We must speak out—against what we believe. Welcome to tolerant Britain…

In tolerant 21st century Britain, your lack of support for something you believe is wrong will no longer be tolerated.

That’s one of the implications of the much-reported “gay cake case”, in which a Northern Ireland bakery run by Christians has been found guilty of discrimination for refusing to decorate a cake bearing a “Support Gay Marriage” slogan.

Amy McArthur did not refuse to serve the customer, Gareth Lee, because of his sexual orientation, his beliefs, his politics, or anything else. She did not engage in active opposition to anything. She simply refused to do something that supported a lifestyle that she could not agree with—because of her Christian convictions.

So set aside the wider implications for free speech. Set aside why it was that Mr Lee chose this particular bakery to make his request. Set aside whether he’d go into a Muslim printers and ask them to print the same message on a poster. Set aside whether a Christian requesting an openly gay baker to decorate a cake with the slogan “Oppose active homosexuality” and having their request refused would receive the same verdict in court.

Focus on this: Any Christian in business can now be found guilty of discrimination for not supporting what they cannot, in good conscience, support. Mr Lee, or anyone else, could approach any Christian business that in any way enables people to communicate messages to others, and request that they communicate a message that contradicts their beliefs—and take them to court if they refuse.

So this marks a new stage in the intolerant tolerance of secularist Britain. It is not only ruled out of bounds to actively oppose gay marriage. It is not only a subject of ridicule to base one’s beliefs, and sexual ethics, on the Bible. A lack of assisting support for the new moral codes is no longer allowed.

Christians must no longer keep quiet about what we believe—now, if asked, we must help others speak out against what we believe.

But let’s not be too surprised. It was ever thus, and to be misunderstood and maligned as Christians is not a sign that things are not right, but that they’re normal. The last few centuries of cultural support for Christian morality in the UK are the exception in church history, not the norm. Peter wrote to Christians a long time ago:

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” 1 Peter 4 v 12-13

The “fiery trial” he was talking about was the opposition of non-Christians who lived by very different standards and “are surprised you do not join them [and] heap abuse on you” (v 4). That was normal life for the Christians to whom Paul was writing; it has been normal life for the McArthur family; I suspect it will become normal life for more of us, more often, over the next few decades.

Christians must no longer keep quiet about what we believe—now, if asked, we must help others speak out against what we believe.

Mr and Mrs McArthur, we honour you for your courage, and your conduct. We rejoice that you followed your Scripture-informed consciences, and gently refused to do what was easy and popular in favour of doing what was right. We pray that you will be able to rejoice that you are suffering as followers of the One who suffered for you, and that you will know that one day there will be a different verdict in a different courtroom.

And we ask that you would pray that when our turn comes to stand firm as you have done—and more and more of us will take our turn more and more often. Please pray that we would not be surprised, and that we would suffer well, as you have, caring more about honouring Christ than protecting our name, our wealth, or our safety.