A major convention of Christian business owners comes to San Antonio this week, bringing hundreds of high-powered CEOs together at a time when the nation is focusing on religious freedom laws that, if passed, would allow them to deny services in cases where they feel their deeply held believes would be compromised, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"If we begin to say you have to pretend to not have your faith from nine to five, you're forcing a schizophrenic behavior," organizer Mike Sharrow tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI.
The C-12 Group, which moved its headquarters to San Antonio about a year ago, is hosting one of the largest Christian business owner conferences in the country this week. While there are many seminars, Sharrow says the ones at Current '17 that are getting the biggest buzz are the ones that focus on best practices in light of the religious freedom debate.
He says business owners who identify as Christians are looking for ways to move their faith into their company's ethos. It's not easy, he says, because of concerns over backlash. He says the focus will be on balancing faith with running a business in a way that will be respectful to everybody.
Outrage over cases like Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, he says, have Christian business owners confused over what they can, and cannot, do within the law.
Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, declined to make a cake for the wedding of two gay men in 2012. Phillips told the couple that he would not make a cake that would promote same-sex marriage due to his religious beliefs.
That triggered a lawsuit and a massive debate in the country over religious freedom.
Sharrow says, Christians have been persecuted, too. He's had three marketing companies refuse business because they didn’t want to print any materials that talked about Jesus.
"I found that silly, but I respected their right to say they didn’t want to print this. I moved on and found a different company."