All (the church in Jerusalem) asked is that we (missionaries to the Gentiles) should continue to remember the poor, the very thing that I was eager to do. -Galatians 2:10

“Any word from the LC-MS (Lutheran Church-Missori Synod)?” a colleague asked me in the hours following Michael Flynn’s disparaging and libelous posting about Lutheran Social Services, Global Refuge and Lutheran Family Services.

A post then affirmed and doubled-down on by the supreme ruler of Department of Government Efficiency (a government “department” in the same way that a “closet” is a “room”…in other words, not really the same thing) Elon Musk.

The post called Lutheran Social Services, Global Refuge, and Lutheran Family Services money laundering organizations.

Which, is not only lauaghably false, but dangerously libel. Especially because on the other end of those services are families in need, children in need, babies, Beloved.

Babies.

And the reason that LSS and LFS have some government contracts (some, mind you), is because they have boots on the ground in localities that need the services and <gasp> do them better than a large beauracratic engine like a government agency could.

I mean, I guess I would put it this way: why use a fire hose to provide a drink when a thousand cups of water will do it better and toward better ends?

That’s what we’re talking about here, Beloved. We’re talking about efficiency and actual impact in actual lives.

But instead of noting that reality, these sledgehammering billionairs and synchophantic parasites decide to prey on misinformation and slander to disparage organizations actually doing the good work necessary for human thriving in the world.

The Presiding Bishop of the ELCA, the Reverend Elizabeth Eaton, was quick to respond. Within hours. As were a number of other Synodical Bishops.

But even though Lutheran Social Services and Lutheran Family Services are pan-Lutheran, and even though Global Refuge has (at least historically) worked across Lutheran denominations, there wasn’t a peep from the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Until there was. Almost a week later.

And it’s no wonder it took a week because what came from the President of the Missouri Synod was, well, weak.

And confusing.

And insulting.

And astonishingly vaccuous.

I won’t bother to read to you the tome (Harrison is in need of an editor), nor will I pick out any of the parts that were particularly troubling (pay attention to his personal opinion on Musk <spoiler alert: praise>). Honestly, slogging through non-speak and word soup once is enough for any ocular exercise…no need to do it twice. No souls will be saved from purgation by going through that torture again.

But I do want to say, quite plainly, why his letter is so disappointing.

I went to Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. Valparaiso is a pan-Lutheran university. Quite proudly (or, at least it used to be a point of pride). In our theology department there we had students from both the ELCA and LC-MS learning together.

Debating together. Usually quite collegially.

Communing together (gasp).

Serving together.

Being in honest dialogue together.

And in that ecosystem we embodied the very first church, despite our theological differences.

Because when Saint Peter and Saint Paul disagreed on how to handle ministry to the Gentiles (Paul was for it, Peter was not so sure), they said that, even though they disagreed on a lot of theology, the one thing they could agree on is ministering to the poor (see Galatians 2:10 above).

And I guess that’s why President Harrison’s letter stunk so much.

Stung so much.

Instead of seeing an opportunity to lift up the good work that these organizations do for the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed, he decided to talk about the benefit the church has had in immigrating white folks…but those days are now gone and so, while he empathizes with immigrants, the LC-MS isn’t a part of the work of these organizations.

Because, you know, they help lots of marginalized people. Like gay ones. And “illegal” ones. And they can’t be a part of that even though <checks scriptural notes> Jesus didn’t put any qualifiers on helping the poor and marginalized.

Oh, and he went to the trouble to even note how Flynn probably “meant well” by his “muckraking” which, last I checked, NEVER MEANS WELL.

It’s a kowtow to the powers, instead of speaking truth to them.

It’s the bullied cozying up to the bully so they don’t get picked on.

And it’s sad.

And for those of us who saw how Lutherans could work across ideological differences and even love each other, well…it makes me sad we thought it could be different.

Because the church used to agree on at least one thing: helping the poor.

That was the least it could do for the least of these.

But now?

Not even that can unite us, by God.

And that sucks, President Harrison.

Do better.