Today I received an email forwarded to me by our congregation’s treasurer. He had received it at the congregation’s email address and he sent it to me because I am a voting lay delegate to the upcoming LCMS convention and an elector for synodical president.

The headline was alarmism about “Dirty Politics, Hidden Agendas, Corrupted Power, Character Assassinations . . .” blah, blah, blah.

So, let’s talk about it, since this group of one sent this out making so many accusations. Let’s talk about dirty politics. It strikes me that the dirty politics are not what the email identified. Instead, the email’s claim that two of five candidates for synodical president have dropped out is dirty politics, speaking out of turn for them, apparently to benefit, by hidden agenda, one of the challenger candidates. The whole email and substack by Truth & Light Media gave me anything but truth and light. It gave me spin, innuendo, and muckraking.

To be transparent, since I am a man with a synod but without a tribe, I was considering voting for either Harrison or Ball. But with this kind of politicking under way, I now am clear that I cannot risk the luxury of choosing between them and must stick with Harrison because:

(A) his confessionalism is good and comparable to Ball’s,

(B) his incumbency gives him a better chance to elect my choice between these two,

(C) there are some management tasks that I believe Harrison has done well on, such as elimination of debt, and

(D) given that to an extent, personnel is policy, many of his personnel actions have been for the betterment of policy.

Three years is a long time in one respect (though a drop in a bucket in another), and things could change significantly in that time, but it looks like Ball will be there in three years, still relatively young, and ready to succeed to the office. Through this we get three years to prepare for a transition. Maybe I would have voted for Ball this time, but what I assess as bad acting in an opposing campaign has backfired on them with me.

And hey, I have disagreed with Harrison publicly in the past on a couple significant things. As I said, I am a man with a synod but without a tribe. I take things one issue at a time on each issue’s merits, not according to groups, parties, tribes, or personalities, and so I disagree with my friends sometimes. Real friends who are not mere politicians can accept this. Harrison has. I have to give him credit where credit is due, and much credit is due him on this element. The fact that I critiqued a couple things he did some years back has not interfered with his cordiality and cooperation with me on things since then. And, while anyone should admit that he and his supporters are campaigning, which in one respect I don’t like, can the other side admit that it is campaigning and in a manner that is, shall we say, kind of out there and disappointing?

This is my entirely unsolicited and admittedly idiosyncratic opinion, which I offer to other delegates, electors, and people in my synod for you to consider on the merits. Each of us should (1) take counsel and (2) think independently.