Caitlyn Jenner's addition to Fox News was met with some criticism, specifically from one theologian.
Former athlete and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner was announced at the end of March as the newest addition to Fox News as a contributor. But the addition of the trangender personality was met with criticism from theologian and seminary president Albert Mohler, who says that the decision to hire Jenner was not a conservative one.
"Let me say now, emphatically: This is neither conservative nor right," Mohler, who leads the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, argued in his podcast "The Briefing" on Friday, as reported by the Christian Headlines.
Jenner was born male and identified as Bruce Jenner until 2015. As a man, he most notably won a gold medal in the men's decathlon at the 1976 Olympics and went on to become a reality TV star after his marriage to Kris Kardashian, the matriarch of the Kardashian family.
"Caitlyn's story is an inspiration to us all," Fix News CEO Suzanne Scott said in an announcement of the transgender celebrity's addition to the network's lineup of contributors. "She is a trailblazer in the LGBTQ+ community, and her illustrious career spans a variety of fields that will be a tremendous asset for our audience."
But Mohler disagreed, arguing that hiring a transgender individual cannot be considered conservative. He said, "You cannot have the LGBTQ revolution and claim a conservative identity. It simply doesn't work."
Mohler argued further, "You may be more conservative on some issues than other people, but we as Christians understand that a worldview is composite. It's comprehensive, it is a whole."
The theologian added that if Fox News decides to "deny the very order of creation," they will have "a very hard time identifying as a conservative in any consistent way at any other point." Mohler advised his listeners not to view cable news as pure news but rather as "a combination of news and entertainment," which the Fox brand has long been known for.
Mohler explained that "entertainment" is not limited to content that is "funny, or jolly or a comedy," but instead something that "captures your attention and from which you don't turn." Fox Corporation, which owns Fox News, said on its website that the network reaches up to 200 million viewers every month.
USA Today reported that during Jenner's first appearance as an official contributor on Fox News, the trangender former athlete said on Sean Hannity's program that she was not a trans activist.
"As you might know I am trans, but I'm not a trans activist," Jenner, who ran for the position of governor of California, explained. "That's just one part of my life. There's so much more to me."
Jenner added that LGBT issues are going to be "very big issues" in the upcoming midterms, which is why she was looking forward to covering them in the coming months. In fact, she voiced her support for Florida's controversial parental rights law, which limited classroom discussion on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Jenner, who was also a father, said, "I'm a common sense person and that's what you call common sense. I am all for parental rights."
