Diminishing Christians and the Baker's Dilemma



A recent Pew Research Center poll revealed declining numbers of Christians in America. Church leaders are scrambling to explain why. I have an idea. Maybe it’s because of people like me who have struggled with the whole Christian “love” thing.  Jesus told his followers, “Love others as you love yourself.”

Loving those who think like I do is easy, but loving people of different faiths, or no faith, while living in the midst of our rapidly diversifying culture, that’s been harder.










But God hasn’t changed his mind on the love commandment. As a blogger, I’ve been caught in the crossfire between some hard-line atheists and brutally dogmatic Christians. I can almost imagine Jesus shaking his head as judgmental words flew back and forth. 

We Christians need to consider how we’re going to relate in a post-Christian nation.


Will judgment or love increase our Christian numbers?






Which leads me to an editor’s soul-searching assignment. The directions:

You’re a Christian baker and have been asked to bake a cake for a gay wedding. Respond to the couple in the form of a question Jesus may have asked and then give your explanation as to why you’ll either bake or not bake them a wedding cake.

The assignment is hard. Here’s my letter (after numerous flawed attempts and recapitulations).


Dear Friends,

You’ve been coming to my bakery since I opened ten years ago. Besides knowing your favorite treats, I’ve met your folks, learned about your job changes, and moving to the condo downtown. Maybe you think of me as the old baker, but I’d like to consider myself your friend.

When you came in to ask about a special cake for your wedding celebration, I already knew that you two were in love. Even though we never talked about your relationship status, I could see your commitment to one another. 

While I wonder what others might think if I bake a cake for a same-sex marriage, I shouldn’t worry about them, I should only worry about what God thinks.

Could I ask you a question? How would Jesus want me to show my love to you?
I asked myself that same question and then I studied how Jesus loved.


It hasn’t been an easy journey for you both. You’ve faced your share of abuse and discrimination—often from people who love God. That’s when I knew how I could show my love to you. I could bake you the perfect wedding cake. While I might not understand your marriage, I want to love like Jesus asked me to.

In the years ahead, I hope that you’ll keep coming to my bakery—for your favorite treats and to hopefully see Jesus lived out in my life. Jesus didn’t support abuse. It was his love that changed lives. And I want to love you both—just as Jesus does.

Best regards,
Your Baker Friend





Would you bake a cake or not?  

God knows how our nation is changing. The question is whether we can love like Jesus in the midst of it.













Popular posts from this blog

Counting the Cost

Image
Something big is missing in this photo. Let me explain. Here in my hometown, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe prepared a parcel of land for a new hotel. Plenty of planning and architectural designs were evaluated. A gemstone of a hotel would be built across from the waterfront—a beautiful, restful place welcoming travelers. A true four-star facility.   They cleared the aging brick structures that had been fading away between Front Street and Railroad Avenue. Then the pandemic hit, shortages of labor and supplies, add in the costly inflation that followed. Everything stopped.   But this is what I admire about the Elwha Tribe: they have counted the cost. They didn’t want to move forward and take on tremendous debt. They would rather move slowly and be financially ready, rather than begin building and then letting it sit unfinished.   Counting the cost is something I should have done earlier in life when I didn’t know what high interest rates would do to our farming cost...
Read more

Summertime Music

Image
During the summer months, in an outside seating area, a delightfully painted piano sits with a sign that says, “Play me”.   It was just before 8 pm as I walked past the piano. My bus would be arriving soon, and I still have another ten minutes to walk before reaching my bus stop. But no one is around. It’s a beautiful warm evening. I pulled out the piano bench and sat down. The sun was behind me, and the piano keys reflected its glow. I had no music in front of me, only the songs within me. Notes drifted into the air.  In those brief moments, the magic of music and summer came together. Isn’t that how it is? Summertime music has a way of lingering in our minds and lasting a lifetime. As I stood and grabbed my things, I heard distant clapping—I guess I wasn’t alone, after all.
Read more

Planting Good Seeds

Image
Harvest will always depend on what we plant and how well we care for our crop.    Looking over my seed packets, I notice they’re different than the ones I planted before. One package is called Word seeds. The directions say that each of my words is a seed, so it cautions me to think before I speak. Harsh words don’t produce sweet, nourishing fruit. These seeds will require thoughtful care in the garden. I see some Volunteer seeds. Those extra hours I tend to fritter away are going to be planted in a useful project.   It looks like time isn’t wasted in this garden plot. Next are some Love seeds—the directions are interesting: get up each day and love others. No specifics are given—just do something for someone every day. The seed package shows pictures of smiling faces. I smile back. As I’m ready to head to the garden with my seeds, a package falls to the ground. I open it. Inside are the tiniest seeds I’ve ever seen—but the directions s...
Read more