Cake Bakers Melissa and Aaron Klein Talk to APN’s ‘Stand in the Gap Today’

Melissa and Aaron Klein, the Oregon couple fined $135,000 for declining to create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, recently talked with the hosts of “Stand in the Gap Today,” a daily one-hour program from the American Pastors Network (APN, www.americanpastorsnetwork.net) that considers today’s pressing cultural issues.

After being accused of violating Oregon’s anti-discrimination laws—and experiencing the protests that followed—the Kleins have closed the doors of their business, and Melissa now bakes for friends and family out of their home.

But despite the steep fine, Melissa and Aaron aren’t backing down and are encouraging others to stand for their religious liberties as well.

APN President Sam Rohrer and co-hosts Gary Dull, APN board member, executive director and vice president of the Pennsylvania Pastors Network (PPN, www.papastors.net), and Dave Kistler, president of the North Carolina Pastors Network (NCPN, www.ncpastors.net), talked with the Kleins on Thursday, allowing them to tell their inspirational story and raise awareness about a concerted attack on religious liberties in America. 

“Unless Christian Americans stand for truth and defend all of our religious liberties,” Rohrer said, “more and more of our freedoms will eventually be stripped away. If we remain silent, the world will assume that these freedoms are not important to us and that we are satisfied to bend to the ways of the world. We thank God that Melissa and Aaron Klein have not bent to those ways, and have not been broken, and we will continue to pray for them daily.” 

To begin the portion of the program that featured Melissa and Aaron, Dull read a statement from the Kleins: “We will not give up this fight. We will not be silenced. We stand for God’s Truth, God’s Word and freedom for all Americans. We are here to obey God, not man, and we will not conform to this world. If we lose everything, it would be totally worth it for our Lord, who gave His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, for us all. God will win this fight.”

Aaron said on the show that the family is in the process of filing for a stay, which would allow them to appeal without accruing penalties and interest on the fine. He also recalled that, back in 2013 on the day of the original request, he politely apologized to one half of the couple when she inquired about a wedding cake, stating that he and Melissa did not create cakes for same-sex weddings due to their religious beliefs. That answer, he said, was worth a $135,000 fine.

Melissa said the couple has “technically” been able to stay in business, but are now operating out of their home. She said the two-and-a-half-year ordeal has been trying and difficult, and her five children—two of them 3-year-old twin boys—take up much of her time. The situation, she added, has been stressful on their marriage as well. “But we said ‘I do,’ and marriage is very important to us,” Melissa said. “Marriage is work … and I feel God is very much in our marriage, and He has helped us through this time.”

The baker added that this experience has been oddly “amazing” for her, because before this test, Melissa trusted God very little—neither with her finances nor with the bakery. But now, she said, she’s learned to trust God with everything, her faith has grown tremendously, her doubts are completely gone and a weight has been lifted from her shoulders.

“Amen,” said Rohrer at the show’s closing. “Until sometimes we’re forced to walk with the Lord, we don’t really know how to trust Him.”

Listen to the full broadcast featuring Melissa and Aaron Klein at www.americanpastorsnetwork.net/resources.

Each weekday, “Stand in the Gap Today” considers current news topics and welcomes guests, including guest comments during “Phone-In Friday.” “Stand in the Gap Today” can be heard on several stations throughout Pennsylvania, via satellite and streamed lived online at www.1180wfyl.com. Past broadcasts can be heard at www.americanpastorsnetwork.net/resources.