Chip and Joanna Gaines' pastor is 'grateful' for attention gained from Buzzfeed's hit piece
Jimmy Seibert, the pastor of Antioch Community Church in Waco, Texas, said that he is "grateful" for the Buzzfeed article that targeted "Fixer Upper" hosts Chip and Joanna Gaines because it drove traffic to the church's website.
Last week, Buzzfeed published an article which questioned the Gaines couple's association with Seibert who is opposed to gay marriage and has preached that homosexuality is a sin. The article linked to a sermon that Siebert has preached after the Supreme Court declared that gay marriage is a constitutional right.
Seibert spoke with Family Research Council President Tony Perkins on his radio program called "Washington Watch" on Thursday to respond to the controversy, The Christian Post reported.
The pastor revealed that the traffic to the church's website increased by "a thousandfold" after the Buzzfeed article was published.
"That reminds me of another passage in scripture [Romans 8:28] that says 'All things work together for good, for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose,'" said Perkins.
"You know, the evil meant for good is actually giving a platform to the truth. A lot of people are seeing something they may not have seen before," he added.
Siebert agreed with Perkins and said that he was encouraged by the increase of visitors to the church's website because of the Buzzfeed article.
"Thousands and maybe hundreds of thousands of people are now getting some Scripture, getting some clarity, some truth and some thought on this issue or marriage and life and sexual identity and all that," said Siebert.
The pastor said that he welcomes those who are struggling with homosexuality to his church.
HGTV, the network that airs "Fixer Upper," has released a statement assuring its viewers that it does not discriminate against the LGBT community in its shows.
A petition launched by the Family Research Council to support Siebert and the Gaines family has amassed over 30,000 signatures as of Monday.
The American Family Association (AFA) also initiated a petition calling on HGTV network to stand by Chip and Joanna Gaines and continue airing their show. More than 83,000 people have signed the AFA petition.