Paul Schlueter

simul justus et peccator

[Paul Schlueter @PaRoSc]

https://t.co/myHrSeK8qq

[Paul Schlueter @PaRoSc]

Read some of my reflections on the matter here:
https://t.co/85HQARatWh

[Paul Schlueter @PaRoSc]

Last Sunday I helped carry the cross out of the Chapel of the Holy Trinity at Concordia Ann Arbor for the final time.
What happened after the service disturbed me.
Some thoughts on grief, truth, and the temptation to look for easy scapegoats.

[Paul Schlueter @PaRoSc]

@collverab3 @based_white_boy So what are the reasons?

[Paul Schlueter @PaRoSc]

@PastorBenMeyer You will be missed at our meetings!

[Paul Schlueter @PaRoSc]

@TheBabylonBee A few lol moments

[The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee]

Not Sure Which Christian Denomination To Join? Here Are The Pros And Cons Of Each https://t.co/cgEJnqeobs

[Paul Schlueter @PaRoSc]

Sheesh. Can’t figure out how to edit this post. It’s Harold RISTAU, and no S on spiritual. Me and my stupid thumbs!

[Paul Schlueter @PaRoSc]

From Harold Roseau’s Spirituals Warfare for the Care of Souls. So far a great read!

[Paul Schlueter @PaRoSc]

@PastorBenMeyer LOL. Minus the dreads!

[Paul Schlueter @PaRoSc]

“Truth and light media.” is neither truth nor is it light. It is LCMS propaganda.

[Hans Fiene 🦬 @HansFiene]

I often hear this line from LCMS advocates of contemporary worship that they're just "doing ministry in their context" or something of that nature. I heard it again in a video today that I'll throw into the comments. Here was my long rambling ranty response:

But specifically, how is Arizona different from Minnesota or Iowa with regard to worship? You don't have a separate civilization in Arizona that has been living there for hundreds of years and that has organically developed different customs over generations. You have a bunch of Americans, many of whom are midwestern transplants, people who consume the same media and read the same books and eat the same food and speak the same language. You have many cradle Lutherans who grew up mostly using TLH or LW. And it wasn't that long ago that worship at any given LCMS church in suburban Phoenix was pretty much the same as what you'd find in rural Minnesota, at a time when those cultures were far less homogenous! It's just disingenuous to claim that, because there are more taco restaurants in Arizona or more multi-generational families in the midwest that we should expect LCMS Lutherans in one place to use the hymnal and LCMS Lutherans in the other not to. Likewise, you have congregations all over the midwest that look exactly like yours, just as there are congregations in Arizona where the worship is indistinguishable from what you'd find at mine. This line about doing ministry to fit your context was one I first heard from the senior pastor of a large LCMS church when I was in Denver. "We're doing ministry for our context, you're doing it for yours," he said to the pastor of another congregation six miles away, made up of people who were demographically indistinguishable from his own. This is not a serious argument. It's pious sounding verbiage. You're doing things this way because you like them and because you serve a congregation of people who like them. You don't have a separate culture. You have people gathered around different aesthetic preferences from those at traditional congregations. And this is the great problem. What you're really doing by hiding behind the "contextual hospitality" line is validating the revivalist notion that what connects people to God and brings them into His presence is the emotional response they get from the style of worship. "Just pick whichever style makes you feel more plugged into God." But what draws people closer to God is the word, rightly preached and proclaimed. That's why the great treasures of Lutheran hymnody are so valuable. If someone would rather not sing those because he doesn't feel connected to God through "traditional" forms of worship, the solution is to fix the false view of conversion and faith, not to pretend that we're dealing with different cultures. 4th century Milanese Christians having a foot washing ceremony and 4th century Romans not having one is not the same thing as one LCMS church using the historic liturgy and Lutheran hymns and another LCMS church three miles away not doing those things. I've had people visit my congregation, lifelong LCMS folks, who have never seen a hymnal and are utterly baffled by our service. They live closer to my church than I do and belong to congregations just minutes away, but the'd be far more comfortable at one of the nearby evangelical congregations. Why? It's not because we have different cultures. It's because we have different beliefs. That's why our worship isn't the same.

[Paul Schlueter @PaRoSc]

@MSU_Athletics @MSU_Football What a win!

[Michigan State Athletics @MSU_Athletics]

TRE 🤯🫨

[Paul Schlueter @PaRoSc]

@M52849057 We live in Central Ohio and have lamented the lack of a Lutheran high school. We sent our kids through Wittenberg Academy. It is online and second to none. You might consider that as well. If you have any questions about our experience with it I would be happy to answer.

[Paul Schlueter @PaRoSc]

@hlsenkbeil @ConcordiaPub Congrats on the reprint! I listened to the first installment today at the gym!!

[Paul Schlueter @PaRoSc]

@PastorBenMeyer Yeah, but it’s a win for everyone else!

[Paul Schlueter @PaRoSc]

@PastorBenMeyer And it starts with B!

[Paul Schlueter @PaRoSc]

@PastorBenMeyer Catena is cool! I don’t always remember to check it, but when I do it’s pretty great

[Paul Schlueter @PaRoSc]

@lymanstoneky Don't you mean Middle Earth?