Actor Chris Pratt has been the subject of a Twitter war ignited last week after his appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” when actress Ellen page tweeted that his church was “infamously anti LGBTQ.”
“Oh. K. Um. But his church is infamously anti lgbtq so maybe address that too?” wrote Page, who is openly lesbian.
Oh. K. Um. But his church is infamously anti lgbtq so maybe address that too? https://t.co/meg8m69FeF
— Ellen Page (@EllenPage) February 8, 2019
The tweet has since been liked and commented on over 130,000 times.
“If you are a famous actor and you belong to an organization that hates a certain group of people, don’t be surprised if someone simply wonders why it’s not addressed,” Page added.
Since the “Jurassic World” star is very vocal about his faith — whether it be on awards show stages, TV interviews, or social media platforms — his views [have] often been under scrutiny both inside and outside of Hollywood.
Pratt attends Zoe Church and Hillsong (both located in Los Angeles). It is thought that the comments regarding his church “hating” the gay community stem from a public statement made by the senior pastor of Hillsong, Brian Houston, that is posted on the church’s website:
“We do not affirm a gay lifestyle and because of this we do not knowingly have actively gay people in positions of leadership, either paid or unpaid. I recognize this one statement alone is upsetting to people on both sides of this discussion, which points to the complexity of the issue for churches all over the world.”
While many have jumped on board with the actress in criticizing Pratt for his views on homosexuality by association with his church, several supporters have also come to his defense:
In an Instagram story, Pratt boldly defended the accusations that he attends a church that is hateful toward the LGBTQ community:
“It has recently been suggested that I belong to a church which hates a certain group of people and is ‘infamously anti-LGBTQ.’ Nothing could be further from the truth. I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone.
Despite what the Bible says about my divorce, my church community was there for me every step of the way, never judging, just gracefully accompanying me on my walk. They helped me tremendously offering their love and support. It is what I have seen them do for others on countless occasions regardless of sexual orientation, race or gender.
My faith is important to me but no church defines me or my life, and I am not a spokesman for any church or any group of people. My values define who I am. We need less hate in this world, not more. I am a man who believes that everyone is entitled to love who they want free from the judgment of their fellow man.”
The actor continued with a well-known statement made by Jesus in Matthew 13:34: “I give you a new command, love one another.”
“He is a God of Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness,” he wrote in closing. “Hate has no place in my or this world.”
While Pratt’s statement may not be biblically perfect on all points, the larger picture he paints is a much fairer representation of what the Church at large is called to do instead of judging and shaming: love the sinner, and hate the sin.
Kudos to him for taking the high road by refusing to lash back and choosing to speak in love.
