Earlier this week, actress Candace Cameron Bure gave an interview to tout her upcoming work with the Great American Family (GAF) network, a more conservative-branded alternative to the Hallmark Channel.
Bure, who has starred in over two dozen Hallmark Christmas movies and was a favorite of viewers, announced earlier this year she was leaving, citing a “a completely different network” which she attributed to a “change of leadership,” as per The Blaze.
She then joined up with GAF, which is owned by Hallmark parent company Crown Media’s CEO, Bill Abbot.
“GAC fits my brand perfectly,” she said at the time, referring to GAF’s previous name, Great American Country. “We share a vision of creating compelling, wholesome content for an audience who wants to watch programming for and with the whole family. Great, quality entertainment with a positive message is what my partnership with GAC is all about.”
This week, however, Bure ignited ire when she told The Wall Street Journal that GAF would “keep traditional marriage at the core” as Hallmark is moving towards more LGBT storylines.
In response, Bure was attacked on social media by “One Tree Hill” star Hilarie Burton, who branded her as a “bigot,” and performer Jojo Siwa of “Dance Moms” declared Bure’s comments had been “rude and hurtful.”
Rather than dive into controversy or haughty self-defense, however, Bure responded with admirable Christian grace, emphasizing her love people no matter what their beliefs, identity, or contempt for her views, as well as her devout commitment to her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
“All of you who know me, know beyond question that I have great love and affection for all people. It absolutely breaks my heart that anyone would ever think I intentionally would want to offend and hurt anyone,” she wrote in a heartfelt Instagram post.
“It saddens me that the media is often seeking to divide us, even around a subject as comforting and merry as Christmas movies. But, given the toxic climate in our culture right now, I shouldn’t be surprised. We need Christmas more than ever,” she continued.
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“I am a devoted Christian,” she underscored. “Which means that I believe that every human being bears the image of God. Because of that, I am called to love all people, and I do. If you know me, you know that I am a person who loves fiercely and indiscriminately.”
“My heart yearns to build bridges and bring people one step closer to God, to love others well, and to simply be a reflection of God’s huge love for all of us,” the actress wrote to her 5.7 million followers.
In her interview with WSJ, Bure also explained that chose to partner with GAF over their commitment to programming that aligned with the views of Christian families like her own.
“I knew that the people behind Great American Family were Christians that love the Lord and wanted to promote faith programming and good family entertainment,” she said.
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