Bake It?

The Holy Spirit gives us the internal fortitude in order follow Christ, so that we might do His will and bring Him glory. 2nd Corinthians 1 states:
21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God,
22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
23 Moreover I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth.
24 Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand.

We can know what it means to be established, to possess a firm foundation.  In an age in which there are so many ideas and attitudes that are swirling around our culture, it is so important to be grounded in the knowledge of God. We can abide in Him wholeheartedly so that we display His character and communicate His ideas, His principles.  We can know those principles as we study and meditate on His Word and seek to apply that truth to our lives.

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We can know that we have access to the Spirit of God so that we can stand strong on Biblical
principles. We can read in Philippians chapter 1:
27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.

While Christians have a right to be concerned about the negative direction of this world toward the God-ordained institution of marriage, defined as one man for one woman, a new survey shows that there is increased support for those who do not want to use their creativity to show support for the perversion of that institution: same-sex marriage.

A new poll from PRRI, or Public Religion Research Institute, according to Christianity Today...

...found that public support for same-sex marriage has never been higher, with 64% of Americans now approving of its legality. Yet PRRI also found that Americans are increasingly sympathetic to service refusals by bakers, caterers, florists and other small business owners with conservative religious beliefs.

The story goes on to say:

PRRI found that 46 percent of Americans believe owners of wedding-related businesses should be allowed to refuse their services to same-sex couples based on their religious convictions, while 48 percent of Americans believe business owners should be compelled to provide their services to such couples with no conscience exemption from antidiscrimination laws.

This is a 5-point swing from 2017, when 41 percent sided with someone like Jack Phillips, who declined to provide a creative expression through a wedding cake, which he believed would show support for so-called same-sex marriage. Last year, according to the story, "53 percent favored the rights of same-sex couples."

Important statement here: "PRRI found that most demographic groups have moved more in favor of religious liberty protections on this issue."  And, the movement has occurred among people of color:

Americans of color are increasingly sympathetic to wedding vendors like Phillips. Nearly half of black Americans (45%) now support the religious freedom of business owners to refuse service to gay couples—a “significant change” from the 36 percent who expressed support in 2017. Similarly, among Hispanic Americans, 34 percent now favor the business owners, compared to only 26 percent last year.

The views of white Americans remained static on the issue, at 49%.

Well, of course, it is a given that polling data should not shape our adherence to the Scriptures. We recognize that societal trends should not impact the theological principles upon which we base our faith.  Trends in culture can affect our methods, but the message remains the same.  And, that applies to marriage: ordained by God, one man for one woman, a one-flesh relationship, intended to last.  Marriage is not something that should be altered by societal whims nor dishonored because culture has injected a disposability to the concept.

We also recognize that we should stand for conscience rights - to correctly apply our religious faith to refrain from behavior that conflicts with those ideals.  It's interesting; I have seen what seems to be more comments in this area about how religion has been used in the past to further bigotry.  And, treating someone unfairly because of unchangeable human characteristics is certainly unbiblical. But, when we have the chance to stand against a practice or a behavior that is identified by God as sinful, that places it in a different realm.  Refusing to bake a cake because of not wanting to be associated with something that we believe is wrong is far different that using Scripture to justify racial discrimination, and I believe it does a disservice to the civil rights movement to try to lump the LGBT agenda in with the legitimate fight for civil rights.

We can be reminded that we should be bold to stand according to Biblical truth, yet compassionate in our approach in communicating why we take that stand.  And, we can always examine our convictions, the basis for them, and our motivation to act in the manner that we do.