They Need Not Go Away: Recapturing Lutheran Spirituality

Have you ever wondered how the Lord sustained Martin Luther through one of the most personally and spiritually intense times in the history of Christendom? And does God still do this today? The answer is yes! They Need Not Go Away is a practical book identifying and teaching modern-day Millennials and Gen Zers about Lutheran spirituality. It offers prayer practices designed and applied by Martin Luther, the Reformer, for modern families, individuals, adults, and teenagers. These spiritual practices are also applied to the modern Christian. To support these practices and the Lutheran contribution to Christian spirituality, this volume traces the influences of Martin Luther’s piety from pre-Reformation influencers to Dr. Luther as he navigated the tremendous social, cultural, and ecclesiastical pressures of his time. His spirituality is then traced through the next generations of Orthodoxy and Pietism identifying the shifts away from the affective aspects of Lutheran spirituality and elevation of the academic and more cognitive characteristics received in the twentieth century. The goal is to recapture the wholistic spirituality including the cognitive, affective, and experiential features. These are still useful in the hands of the Lord for today’s believers.

Tim Rippstein is the product of a gracious God who watched over him through childhood, from infant baptism though his parents' broken marriage, and was raised by a caring, but very tired mother along with his sister. He received graduate degrees from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, and Trinity Theological Seminary in Newburgh, Indiana. He has been a missionary to Japan, Director of Christian Education (DCE) in congregations, and university professor training DCEs. He is the author of They Need Not Go Away.

Timothy H. Maschke, DMin, PhD, is Professor of Theology at Concordia University, Mequon, Wisconsin. With degrees from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (Lutheran), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois (Evangelical Free Church) and Marquette University (Roman Catholic), Maschke brings a breadth of denominational perspectives into this informative introduction to Christian history. He is the author of Gathered Guests: An Introduction to Worship in the Lutheran Church.