In a recent interview with Kyra Phillips from CNN, Willie and Korie Robertson were given an opportunity to share more about their faith and to shed light on Phil Robertson's comments to GQ Magazine in December of last year. Phil, whose humor is sometimes a bit crass, was briefly suspended from the show and then reinstated by A&E after the Robertson family made it clear that their patriarch is a kind and loving Christian who meant no harm to anyone by his comments.
The Robertson family has never been shy about sharing their faith, from teenager Sadie's weekly devotional videos to numerous family members who have shared the Gospel and encouraged the church at speaking engagements nationwide. Willie and Korie also have a minor role in "God's Not Dead," now playing in theaters.
When asked about their thoughts on whether or not Christians can prove that God exists, Willie responded, "I think the whole point of that movie is that you can't prove it, it's something that you have to live out with faith." Korie noted that though you can't prove God's existence, you can't disprove it, either.
Phillips delved into a recent controversy about the Robertson family's faith, when patriarch Phil Robertson paraphrased part of the Bible during an interview in December. "He made Christmas very interesting for us," Willie laughed. He remembers the interview, where GQ Magazine was asking Phil several very specific questions about sin. Phil responded by quoting 1 Corinthians 6:9-10: "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" (English Standard Version).
The very next sentence in 1 Corinthians 6 may have helped everyone understand what Phil and other Christians believe; verse 11 continues:
"And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
The point is that everyone has sinned - whether by getting drunk, by having pre-marital sex, by practicing homosexuality, or by committing some other sin - and that God's grace and forgiveness is offered to everyone who humbles themselves before Him, acknowledging their sin and receiving His Son's promise of salvation (see John 3:16-17).
When asked what he personally believes, Willie pointed back to the word of God. "That's what 1 Corinthians says ... I believe what the Bible says," said Willie, pointing to the fact that everybody has sin in their life - "We certainly don't profess to be perfect at all, because we have our own sins that we deal with." His father Phil, who is an elder at White's Ferry Road Church of Christ, is the first to admit his own struggle with sin and his gratitude for the saving grace that was offered to him in Christ.
"Anybody who knows [Phil] - gay, straight, black, white ... knows that he is about love and that his message is about God's love and God's grace and God's forgiveness, ultimately," Korie says.
The couple was also asked how they would cope if "Duck Dynasty" were ever cancelled. "We were happy before, and we'll be happy after," Korie says, knowing that the family's bond in Christ is more important than their fame and fortune. Willie is thankful that the show has given them abundant opportunity to share their faith, and says he believes that the family would have been totally fine if "Duck Dynasty" had ended back in December. "We were able to use that platform to get out God's message," he says - "If it ended right there, it ended right there. I felt like that was pretty much what God prepared us to do."
