Actor Chris Pratt has responded to
claims he supports a church opposed to LGBT rights.
Appearing on The Late Show with
Stephen Colbert to promote The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part,
Pratt discussed how he had just finished a 21-day Daniel Fast at the
encouragement of his church. He also shared that the pastor had
advised him on balancing fame.
“Oh. K. Um,” out actress Ellen Page
responded in a tweet. “But his church is infamously anti lgbtq so
maybe address that too?”
Page, who came out lesbian in 2014 and
is married to Emma Portner, continued in a separate tweet: “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. Being anti-LGBTQ is wrong, there aren't two
sides. The damage it causes is severe. Full stop. Sending love to
all.”
(Related: Ellen
Page holds Mike Pence partially responsible for attack on Jussie
Smollett.)
Pratt attends the megachurch Hillsong
Church, which has locations in New York and Los Angeles.
Carl Lentz, who helms the church's New
York location, in 2015 called homosexuality a “sin” and declared
that gay people could not hold leadership positions in the church.
Other leaders have come out against marriage equality and the church
has faced criticism in the past over its support for therapies that
attempt to alter the sexuality or gender identity of lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender people.
In an Instagram post, Pratt denied
Page's claims, saying that the church helped him during his recent
divorce from Anna Faris.
“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,”
Pratt wrote.
"Despite what the Bible says about
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 love and support. It is what I have
seen them do for others on countless occasions regardless of sexual
orientation, race or gender.”
"My values define who I am,"
he continued. "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. Jesus said, ‘I give you a
new command, love one another.' This is what guides me in my life. He
is a God of Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness. Hate has no place in my
or this world.”