Kerby Anderson

When the Washington Supreme Court ruled against florist Barronelle Stutzman, many Christian leaders wrote that this was an important watershed moment for religious liberty in America. Although she served same-sex couples for years, she declined to provide flowers for a same-sex ceremony. That was enough for a court case that affects not only her florist business but also her personal assets. Denny Burk is a Southern Baptist theologian and pastor who gave expert testimony in this case. He thought he would simply enter in the record what Southern Baptists believe about marriage. Instead, he sat across the table from lawyers who spent their time asking hostile questions in an effort to discredit what Southern Baptists believe about marriage. He concluded that, “others will use this precedent to punish the rest of us.” David French wrote: “If you care about the Bill of Rights, the rights of conscience, or even the English language, there’s a chance that this morning you felt a disturbance in the Force—as if the Founders cried out in rage and were suddenly silenced. That disturbance was the Washington Supreme Court’s oppressive ruling in State of Washington v. Arlene’s Flowers.” Rod Dreher says that: “What they do to her today, they will do to you tomorrow. Count on it. Will you and I have the courage to pay the price Barronelle Stutzman is paying? Will you and I at least stand with her and help her pay the financial cost her persecutors will levy on her?” Terry Mattingly writes about what he calls the “journalistic Grand Unified Theory of Everything.” You can sum it up in five words: “The Religious Right Must Lose.” This statement summarizes how the secular media and many in government feel about Christians and religious convictions. That is why we need to pay more attention to religious liberty cases and support organizations fighting for your religious liberty.