benham, has a long history of opposing abortion, gay rights, and the Democratic Party.

Soon after the story broke, HGTV swiftly released the following statement on their Twitter account:

Once again, when it is revealed that someone holds to conservative views on abortion or homosexuality, their careers are put in jeopardy.  It doesn't matter the context of those comments.  It doesn't matter if they establish their love for all people. All that matters is that they made statements which other people decided to read as hate-filled and bigoted.

The pattern is predictable by now:

1. Television personality is outed for their Christian beliefs by some news source
2. Countless online news sources start throwing labels at the television personality
3. TV network pulls the television personality
4. Christians come to the television personalities defense
5. Online news sources criticize Christians for their defense

The important detail to me is that these cases always involve assigning additional meaning to their views on homosexuality.  In this case, one of the brothers made the following statement:

We don’t realize that, okay, if 87 percent of Americans are Christians and yet we have abortion on demand; we have no-fault divorce; we have pornography and perversion; we have a homosexuality and its agenda that is attacking the nation; we have adultery; we have all of the things; we even have allowed demonic ideologies to take our universities and our public school systems while the church sits silent and just builds big churches. We are so complacent, we are so apathetic and we are very hypocritical in the church, that’s why the Bible says judgment begins in the house of God. 

First off, he's making statements about the inactivity of Christians.  Second, he makes comments about abortion, divorce, pornography, homosexuality, and adultery, but no one seems worried that he hates divorcees. No one is concerned about his HATE for those that look at pornography. No one is thinks he's a BIGOT against adulterers.   Those labels are only used when someone speaks against homosexuality.  There's no middle ground. Either you support equal rights, or you're a hate-filled bigot.

Who Are the Bigots?

I don't know these two brothers.  Maybe they are hate-filled. Maybe they are bigots.  I don't know. Here is what I do know: HGTV runs an awful lot of shows with a lot of people who are openly homosexual. The channel is very openly supportive of the gay community, and these brothers were okay working with them.  A bunch of people on the Huffington Post are speculating that they did so just for the money (even though their show is all about helping the underprivileged), but a more likely scenario is that they aren't as bigoted as the people who violently oppose anyone saying anything against homosexuality; that they're okay with working with people with whom they have disagreements.

Does it really sound like bigoted behavior to choose to work with a group of people which you supposedly hate and don't accept?

Here is the definition of "bigot" according to Webster.com: 

big·ot
 noun \ˈbi-gət\: a person who strongly and unfairly dislikes other people, ideas, etc. : a bigoted person; especially : a person who hates or refuses to accept the members of a particular group (such as a racial or religious group)

The argument follows:

• They believe homosexual activity is a sin
• They do not support gay marriage
• Therefore they are bigots because they hate gay people and don't accept them because they refuse to give them basic rights

This reasoning fundamentally doesn't understand the Christian perspective. Calling someone a sinner isn't a hate-filled statement. Christians believe that we're all sinners.  Likewise, someone opposing legalizing gay-marriage isn't an act of hate or rejecting, it's a Christian trying to understand how to best stand for Biblical truth on marriage and homosexuality.

• There's no actual hate for a person
• There's no actual rejection or lack of acceptance of a person or a group
• Acceptance =/= Agreeing with someone on everything

On the flip side, anytime someone in the public eye voices any opposition to homosexuality or gay marriage, they are quickly labeled: bigots & hate-filled. Louie Giglio pulled out of offering a prayer at a Presidential event due the enormous backlash which occurred when it was revealed that, 20 years ago, he preached a sermon where he called homosexuality a sin.

• You could say they are strongly & unfairly disliked for their ideas
• They are clearly, as a group, unacceptable as TV personalities and unwelcome on TV

There's a word we use when a group is categorically unfairly disliked and rejected as a group.

Crimes We're Not Concerned About

I guess there are just two simple questions on my mind:

1. When did the media become the morality police?
2. Why do they only care about perceived anti-homosexual comments?

Let's do a quick summary of people who currently entertain us:

BRYAN SINGER

Director of X-Men, X-Men II, & Superman Returns

• He has had numerous accusations of sexual involvement with underage boys.
• The first accusation was in 1997.
• There have been multiple additional accusations over the last two months.
• Later this month, his latest blockbuster will open.

CHRIS BROWN

Singer / Actor

• Beat his 100 pound girlfriend until she had to be hospitalized
• Following that, he wrote a song about how you shouldn't judge him
• He has been given acting roles in major motion pictures, and the recording industry seems content to continue to produce and promote his music to the masses.

LINDSAY LOHAN

Actress

• She has multiple drug charges
• She has multiple DUIs
• She has been arrested for shoplifting
• She has had multiple comeback opportunities
• She currently has a reality show about her latest comeback on Oprah's network

MICHAEL VICK

Football Player

• In 2007 he was arrested and convicted of helping run a dog fighting ring
• In 2010 he was awarded NFL Comeback Player of the Year

27 NFL PLAYERS

...Arrested between January 2013 and July 2013

Their list of offenses includes...

• Child abuse
• DUI 6x
• Assault 5x
• Street racing
• Murder
• Attempted murder

It appears the only unforgivable sin in entertainment is saying anything against homosexuality at any point in your life.