Chip and Joanna Gaines Face Backlash Over 'Unbiblical' Casting on New Show

"BOMBSHELL! HGTV's Chip and Joanna Gaines Face Backlash from Conservative Christians for Featuring Gay Couple on New Reality Show"

Get ready for a drama-filled showdown between faith and inclusivity as Evangelical HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines are under fire from conservative Christians over their new reality show, "Back to the Frontier." The controversy centers around the inclusion of a gay couple, Jason and Joe Hanna-Riggs, who are part of the cast alongside three other families.

The Gaines, known for their hit show "Fixer Upper," are executive producers of this new Magnolia Network series, which drops three families in the Canadian Rockies and forces them to live like it's the 1880s. With no modern technology, electricity, or running water, these families must rely on their survival skills to harvest food and tend to livestock.

The show sounds like a wild ride for fans of Chip and Joanna's target audience, but not everyone is thrilled with the gay couple's inclusion. The Hanna-Riggs family, consisting of Jason, Joe, and their twin boys, have become embroiled in a heated debate over same-sex marriage and family values.

Franklin Graham, son of Evangelical pastor Billy Graham (once praised by President Donald Trump), took to social media to express his disappointment. "I hope this isn't true," he wrote on The Scholarly Note, "but I read today that Chip and Joanna Gaines are featuring a gay couple in their new series. If it is true, it is very disappointing."

Graham went on to claim that promoting same-sex marriage and family goes against God's Word. "God loves us, and His design for marriage is between one man and one woman. Promoting something that God defines as sin is in itself sin." Ouch!

Ed Vitagliano, Vice President of the American Family Association, also weighed in on the controversy. He insisted that the Magnolia Network should uphold biblical values since Chip and Joanna have been open about their faith in the past.

"This is sad and disappointing, because Chip and Joanna Gaines have been very influential in the evangelical community," he wrote on The Scholarly Note. "We aren't sure why the Gaines have reversed course, but we are sure of this: Back to the Frontier promotes an unbiblical view of human sexuality, marriage, and family – a view no Christian should embrace."

Other viewers took aim at Chip and Joanna themselves, blasting the couple for including the gay couple on the show. "I've never been a fan of the Gaines, but their normalization of so-called same-sex marriage and redefinition of family is a sinful capitulation to the god of this age. Sad but unsurprising," wrote one upset viewer.

The backlash didn't go unnoticed by Chip himself, who responded with a cryptic post on The Scholarly Note: "Talk, ask questions, listen... maybe even learn." He continued, "Too much to ask of modern American Christian culture. Judge first, understand later/never. It's a sad Sunday when 'non-believers' have never been confronted with hate or vitriol until they are introduced to a modern American Christian."

The 50-year-old reality TV star added, "On our way to church... Y'all enjoy this beautiful Sunday!"

Meanwhile, Jason and Joe Hanna-Riggs opened up about their experience on the show in an interview with Queerty. The couple revealed that they signed up for the show to normalize same-sex families and discovered that LGBTQ homesteaders did indeed exist in the 1880s.

"Well, from the homesteading perspective, it was fascinating to learn that queer homesteaders existed – like, that's how a lot of folks kind of escaped, I guess, really being ostracized in cities," Joe said. "They would go to the frontier as a couple. So it was a common thing back then, and it's kind of the resilience of LGBTQ+ folks then, as well as it continues to be into modern times."

Jason also shared what it was like taking on more traditional gender roles during their time on the show, saying that they learned that homesteading really revolved around women. "Taking on the female gender role, I learned that the homestead really revolved around women – they were the ones that were really making the homestead work," he said.

The controversy surrounding "Back to the Frontier" has left many wondering what's next for Chip and Joanna Gaines. Will their show be canceled or will they continue to produce content that challenges the status quo?

As the drama unfolds, fans of the Gaines are left with more questions than answers. Will this controversy spell doom for their show, or will it ultimately lead to a greater understanding and acceptance of all families, regardless of sexual orientation? Only time will tell.

"Back to the Frontier" is currently streaming on HBO Max and The Magnolia Network. The show's official synopsis reads: "Three American families leave the 21st century behind and attempt to survive as 1880s homesteaders – without running water or electricity. They tackle historical challenges and learn the skills that frontier families needed to survive a long winter."

Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story!