Iâve wanted to write about Barronelle Stutzmanâs faith, and her grace under pressure, for weeks. I kept praying that her predicament would resolve itself. I hoped that the âpowers-that-beâ, in the State of Washington, would finally come to their senses and realize that Barronelle lives in America â the land of the free, especially the land of the religiously free!
But, that was not to be. Instead, theyâve proved themselves to be no better than the pagans of ancient Rome, heartlessly tossing Christians to the lions in the Colosseum to appease their twisted priorities. And, to make matters much worse, unlike the Romans, most of these modern-day persecutors of Christians, are Christians themselves!
Judge Alex Ekstrom, 44 â Was Just Appointed to Superior Court in Sept. 2014.
On February 19, 2015, while Barronelle was peacefully sleeping in Richland, Washington, she would suddenly awaken to find that her flower shop had been moved to pagan Rome, or perhaps Nazi Germany, or maybe Communist Red China or worse, Islamist Iran, where intolerance for people of faith ran rampant.
It was on that day that Benton County Superior Court Judge Alexander Ekstrom, 44, ruled against Barronelleâs right to religious freedom, (which we all thought was unquestionably guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution) and, in favor of anti-Christian homosexual proclivities.Â
Oddly, just five months earlier, the judge who had presided over Barronelleâs nearly 2-year-old case, Judge Salvador Mendoza, 43, was replaced by Judge Ekstrom, at what seemed like the eleventh hour.
Looking back, could Mendoza have been a Christian and could he have been was leaning in favor of Barronelle and was therefore âpromotedâ out-of-the-way? We will probably never know, as Judge Ekstrom would rule on Barronelleâs case, in Mendozaâs stead.
Ekstrom not only ruled that Barronelleâs business was in violation of Washingtonâs anti-discrimination laws but incredibly, so was she. He deliberately ruled, to not only place her business on the chopping block, but also her personal assets, including her home and her savings! The viciousness of the ruling was unprecedented. It was truly a persecution!
Ekstrom ruled that Barronelle must stop bringing her faith to work and pay a fine or lose EVERYTHING to the two gay men, who brought their suit against Bartonella, simply because she was a practicing Christian.
Barronelle stood her ground and flat refused, saying that she loved Jesus more than her belongings.
Mrs. Stutzman was born in Springfield, Missouri. She is a 70-year-old mother of 8, grandmother to 23 and great-grandmother to 3.
In 1948, Barronelle moved with her family to the Tri-Cities of Richland, Kennewick and Pasco as a three-year-old. Her father came to the state of Washington because jobs were plentiful. The United States governmentâs Manhattan Project, which was making plutonium for nuclear weapons, was in full swing and they needed workers in the region.
Stutzmanâs Christian faith has sustained her throughout her entire life. Although her father was an atheist, her mother was a devote Christian. And, for as long as she can remember, she went to Church with her mother every Sunday.
When Barronelleâs mother bought her flower shop in the early 1980s, it was named Arleneâs Flowers. And, soon after her mother purchased the shop, Barronelle began working there. She started as a delivery person and soon began making flower arrangements. She didnât enjoy the work, until one day she realized that the shop was not just about flowers, it was about people.
Real people, who needed flowers for the best of times, and the worst of times, in their lives. People who had their own troubles and their own joys. People who were once strangers but would soon become friends. People who loved, lived and lost with grace and courage. Just good, everyday Christian people, trying to do the best they could with the opportunities, abilities and talents God gave them.
With this new understanding, Barronelleâs work at the shop suddenly became important to her and she began to minister to the communityâs needs on multiple levels. She realized that her strong faith in God allowed her to not only rejoice at peopleâs celebrations including births, anniversaries, graduations, job promotions, engagements and holidays but that it could console those suffering with illness, loss or death as well.
So, when her mother became ill, Mrs. Stutzman happily bought the store that had provided her mother, herself and her customers, with so much more than simply flowers.
More than thirty years later, while still serving the community of Richland, her life would be changed forever, when on March 1, 2013, long-time customer, Robert Ingersoll, ironically, a manager at Goodwill Industries, entered her shop with a request.
Ingersoll walked into Arleneâs Flowers, just as he had done on many occasions over the previous nine years. But on that particular day, rather asking for Barronelleâs shop to design a flower arrangement for him, Robert asked if Barronelle would do all of the flowers for his September marriage, to his male partner, Curt Freed.
When the message was relayed to Barronelle, she discussed the request with her husband, and graciously declined Ingersollâs request, because it was against her faith to participate in, or condone, homosexual activities as it would place her everlasting soul at risk of eternal damnation.
