Faithful Christians Can Still Run Bakeries: Masterpiece Cakeshop Victorious Before Supreme Court
Published on THE STREAM
Expert baker Jack Phillips is also a devout, faithful Christian. He holds a sincere religious conviction that the teaching of the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament, the Christian tradition and the Natural Moral law on the nature of marriage is true. And that it must be embraced by all believing Christians.
What is that teaching? Namely, that marriage is solely possible between one man and one woman and is intended for life, open to children and formative of family. No other relationship can be a marriage. In other words, he agreed with the ancient and almost universal Christian teaching and most of humanity through human history.
The Problem
That proved to be a problem for some. Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins entered Phillips’ Masterpiece Cakeshop in 2012 and told Jack that they were planning to marry. Jack explained to the same-sex couple, “I’ll make your birthday cakes, shower cakes, sell you cookies and brownies. I just don’t make cakes for same-sex weddings.”
The couple filed a discrimination action against the baker with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The Commission ruled against the Baker in an opinion laden with anti-Christian hostility. The Colorado Court of Appeals affirmed that decision.
The homosexual couple asserted that the refusal to design and bake the wedding cake violated the Colorado Public Accommodation Statute, as well as violating the state and federal Constitution. They said it was discrimination based upon their sexual orientation.
Phillips maintained that to compel him to bake a cake advancing the idea that two men can marry violated his fundamental constitutional right to the free exercise of religion. He also argued that it violated his rights to free speech. Forcing him to bake the cake would be a form of compelled speech, which the government cannot do.
A Notorious Case
The case gained national notoriety. Eventually the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear it. It has been one of the court’s most closely watched cases. Both religious people and homosexual activists saw that it could decide fundamental questions that would deeply affect them.
In his request for the Supreme Court to review his case, Phillips stated that his “main goal in life is to be obedient” to Jesus Christ. He wants to follow His “teachings in all aspects of his life.” He sees his work as an extension of his Christian discipleship. He said he seeks to “honor God through his work at Masterpiece Cakeshop.”
That was the problem for Craig and Mullins and then the state’s Civil Right’s Commission. No one minds that Phillips wants to be obedient to Christ. They object only if he follows Jesus in his business. They expect Christians to leave God at home when they go to work. Same-sex activists demand that Christians turn into secularists when they stand behind the counter or work in the shop.
The Christian who believes Jesus is the Lord of all life can’t do that. Phillips politely refused to be one man at home and another man at work. . . . .
