I was looking out over the wide expanse of the Pacific Ocean at Laguna Beach, not very far from San Clemente, when the news came of the presidential pardon for Richard Nixon. The previous day we had cruised by the Nixon compound on a boat, talking idly about Watergate, never imagining the next day’s development.
The full implications of Mr. Ford’s decision will not be known for some time, if ever. Initial reports were that the citizenry was sharply divided, either wholly approving or wholly disapproving the pardon. An editorial which addresses the admittedly complex and difficult issue is found on page 37.
Recently the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has been in the news again, with the former president of its St. Louis seminary, John Tietjen, getting plenty of media attention. In our Reformation issue (October 25) we will present an interview with President Preus that will be of interest to Lutherans and to every denomination that has faced or is facing similar problems.