My initial reaction to this story was that Ingersoll was blatantly inconsiderate, shamefully intolerant and exceedingly disrespectful to have made this type of request of a woman that he knew was a devout Christian. Did he set her up, hoping to hit the lottery in court? With Washingtonâs one year old law, making discrimination against homosexuals a crime, my guess is, absolutely YES!
So, when Robert returned to Barronelleâs shop for an answer to his request, she told him that, as a Southern Baptist, she could not participate in his same-sex marriage, âbecause of my relationship with Jesus.â
As any real Christian knows, the Bible is very clear on this point.
1 Timothy 5:22
Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.
Matthew 18:8
And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter eternal life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.
James 4:17
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Matthew 12:36
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.
Ezekiel 3:18
When I say to a wicked person, âYou will surely die,â and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.
As a practicing Christian, Barronelle understood that she was accountable for otherâs sinfulness and was therefore required to live her life as an example for others, in hopes that they would follow her lead.
 As a result, if she took part in Ingersollâs homosexual âweddingâ, rather than leading by example, she would be placing her âstamp of approvalâ on something that was strictly forbidden by God.
And, in doing so, Barronelle would not only become a hypocrite, but more importantly, she would one day be accountable to God for her sinful actions as well. She decided that it was just not worth the risk, because the Bible is very clear on this point too.
Romans 1:26-27
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality.
So, when Robert Ingersoll turned to leave Barronelleâs flower shop that day, nothing seemed amiss. In fact she said, âHe was very gracious. He said, âI understand,â and we talked about his mom a little bit, and about how he got engaged. And then we hugged each other, and he left.â
 There was no indication that Robert was offended by Barronelleâs decision, nor did he appear upset when she suggested two other florists what would be able to supply his flowers.
 No, nothing seemed amiss, until soon after his departure, her storeâs five phones began to ring off the hook. Bartonella said, âThe calls were ⌠not very nice. Very hateful, very threatening, things you could not repeat. Things I had to look up, because I had no idea what they meant.â She began to spend most of her time answering the phones herself, so that her 12 employees would not be subjected to the vitriol.
 Just when the phone calls began to taper-off, the hate mail began to arrive. Hundreds of letters, and thousands of e-mails, poured into her shop. The pile of hate mail finally reached three-feet high.
The source of this vicious hatred would prove to be Ingersollâs boyfriend, Curt Freed. When Robert returned to their home that day, Freed became incensed, with Barronelle.
And, with non-Christian vengeance, he took to Facebook to disparaged, denigrate and defame Mrs. Stutzman for her faith. His virulent intolerance for her Christian faith, was so ferocious, that Freedâs rant went viral, initiating the phone calls and hate mail.
Suddenly, a small town florist, in the middle of nowhere (145 miles southwest of Spokane) was ground-zero for vicious, vile and vitriol-soaked, anti-Christian hatred and intolerance.
 On April 18, 2013, the ever-vigilant ACLU (the most notoriously, anti-Christian non-profit organization in the country, which is funded by the more notorious, billionaire currency trader, and non-Christian, George Soros) took up Ingersoll and Freedâs separate cases against Barronelle and sued in Ingersoll and Freedâs personal capacity.
Bob Ferguson â Attorney General for the State of Washington
Just ten days prior to the filing of the ACLUâs suit, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, 50, Â (who has a non-Christian ancestry) after hearing about Freedâs tirade on Facebook, decided to join the melee, and as a representative of the state, filed an anti-discrimination consumer protection lawsuit against Barronelle.
So, rather than address the 203 murders, 2,100 rapes, 5,700 robberies, 12,200 aggravated assaults that occurred in 2013, Ferguson chose instead, to personally go after an elderly grandmother florist because she had the nerve to live her life according to her Christian faith.
 And worse yet, rather than be ashamed of his behavior, this Catholic-educated man (who must get re-elected for the second time in 2016) wallowed in the political maelstrom his actions created.
 The Alliance Defending Freedom offered to defend Mrs. Stutzman pro-bono because they had never seen a AG behave in this unorthodox manner.
 As it would be shown, no one had requested, complained or directed Attorney General Ferguson to get involved with Barronelleâs situation â not the Legislature, not the Washington Human Rights Commission (which is the legal channel through which these types of  discrimination cases are directed to the Attorney General), not the ACLU and not even the two gay defendants.
 Ferguson just chose to stick his nose, where it didnât belong, and file an additional suit against Mrs. Stutzman, and despite his supposedly Christian faith, just because he could.
In response, Mrs. Stutzmanâs lawyers, including Kristen Waggoner, who is the senior counsel from the Alliance Defending Freedom; Attorney Alicia M. Berry of Liebler, Connor, Berry & St. Hilaire and attorney JD Bristol, who is one of nearly 2,300 attorneys allied with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), filed a countersuit.
