If there's one thing the Values Voter Summit had plenty of, it was heroes. On Friday, the audience was introduced to two of them: Aaron and Melissa Klein. The couple, who owned a small Oregon bakery in Gresham, won the hearts of everyone watching with a powerful story of standing for their faith -- even when it cost them their store, and maybe, their life's savings.
The parents of five, Aaron and Melissa were one of the dozens of family wedding vendors targeted by homosexual activists for their Christian faith. Sued, harassed, vandalized, and threatened to the point that the couple had to close their doors, the Kleins still didn't budge. "What it came down to was, (Melissa) has a God-given talent to create a work of art to celebrate a union between two people, and to use that in a manner that would be, you know, in the face of what the Bible says it should be, I just couldn't in good conscience agree to do it."
When Melissa teared up explaining how meaningful it was to be a part of the brides' and grooms' lives, Americans finally got a glimpse of the real victims in this debate. And it isn't the radical Left. "To be told they're going to force me to convey a message other than what I want to convey -- it flies in the face of the Constitution," Aaron explained. "It's a violation of my conscience. It's a violation of my religious freedom. It's horrible to see your own government doing this to you."
Facing up to $150,000 in damages, Aaron and Melissa made it clear that they were willing to pay a far steeper price to stand up for Christ. After months of being isolated and abused, Melissa was so overwhelmed by the audience's support that she bowed her head, tears running down her face, and explained that it had all been worth it to honor God.
Unfortunately, the Kleins are just one of the families hanging in the balance of the Supreme Court justices' scales. Yesterday, the high court spent a long day sorting through possible cases to hear in the upcoming session. Marriage would have been one of the hottest topics of the closed-door meeting, with five states begging the Court to weigh in on the marriage amendments being struck down in rapid succession. Although nothing final was announced, the justices are expected to release their upcoming cases within the week. For the sake of the First Amendment, let's hope that our right not to be forced to violate our faith is one of them.
