Consumers and Producers

“Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged my path under me so my feet did not slip.”
 Psalm 18:35-36

Last Thursday I wrote about the bill signed by Governor Mike Pence. I was fairly heated, and I wish I had given the moment some time. I feel everyone has reacted too soon. 

One of the comments I made was about consumers and producers:

I love how conservatives can get all up in arms because a musician doesn't want their music played by a specific Conservative personality. They make the valid point, that it is legal for them to play that music with or without the band's permission. As long as they pay the proper fees, the song is theirs to use. Meanwhile, they can't see how two-sided it is that a wedding cake (Produced by a baker) can be purchased by anyone (the consumer.) The baker doesn't like it? That's not how goods and services work. A product is put out into the world to be purchased by whatever consumer wishes to consume it.

Let's take Fig Tree, for example. What comes out of Fig Tree is a product. The product are meditations, prayers, images, and songs. If I said, "This site is not for Catholics, and Catholics don't have permission to look at it," that would be silly. (Full disclosure, we've had a guest meditation written by a Catholic. It's just a silly example.) The point [is], the product of Fig Tree can be consumed by anyone as long as the product lasts. Wedding cakes and songs are products that can be used by anyone who wishes to purchase them. You are not supporting a person's marriage by allowing them to purchase your product. You are selling them a cake. Period. 

So the very next day I'm listening to Glenn Beck. (Yes, I listen to Glenn Beck. Yes, I have moments where I strongly disagree with him. Like I said before, I'm tired of boycotting things.) The point is, he said something that almost sounded like it was a direct response to my argument. Let me sum it up for you:

When a gay person comes into a bakery and wants to buy a cupcake, you have to sell that person a cupcake. You have to sell anyone a cupcake. It is discrimination if you don't. When someone wants to purchase a product to use in a religious ceremony, and that person is doing something counter to your religious beliefs, you have the right to say no. He also said, if the baker was part of the PCUSA, they don't have the right to say no, because their religion has said yes.

Now, I'm not going to be so arrogant as to believe Glenn Beck, a man who has millions in his audience, takes the time to read here, where we have hundreds in our audience. What I am saying, is this has to be the best argument against my initial argument. I'm going to use this to expand on the argument:

I think the Christian witch hunt is reprehensible. While I believe there are same sex couples who just want their favorite bakery or flower shop to make a good for their event, I think there are others that personally seek out Christians to set them up and destroy them. This is wrong. As someone who believes in radical love, these kind of actions are not loving. I feel Indiana (and dozens of other states) signed their own versions of religious freedom laws because they were reacting to these witch hunts. Going to the parable of the North Wind and the Sun.

A story is told about the North Wind and the Sun. I seems that each claimed to have the greater power over mortals and a dispute arose.

“I am much stronger, ” said the North Wind. I blow and blow and can even cause great oak trees to tumble to the ground. Surely I have a greater power over man.”

“Indeed not,” said the Sun, “for without my warmth, a man would surely die! Consider the oak tree. Without me it would not grow to be so tall.”

And so it was that the two decided to try their powers upon an unknowing traveler, deciding to see which of them could soonest strip him of his cloak.  The North wind furiously blew down upon the man, and caught up his cloak, believing he could wrestle it from him in one single gust. But is was soon apparent that the harder he blew, the more closely the man wrapped himself up in the garment.

The Sun then said, “I shall try my hand at this venture.” So he looked down upon the traveler and beamed his light ever so gently upon him. Eventually, the man unclapsed his coat as it drapped over his shoulders. The sun then shone down with his full strength, and before he had gone much further down the road, had taken off his cloak so he could complete his journey.

And so it is with raising our children. How much greater influence we have over them and the choices they make if we gently bring warmth and love to them, persuading them of what is good and true rather than beating down upon them, causing them to hold on ever more tightly to their own desires.

I feel both the Left and the Right, are so beaten and hurt. We are strong arming on both sides. We are being the North Wind, instead of the gentle Sun.  This is my greater problem with boycotting. Honestly, if you tell me not to do something, I'm more likely to engage it or them to learn. I'm far more interested in learning how to disarm our enemies, and invite them to the same table to share the Lord's Supper. In fact, to stop calling them enemies, because they are not our enemies. They are our brother's and sisters in Christ. (And yes, our brothers and sisters can still make us pull our hair out.)

A secular store has to live within the secular rules. If a church were to open a bakery for their congregants and those who were getting married within the church, we would have an argument. A bakery, outside of the institution of church, is selling a product to a customer. Yes, I get it. It's more than just a cake. Yes, I get it. Personal love is put into the product. So are many products. Books. Music. Movies. Paintings. It sometimes sucks to be a creator. You never know who is going to want your creation. 

My view on gay marriage. If Fig Tree loses people over this, then they haven't really been following what has been going on here. You can disagree with what I am about to write. This is about stitching the Body of Christ back together. We are not all going to think the same. We are not all going to agree. This isn't about what I believe, this is about getting to your belief using education and faith. I believe the scripture against gay relationships were written with two understandings in mind: "Be fruitful and multiply," and the health issues surrounding these kind of relationships. Today, we don't really have an issue with population. In fact, we might need to slow down on the multiplication. Secondly, there are ways to have sexually safe relationships. Therefore, I believe the biblical mandates were written for a specific time and place, not now. If two males or two females love one another, good for them. I'd officiate a marriage for a gay couple.