After Ellen Page called his church “infamously anti-LGBTQ” in a tweet last week, Chris Pratt has responded by saying “nothing could be further from the truth.”
Pratt posted a response on his Instagram story on Monday, defending the Hillsong Church, which he attends, by saying it was supportive of him during his divorce from Anna Faris more than a year ago.
“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,” he wrote. “I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone. Despite what the Bible says about divorce, my church community was there for me every stop 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.”
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As previously reported, two Hillsong Church executives received backlash in 2015 after making homophobic comments and calling homosexuality a sin. Page tweeted her criticism of the church after Pratt appeared on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and talked about his religious side.
"Oh. K. Um. But his church is infamously anti lgbtq so maybe address that too?” Page wrote.
She later doubled down, tweeting, “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 it severe. Full stop. Sending love to all.”
In his response, Pratt went on to say how his personal values represent him, not his church affiliation.
“My faith is important to me but no church defines me or my life, and I am not a spokesman for any church or group of people. My values define who I am. 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 judgement of their fellow man,” he wrote.
The “Lego Movie 2” star also shared a Bible verse from John 13:34 in the post.
“Jesus said ‘I give you a new command, love one another,'” he wrote. “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.”
Hillsong Church did not provide NBC News with a requested comment regarding Page's claims that the church is anti-LGBTQ, but a publicist for the organization referred NBC News to a 2015 post by Hillsong's global senior pastor, Brian Houston. In that post, Houston states the church "welcomes ALL people" but does not "affirm all lifestyles," including the "gay lifestyle."