Baptist concerns greet order against bakers

Baptist concerns greet order against bakers

WASHINGTON — A penalty of $135,000 and a gag order against Oregon bakers who declined to provide a cake for a same-sex ceremony have evoked protests and concerns from Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) leaders.

An administrative law judge ruled in January that Aaron and Melissa Klein violated an Oregon law that protects civil rights based on sexual orientation. In April, Judge Alan McCullough proposed damages of $135,000. Brad Avakian, commissioner of Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries, issued an order July 2 finalizing the compensation to the lesbian couple and prohibiting the Kleins from “publishing, circulating, issuing or displaying … any communication, notice, advertisement or sign” that effectively indicates they will not provide services to a person based on his or her sexual orientation.

SBC President Ronnie Floyd called Avakian’s actions “not only unprecedented, but alarming.”

“This is a threat to every person’s freedom in this nation, including our most precious freedom, religious freedom,” Floyd said.

Russell Moore, president of the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said, “Let’s be clear: this family is being threatened with financial ruin not because they were impeding anyone else’s freedom, but simply because they could not in good conscience participate in something they believe would be morally wrong for them to do. Such bullying is neither right nor American.”

(BP)