Reflection / Sean Gallagher

Court case shows importance of Christian vision of humanity

As I’ve grown into parenting over the years, I’ve learned to embrace as an everyday part of my life the fact that my sons are not defined by their actions—and that neither am I.

I’m far from a perfect father, as I’m sure my boys would tell you. And I’m reminded each day by the typical trouble that they get into as boys that they’re not angels either. But all of us live with the underlying conviction that we’re all good people at heart, despite our limitations and daily failings.

Distinguishing between specific moral actions and the inherent worth and dignity of a person is a longstanding part of the Christian vision of humanity.

It helps us to be humble when we do good, knowing that it’s happened through the help of God’s grace and not simply our own power. And it gives us hope when we sin, for we know that God’s mercy is always near and that our sins don’t eliminate the fact that we’re created in God’s image and likeness.

But this time-proven understanding of the human condition is being challenged significantly in our contemporary society. There’s a trend in our culture that equates what we do with who we are.

That was highlighted recently in the 7-2 Supreme Court ruling on June 4 in the Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case. It involved Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colo., who respectfully refused a 2012 request from Charlie Craig and David Mullins to create a custom-made cake for their wedding.

Phillips declined the request on the grounds of his religious beliefs. He held that marriage was an institution created by God intended for one man and one woman. Craig and Mullins then filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, charging that Phillips was unjustly discriminating against them based on their sexual orientation.

The commission ruled in favor of Craig and Mullins, fining Phillips, requiring him to create custom cakes for same-sex couples in the future, provide public accommodation training to his employees and file quarterly reports to show that his business was in compliance with the state’s non-discrimination laws.

Phillips appealed the ruling all the way to the Supreme Court, arguing that he did not discriminate based on who Craig and Mullins were. He simply could not agree in conscience with what they were going to do, and did not want to contribute to it by creating a custom-made cake for them.

Phillips showed that he did not discriminate against gays as a group because he had served—and continues to serve—gay customers for various occasions: birthdays, graduations, job promotions, etc.

There are other cases similar to Phillips’ case making their way through the judicial system. Perhaps the question of the legal status of distinguishing between a person’s action and a person’s identity will be clarified in the months and years to come.

In the meantime, I think it would be good for all on both sides of cases like Masterpiece Cakeshop to consider deeper questions at play here, and not get wrapped up simply in the typical charges that get bandied about but which do not contribute to the building up of a consensus in society as a whole on questions about conscience, faith and discrimination.

The Christian view of humanity would do much to establish a firm harmony among groups of people in our divided nation.

On the one hand, this vision, consistently embraced, will help us concretely affirm the inherent dignity of all people, even those with whom we might disagree vehemently. On the other hand, this view of humanity would not force us to affirm or contribute to every action of another person, even if it’s one that the other person values highly.

We Christians believe that the Gospel will usher the kingdom of God into this world, even if it happens at a snail’s pace at times. Let’s continue to offer the Gospel’s vision of humanity to our divided society and seek to bring God’s healing to it.
 

(Sean Gallagher is a reporter for The Criterion.) †