Dale Schowengerdt, Senior Legal Counsel for ADF explained the motion,
âIn America, the government is supposed to protect freedom, not use intolerance for certain viewpoints to intimidate citizens into acting contrary to their faith. The attorney general has acted inappropriately by trying to intimidate Barronelle through his lawsuit rather than leaving the process where the law says such matters need to take place. Plenty of other florists are willing to provide flowers for same-sex ceremonies, yet both lawsuits against Barronelle insist on going after not only her business, but going after her personally as well. Thatâs extraordinary, and weâre asking the court to put a stop to it.â
 Schowengerdt continued, âThe Attorney Generalâs action here, on behalf of the State of Washington, is based on an unprecedented interpretation of the Washington Law Against DiscriminationâŚand the Consumer Protection ActâŚ
 ADFâs motion says, âThe Stateâs action goes against the statutesâ specific terms and more than thirty years of prior agency practice by successive Attorneys General. This Court should reject the Attorney Generalâs illegitimate claim of authority to bring this actionâŚ. Accordingly, this Court should dismiss the Complaint filed by the State of Washington for lack of primary jurisdiction, failure to exhaust administrative remedies as required by law, and lack of standing.â
Dale Schowengerdt, is later quoted as saying, âThis is the first time in the history of the Washington Attorney Generalâs Office that they have done something like this,â He went on to say that, âThis is definitely a political issue for the attorney general. Itâs unusual for him to go around the state talking so much about specific cases, but he has talked a lot about this, and when they filed the suit, he was the media point person for it.â
It was indeed, very unfortunate for Mrs. Stutzman, and very fortunate for Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed, that Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr, who had presided over Stutzmanâs case for over a year, would suddenly be promoted to a federal judgeship. Was this a coincidence, or was it a plot?Â
On June 29, 2013, Mendoza combined Ingersollâs and Freedâs separate cases into one. And then, just six months later, on January 16, 2014, Mendoza â after being on the Benton County Superior Court for just 8 months, as compared to his predecessor Judge Craig Matheson, who served 26 years on the bench â was suddenly nominated by Pres. Obama to become a federal judge on the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Washington State.Â
And just as interestingly, Mendoza had replaced Matheson just a couple of weeks after both law suits were filed against Barronelle Stutzman in April of 2013.
Six months later, Mendozaâs speedy appointment to the federal court would be confirmed by the U. S. Senate on June 17, 2014. On August 1, 2014, after serving just 14 months on Benton Countyâs Superior Court, Mendoza would become the first latino judge on the Eastern Districtâs federal court.Â
 Mendoza was gone and Ekstrom replaced him on September 19, 2014, just 5 months before he would make the ruling on Stutzmanâs case. Three different judges have presided over Barronelleâs life during the course of her case.
 More interestingly, Judge Alex Ekstrom refused to recuse himself from the case, despite the fact that he personally knew Freed and, was a member of the Board of the Columbia Basin Community College. Curt Freed was employed at the college, for an annual salary of $110.000, as Vice President for Administration/Instruction. Ekstrom also noted that his wife had bought flowers from Barronelle on many occasions as well. Despite these obvious conflicts of interest, Ekstrom refused to step aside.
 In December 2014, Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a motion. They asked the Benton County Court to dismiss Fergusonâs and the ACLUâs claims against Barronelle in her personal capacity.  While Ferguson and the ACLU asked the court to find her liable without a trial or jury determination. The case was argued in court that same month.
 Under the new discrimination law, both Ferguson and the ACLU can pursue penalties against Barronelle for up to $2,000 per violation, as well as legal fees, against both her business and her personal assets. And the message the attorney general and the ACLU was sending to the citizenry of Washington was crystal clear: surrender your religious liberty and your free speech rights, or face personal and professional ruin.
On February 19, 2015, Judge Ekstrom ruled that Mrs. Stutzmanâs refusal to provide flowers because of sexual orientation violated Washingtonâs anti-discrimination and consumer protection laws. She was fined $1,000, plus $1 in court costs and fees. Barronelle believes the judgement will prevent her from practicing her Southern Baptist faith.Â
Basically, Ekstrom ruled that she must provide full support for wedding ceremonies that are contrary to her faith. And incredibly, it basically states that Barronelle is free to believe what she wants, but not to practice her religious beliefs.
Ferguson, on the other hand, agreed to settle Barronelleâs case for $2,001 if she agreed not to do any weddings and to not appeal the ruling. In other words, Barronelle must defy her conscience and participate in same-sex weddings or the full coercive power of the state, as well as civil liability, will be brought against her.
 Barronelleâs letter of response, to the threats made by Attorney General Ferguson, are as follows:
ARLENEâS FLOWERS
1177 Lee Blvd.
Richland, WA 99352
Attorney General Bob Ferguson
1125 Washington St. SE
P.O. Box 40100
Olympia, WA 98504Â
Re:Â State of Washington v. Arleneâs Flowers and Barronelle StutzmanÂ
Thank you for reaching out and making an offer to settle your case against me.
