Supreme Court to the Rescue

Leviathan Checked

Jack Phillips' Masterpiece Cakeshop Sees 3 Times More Customers Since Supreme Court Victory

Stoyan Zaimov
Christian Post 

Jack Phillips told The Christian Post on Thursday that his bakery, Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colorado, has seen three times more customers since his Supreme Court victory.

"We have had so many people coming by to support us as the case has gone on, and there has been an outpouring of love and support since the decision came down. The state's targeting of my beliefs cost me 40 percent of my business and forced me from 10 employees down to four. But we're so happy to be busy doing what we do best at our shop," the Christian baker told CP in an email.

"We're also eager to start designing custom wedding cakes again," Phillips added.  "A cake is a canvas, and I'm really looking forward to creating beautiful art that celebrates such a special day."  Close to 400 supporters lined up at Masterpiece Cakeshop to celebrate his Supreme Court victory earlier this month, according to Alliance Defending Freedom, whose lawyers defended him. Cookies were offered to the LGBT activists who came out to protest.

As for the response from the community, he said that even though one can never get used to death threats, for the most part people have been supportive and understanding of his position.
  "Since we won, we've seen far more support than negativity. Even people who don't believe what I do about marriage, including many who identify as LGBT, have been so encouraging. Tolerance is a two-way street. If we want freedom for ourselves, we have to extend it to those with whom we disagree. Most people get that," Phillips told CP.

"While we've seen much support, it hasn't all been positive. Throughout the case, I received a lot of harassment, profanity-laced phone calls, and even some death threats. The threats got so bad at one point that my wife was afraid to set foot inside our own shop," he continued.  "Even after we won the case, a group of people showed up at my shop to protest. I offered them cookies and told them to stop by anytime."

The baker explained: "Certainly, you never get used to hostility, misrepresentation, or death threats. We've had to deal with our share of hatred directed at us. But most people in our community and our customers know that we serve everyone — we just don't celebrate every event or express every message."

ADF published a YouTube video published last week that shows long lines of people, customers and supporters congratulating Phillips at his shop in Colorado, ordering and enjoying food items, and speaking out for free speech.  "A lot of people are coming out to show their support and encourage us. People have been praying across the country and around the world, it is just phenomenal," Phillips says in the video. "Our God is so good."  Speaking of all the support he has been receiving, the baker added: "On a day like this, I am feeling overwhelmed."

Many of the people in the video are seen and heard chanting slogans such as "Jack is back" and "Love free speech!"  Still, a dozen or so protesters showed up with LGBT flags, to whom Phillips offered free cookies on a tray.  "The protesters politely (and some not-so-politely) declined the cookies," ADF reported.

The Supreme Court decision from June 4 overturned an earlier move by a lower court in Colorado that found Phillips guilty of violating anti-discrimination laws by refusing to bake a custom cake to celebrate the wedding of Dave Mullins and Charlie Craig in 2012 when same-sex marriage was illegal in Colorado.

As Phillips has explained, he serves everyone in his cakeshop, including gay customers, but cannot create pro same-sex marriage messages, as it goes against his religious beliefs that marriage is solely a union between one man and one woman.  The Supreme Court found that Colorado had violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment when it penalized Phillips, by displaying hostility toward his beliefs.  ADF attorney Kristen Waggoner, who defended Phillips in the case, said at the time that "government hostility toward people of faith has no place in our society."

"The court was right to condemn that," she said. "Tolerance and respect for good-faith differences of opinion are essential in a society like ours. This decision makes clear that the government must respect Jack's beliefs about marriage."  In an interview a day later on the "Today" show, Phillips said: "I don't discriminate against anybody."

"It's just that I don't create cakes for every occasion that people ask me to create ... a wedding is just an inherently religious event and the cake is definitely a specific message that goes with that," he added.

You can watch what happened at Masterpiece Cakeshop in the video below: