Gavin Newsom (above) issued 6000 illegal marriage licenses when gay marriage was illegal and was hailed as a hero for not following the law. Kim Davis (below) refuses to issue licenses now that it is a law and is thrown in jail. Lutheran’s believe that if you engage in civil disobedience you must be ready to suffer the consequences which might very well be going to jail. But shouldn’t Kim Davis have expected the government to ignore her illegal actions in the same way they ignored Newsom? Or put the other way should Gavin Newsom have expected to go to jail for breaking the law the way Davis has? Authorities either take the law seriously or they don’t. By law both Newsome and Davis should go to jail. How can any of us know if officials will take the law seriously or not? Immigration laws are a perfect example. When does Government take it seriously and if they don’t, why should anyone else? Government is a good gift of God (see Luther’s Explanation to the 4th Petition of the Lord’s Prayer), but it is only “good” when it is not capricious.
