French Friday: The Gaines, Gaza, and "The Bear"
- Skye Jethani
- Aug 1
- 1 min read
Some Christians are calling for Chip and Joanna Gaines to be cancelled because their new HBO home improvement show features a married same-sex couple. David French and Skye Jethani discuss whether it’s really a principled stand for traditional Christian values, or a target of opportunity for online trolls. Scenes of starvation in Gaza are provoking international outrage, and even Israeli human rights organizations are now calling the situation a “genocide.” As Israel’s most important ally, what is America’s responsibility? And season 4 of “The Bear” includes powerful themes of repentance and redemption.
0:00 - Theme Song
1:58 - Chip and Joanna Gaines Controversy
20:18 - Pluralism
29:35 - Gaza Update
35:47 - Laws of War
45:48 - Moral Injury
51:19 - The Bear and Repentance
1:06:15 - End Credits
I just woke up to this on my Substack “We are imposing a complete siege on Gaza,” announced the Israeli Defense Minister then. “There will be no electricity, no food, no water, no gas. Everything is closed.” He said this was the proper way to deal with “human animals.”
Please Please Please no more legal discussion of what constitutes what in Gaza - no more bantering back and forth on the semantics of semantics - we are watching a full blown genocide funded by yours and my tax dollars - Jesus Please Please Please Help us - Please ....
I really think you’ve missed the heart of the controversy around the Gaines situation.
For many evangelicals, the Gaines were seen not just as television personalities—they were perceived as representative of evangelical Christianity. People felt emotionally invested in them, seeing them as fellow believers who reflected their values on a national stage.
So when the Gaines made a public statement—or perhaps more accurately, told a story through their show—that many evangelicals interpret as affirming a moral position outside the bounds of historic Christian teaching, it felt like a betrayal. To those who feel this way, it looks like the Gaines used Jesus to gain influence and financial success, and then distanced themselves from His teachings when it became more profitable…