Between breaks to wipe away tears and long pauses to collect herself, Kirk said she was forgiving the killer because that is what her husband would do, and because it is what their Christian faith calls them to do. That young man, that young man Kirk said at the podium, before quoting from the Bible. On the cross, our savior said, Father, forgive them, for they not know what they do.'
A cool evening air was descending on the 25-acre farmstead, blowing across the pond, around the barn, through the apple orchard and into the windows of Mike and Jenny Thomas's two-century-old, red brick farmhouse. The dinner hour had come. Edith, five, and George, three, enthusiastically rang a bell hanging near the kitchen door, sending metallic peals back into the early dusk. Mike sat down at the head of a wooden table, his wife at the other end, their four children along the benches between.
Chip and Joanna denied anti-gay allegations during a 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "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." Chip went on to engage with critics on social media, emphasizing the importance of attention to constructive criticism and expressing compassion for those who feel hurt by their stance.