Will the Cakeshop Ruling Actually Help Christian Businesses?

The case of a Christian baker refusing to design a cake for a same-sex wedding became, in the eyes of many, the most-anticipated Supreme Court decision of the year because justices had a chance to finally resolve America's ongoing struggle to balance sincerely held faith convictions and LGBT protections.

But in Masterpiece Cakeshop Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the court's 7–2 ruling did not establish a new precedent outright allowing or barring Christian business owners from serving customers based on their faith convictions. Instead, the narrow decision favored baker Jack Phillips over a state agency that the high court ruled had demonstrated an unconstitutional hostility toward his Christian beliefs.