Brush with Famous - Paul Maier

Rev. Dr. Paul L. Maier.  (LCMS  photo)

I first met Rev. Paul Maier at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Janesville.  He was there to lead a day-long seminar on Biblical history.

His father, Rev. Walter Maier was well-known in Lutheran circles as the first speaker of The Lutheran Hour.

Maier stayed in the family business when he was ordained while also exploring his love of history - especially Bible history.  He taught history at Western Michigan University 51 years, 39 of them while also serving as a campus Chaplain.

The Lutheran world is small.  During my 10 years with Aid Association for Lutherans and again while working as a fundraiser for a Lutheran school, I ran across him a couple more times, which is when I learned that he was a fiction writer too.

A Skeleton in God's Closet is a page turner.  It follows a professor and Biblical scholar on a wild journey after a discovery that rattled his and the rest of the Christian world.  It was published in 2012 and became a best-seller.

Strictly speaking, the Reverend Doctor isn't famous like any of the Kardashian sisters, but he is when it comes to his field and in the Lutheran community.

He is friendly and down-to-earth.  Despite three advanced degrees (Harvard, Concordia Seminary, and the University of Basel) it's easy to strike up a conversation with him.  He graciously talked with me for more than 10 minutes at a fundraising conference several years ago.  

An interesting speaker, a provocative author, friendly individual - Dr. Maier is memorable for reasons beyond what made him famous.