To Christians: Bake the Cake

... And do it happily.

I'm actually hesitant to post this.  I love political debates, but typically don't like to use my blog as an avenue to do it.

But I've been consumed with this issue this past week.  And judging by leading stories on Yahoo! and social media, we all have been.

Anyone who knows me knows that I lean conservative and am a passionate Christian, so it probably surprises them to hear me say that we, as Christians, should always bake cakes for gay weddings, and we should do so with a serving heart.

We should serve Jesus by serving non-Christians, those very souls who believe so differently than we do.

Christians, you are not acting Christ-like by refusing to bake the cake.

If you are an owner of any small business and you have an opportunity to serve someone who believes differently than you do, you should do it.

You should bake a cake for atheists.

You should bake a cake for a Muslim wedding.

You should bake a cake for a Bar Mitzvah.

You should bake a cake for gays.

Jesus didn't only serve those who believed He was the Son of God.  He didn't just love those who did His will.

The ugly truth that conservative Christians need to face is this: gays are persecuted in our country, and it happens every day.

Not all Christians believe that being gay is a sin, but Christians that do, please hear me:

A sin is a sin, is a sin.

No sin is greater than another.

We should not judge others.  Instead, we should concern ourselves with being the best reflections of Christ that we can possibly be.

What would Jesus do, if he owned a bakery?  Would he kick a gay couple out and refuse them service?

Or would he bake them a cake, feed them, engage them in a conversation, and have them wondering what it is about this man that makes them feel so...so loved? Would he draw them closer to him through this act?

Wouldn't Jesus love the sinner through the sin?

I've heard multiple people say that baking a cake is a symbol of acceptance and approval of gay marriage, and that we shouldn't accept or approve of gay marriage because God doesn't.

Bull.

God has the power to judge.  He has the power to accept and approve behavior.  He alone has the power of conversion.

We do not.  Do you hear me?  We. Do. Not.

Jesus didn't say to his disciples: "Convert others!  Make sure they adhere to all of what I said in my sermons! Hold them accountable and don't let them think you approve of their sin!"

Instead he said, "Follow me. Spread the good news."

Who are we to think we are so special that our approval and acceptance and judgement should mean anything to others? Do we really think WE do the converting here? Or does Jesus?

Are we really that self-righteous?  I shudder at the answer.

It's obvious that it would be not only beneficial to our religion, but biblical, if we were to act like Jesus.  Christians have gained the reputation for being self-righteous and judgmental, and in many circumstances, rightly so, in my opinion.

If we were to stand up for the last and perhaps, the most important, commandment Jesus left us with  (Love one Another), as passionately as we were to stand up for other scriptures, we would become more like Christ Himself, who regarded the Pharisees - the enforcers of rules - as not doing God's will.

But love looks differently in different situations, you might say.  As a parent, sometimes love means drawing a line and using your judgement.  Even Jesus showed anger when he turned over the tax collectors' tables!  Sometimes, a lesson is best learned this way.

I have to admit, this thought crossed my mind, too.  But it's wrong.  Learning from the Bible requires us to take into account what Jesus said and what God commanded, but it makes us look at the circumstances in which it was said.

And when you look at the circumstances Jesus was in when he said and did certain things, you realize that Jesus changed his tone when working with different factions of society.

When faced the persecuted- those who had been judged by his people - He showed mercy and grace, and undeserving, unrelenting compassion and love.  It was with His own people who were judging and treating others as outcasts that He showed the most anger.

We should bake the cake.

And if you can't, then you cannot serve cake to anyone.

Anyone.

Because we all have sinned, in some way.

You cannot serve those who partake in premarital sex.  You cannot serve cake to an alcoholic.  You cannot serve cake to a person who has been unfaithful, who has used the Lord's name in vain, who has pined over the neighbor's new car, or who has lusted after a person.

You might say, But a gay wedding is parading their sin! I'd let them buy a cake, just not one for their wedding. Jesus wouldn't serve those whose sin is so easily visible!

Really?

Would Jesus not comfort a pregnant teenage girl, whose sin is more visible than her sexually active peers? Would Jesus not love a born-again Christian with a Swastika tattoo?

Visibility doesn't make a sin worse.

Christians, abstaining from baking a cake for a wedding will not change the way they view Jesus.

But baking the cake and sending the couple off with a sincere "God Bless You," will.


Saying that, we live in a country where all freedoms are guaranteed.  KKK members are allowed to march through our nation's capital.  Sometimes you can be refused service for choosing to wear no shoes or shirt.  And all businesses have the right to refuse service for any reason they want to.

It's a right protected under Federal Law.

Federal.

There's no need for further state laws to enforce a right that's guaranteed already.

There's no need for this law.

But there's no need for people to be forced to serve others, either.  We live in a country that boasts a free market.  If one person won't serve a group of people who differ from them economically, racially, religiously, or sexually, then we should protest, spread the word on social media, and do business elsewhere. Let their business fail.

But we should not make a law against their right to refuse service.  It's a dangerous slope to go on, one that makes the government too big and have too much of a say in how we can live our lives.

And furthermore, we should not threaten violence or incite hate.

Do me a favor, and even if you're not a Christian, teach us how to live as Christ told us to live.

Show us why it's right to go ahead and bake the cake.