John Calvin saw law as growing out of
grace, a way for us to treat each other
justly and equally. Law is the response to
unconditional love. Unfortunately, through-
out history there have been bad laws that
grow not from grace and not from a way by
which we can live justly and equally with
each other but from the bad motives of those
in power who wish to retain power and oppress
others. People of conscience have opposed
those laws as laws opposing justice and
equality under the law. But the vast majority
of laws are good and there to guarantee equal
justice. And that is the test. Does the law
ensure justice and equality for all or just
for a select few? There are those who mis-
understand law established to assure equal
treatment and refuse to respect such laws
thus showing contempt — contempt for those
protected by the law and, as another theologian,
put it, contempt for themselves.* The poor,
misguided county clerk in Kentucky, one entrusted
with executing the law for the sake of justice
and equality of all, in this case following
the Supreme Court decision regarding same
sex marriage, put her misunderstanding of
faith in the place of her oath of office. Her
inability to see how this law works for justice
and equality has resulted in her winning the
trifecta of contempt — for the very law itself,
for those protected by the law and for herself,
yes, contempt for herself, a child of God’s
grace and beneficiary of the protection of
those very laws that grow from that grace.

* Michael Jinkins, President of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary,
in his September 8, 2015 on-line newsletter, Thinking Out Loud.