April 02, 2015
Refusing to Serve Individuals vs. Refusing to Participate in Events
When people say Christians want to “refuse service to gays,” the implication is that Christians don’t want to engage in economic transactions with people because of their sexual orientation—as if they’re turning people away with, “We don’t serve your kind here.”
This is not the case, and it hasn’t been the case in any of the well-known incidents involving photographers, bakers, etc. that I’m aware of. Consider the story of Barronelle Stutzman, the florist in Washington:
Robert Ingersoll and his husband, Curt Freed, said they had spent thousands of dollars and had been buying flowers from Arlene’s for nearly a decade when Ingersoll asked Stutzman to provide flowers for their wedding in 2013.
Stutzman declined, writing in a Facebook post later that it was because of "my relationship with Jesus Christ."
“I believe, biblically, that marriage is between a man and a woman,” Stutzman wrote. “That is my conviction, yours may be different.”
Stutzman said Ingersoll gave her a hug, said he "respected my opinion," and left.
[The Washington Times adds that she “referred the men to several other local florists.”]
Why is there no room in our society for this?
I strongly encourage you to read this article in its entirety by clicking here: http://str.typepad.com/weblog/2015/04/refusing-to-serve-individuals-vs-refusing-to-participate-in-events.html