As you may imagine, it has been mentally and emotionally exhausting to be at the center of this controversy for nearly two years. I never imagined that using my God-given talents and abilities, and doing what I love to do for over three decades, would become illegal. Our state would be a better place if we respected each otherâs differences, and our leaders protected the freedom to have those differences. Since 2012, same-sex couples all over the state have been free to act on their beliefs about marriage, but because I follow the Bibleâs teaching that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, I am no longer free to act on my beliefs.
Your offer reveals that you donât really understand me or what this conflict is all about. Itâs about freedom, not money. I certainly donât relish the idea of losing my business, my home, and everything else that your lawsuit threatens to take from my family, but my freedom to honor God in doing what I do best is more important. Washingtonâs constitution guarantees us âfreedom of conscience in all matters of religious sentiment.â I cannot sell that precious freedom. You are asking me to walk in the way of a well-known betrayer, one who sold something of infinite worth for 30 pieces of silver. That is something I will not do.
I pray that you reconsider your position. I kindly served Rob for nearly a decade and would gladly continue to do so. I truly want the best for my friend. Iâve also employed and served many members of the LGBT community, and I will continue to do so regardless of what happens with this case. You chose to attack my faith and pursue this not simply as a matter of law, but to threaten my very means of working, eating, and having a home. If you are serious about clarifying the law, then I urge you to drop your claims against my home, business, and other assets and pursue the legal claims through the appeal process. Thanks again for writing and I hope you will consider my offer.Â
Barronelle obviously declined to pay the fine and plans to appeal the decision. She is a woman with the courage of her convictions. Her attorney said it could leave her liable for legal fees and court costs that reach over $1 million and not even that frightens her. She is truly Christian warrior.
Pope Benedict XVI called what has happened to Barronelle, and what is happening to other Christians, the tyranny of tolerance. He went on to say that the âsexual rightsâ of some are more important than the religious rights of others. How eerily correct he was in that statement.
Barronelle agrees when she said, âLittle by little, they are stripping us of any thought we might have, or any difference of opinion. This is our religious freedom at stake.â She went on to say, âIâm a grain of sand in a little spot, and why God chose what He did ⌠that is up to God. Itâs a battle, but itâs a good battle to be in, and Iâm glad Iâm on this side of it. Itâs an opportunity for me to be obedient, to show Christâs love, to stand up for what I believe.â Barronelle added, âAnd itâs not a burdenâitâs a joy. I donât mean that to sound âPollyanna.â Itâs just that Christ has given me this peace. Iâm sure there will be a lot more hate coming, but theyâre not hating me, theyâre hating Him. And He can take care of Himself. âÂ
 Mrs. Stutzman wrote in a statement, soon after the unprecedented summary judgement against her by Ekstrom, âI just want the freedom to live and work faithfully and according to what God says about marriage without fear of punishment. America would be a better place if citizens respected each othersâ differences and the government still protected the freedom to have those differences. Instead, the government is coming after me and everything I have just because I wonât live my life the way the state says I should.â
Barronelleâs ADF lawyer, Kristen Waggoner said, âThe message of these rulings is unmistakable: The government will bring about your personal and professional ruin if you donât help celebrate same-sex marriage.
Mrs. Stutzman said she is holding up under the stress of the case and bears no ill will toward the couple. She recently said that, âThe support has far outweighed the bad and if (Rob) comes in, I would give him a hug and catch up on his life.â
Barronelle Stutzman is an extraordinarily admirable woman, a Christian woman who has inspired a nation of Christians to stand up for their faith, despite overwhelming odds.
I pray that the powers-that-be come to realize that, unless the vengeful, vicious Ingersoll/Freedâs of the world are stopped, wonderful Christians, like Barronelle Stutzman, will cease to exist. Christians are the backbone of Americaâs greatness and the reason why America is the only country on earth where people stand in line to enter.
Itâs all about religious freedom, and without that, America will shrivel on the vine of history and men like Ingersoll, Freed, Ferguson and Ekstrom will be to blame.
Letâs pray that Barronelleâs Christian persecutors read the following quote from the Bible and are touched by the Holy Spirit to change their treacherous ways and come back to God.
âSo then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual up-building.â
 Let your voice be heard in defense of this courageous Christian. Attorney General Fergusonâs phone number is 360-753-6200.
Admirable Women â Florist Barronelle Stutzmanâs Business, Home and Personal Assets at Risk Because Sheâs A Devote Christian I've wanted to write about Barronelle Stutzman's faith, and her grace under pressure, for weeks. I kept praying that her predicament would resolve itself.
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