Benham brothers thank Christians for support but warn freedom of expression is being 'fractured'

The Benham brothersHGTV

The Benham brothers have thanked Christians for their support during the row over their conservative beliefs.

The traditional views of David and Jason Benham prompted HGTV to cancel a reality show the brothers had been due to star in.

The Benham real estate group was also initially dropped by SunTrust in the wake of strong criticism against their conservative stance on issues like marriage, homosexuality and abortion.

Last week, the brothers announced on their Facebook page that SunTrust had pulled all of its listed properties with them and several franchises across the US.

"This came without warning or explanation from SunTrust and took place over a 15 minute period on May 15, 2014," the announcement said.

"We were caught off-guard with this one. Keeping us off television wasn't enough, now this agenda to silence wants us out of the marketplace."

However, strong protest from conservatives prompted SunTrust to reverse their decision and reinstate Benham properties.

Now in a YouTube video, the brothers express their thanks to supporters, saying they were "overwhelmed" by what had taken place.

"We just wanted to say thank you," said David Benham.

"One thing that we want to encourage Americans is that it's so important right now.

"There is a fracture in our nation and religious liberty, and freedom to think and freedom to express our beliefs is fractured and our nation needs us."

Jason Benham pleaded with supporters to be gracious.

"So many folks have stood with us and we've seen a remnant of people that are saying, you know what? 'I'm gonna be bold. I'm not gonna back down,'" he said.

"But this is the one thing that we want to encourage you with — boldness apart from repentance makes a bully on both sides. That if you don't feel love and compassion for a fellow human being, then we would tell you just don't say anything. You stay seated."