The Colorado baker who was sued for refusing to bake cakes celebrating events relative to the LGBTQ has written a book detailing his experience and reiterating his Christian belief.
Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, was charged for refusing to create a cake for a same-sex wedding in July 2012. The U.S. Supreme Court sided with the baker and he won the Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case in 2018.
But he is currently facing another legal battle. In 2017, transgender lawyer Autumn Scardina filed a lawsuit against Phillips for declining to make a cake for his gender transition celebration.
According to The Christian Post (CP), one of the two charges was already dropped by Judge A. Bruce Jones of Denver District Court in March, while a decision is pending for the other.
In an interview with CP, Phillips shared about his new book, "The Cost of My Faith: How a Decision in My Cake Shop Took Me to the Supreme Court." It tells about his legal battles for those cakes that he did not bake, pursuing his moral convictions.
He said that he wrote the book because he wanted his children and grandkids to know the story of what really happened since July 2012, since the facts he illustrated in it are difficult to find online.
When asked about his response back in 2012 and if he would do it again, he responded that his moral stance remains the same, adding that he will still refuse making such cakes with "inherent message or written message" that he "can't convey."
He would also explain to the gay couple that he welcomes everyone in his shop but he is just not willing to create a cake that goes against his Christian faith, believing in the "biblical view of marriage" which is only "between a man and a woman."
He said that he also tried to explain the same thing to Scardina during their meeting.
He was asked why people failed to understand the "nuances" of his moral convictions despite repeatedly making explanations.
"A lot of that, I believe, comes from the media's portrayal of me, and that's one of the reasons that I wanted to write the book. They portray me as somebody who's intolerant and somebody who won't serve different groups of society," he replied.
He added that the issue is about the cakes, which he declines to create if it relates to issues against his convictions, such as celebrating Halloween, cakes with alcohol and for those of the LGBTQ.
The baker stated that, in the case of conservative Christian activist Bill Jack, wherein Jack sued multiple bakeries for refusing to make an anti-gay cake, he is siding with the three bakers since they only responded in accordance with their stance. He argued that "Americans should be able to live and work freely according to their consciences, without fear of punishment from the government."
He was also questioned if he believes in Jack's strategy of proving a point, influencing the Supreme Court's opinion on his case in 2018. Phillips answered that he would not do what Jack did. He just wanted to run a cake shop and have a harmonious relationship with his customers.
Moreover, he said that he wrote the book to explain about his stance, since some people do not agree with it. He also stated that it was hard for a person like him to describe his experience but writing the book was an opportunity for him to explain about his argument - that he is willing to serve everyone but just "can't create every cake." He contended that this right is protected by the Constitution.
"Every American should be able to make those decisions and be able to create or not create things according to their conscience without fear of punishment from the government," Phillips concluded.
His book is set for release on May 18 through Salem Books.
