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April 6, 2010

Tuesdays with Tozer

A.W. Tozer is a man who will make you hungry for God.

I'm thrilled to welcome Margaret Feinberg to Out of Ur this spring. Margaret is a fine author and speaker, and she's a great addition to the conversation on Ur. For the next few weeks we'll be posting her reflections on the writings of A.W. Tozer. -Url Scaramanga

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This spring I’ve decided to shake things up and throw a Tuesday with Tozer party every week. I hope to offer short snippets from this wonderful writer and lover of God who penned classics including: The Pursuit of God and Knowledge of the Holy.

Tozer wasn’t a man of means. While on his way home from work at a tire company, a street preacher cried out, “If you don’t know how to be saved…just call on God.” When Tozer arrived home, he followed the street preacher’s advice and his life changed forever. Tozer’s story, like many others, reminds us not to mock to those whose approach to sharing the good news of God is different than our own.

Though he lacked formal theological training, Tozer became a pastor of a small church and continued to pastor for more than four decades. What made Tozer extraordinary was his approach to prayer and faith. He became enthralled by God in a way few men or women do-though many hope to. In his first editorial, he wrote:

“It will cost something to walk slow in the parade of the ages, while excited men of time rush about confusing motion with progress. But it will pay in the long run and the true Christian is not much interested in anything short of that.”


I read those words multiple times, because I didn’t want them alive in my mind as much I wanted them true in my soul. I find that same desire to be true of much of Tozer’s writings. The beauty of his words are that they reflect God in such a way that they make us want to radiant Him even more.

Simply put: Tozer makes me hungry for God.

I hope you will join me for the upcoming weeks of Tuesdays with Tozer.

Related Tags: Bible, Bible study, Church history, History, Teaching, Theology

Comments

Every Day with A.

A. W. Tozer was also the editor of the denominational magazine of The Christian and Missionary Alliance from 1950 until his death in 1963. A daily Tozer devotional is posted at www.cmalliance.org/devotions/tozer.

Melinda Smith Lane
Managing Editor
Alliance Life magazine

"Tozer wasn’t a man of means."

Ironically, his books created a great deal of wealth for him. But he gave almost all of it away.

I love Tozer and consider him an American mystic, though he would probably have bristled at that label.

Deep. Gutsy. Passionate. Substantial.

A man before his time.

"Though he lacked formal theological training, Tozer became a pastor of a small church and continued to pastor for more than four decades."

This was the most surprising revelation to me about Tozer. Having read some of his work, I would never have guessed he "lacked theological training." As I reconsider the sentence above, I wonder how it is that we have so divorced "theological training" from longevity of ministry in the Bride of Christ. What an awesome testimony to know that a contrite and seeking heart can be formed into a pastor of pastors through service with the body of Christ! How arrogant that we think such servanthood is not theological training anymore.

Just remembered one of my favorite Tozer sayings..

"If someone can talk you into Christianity, someone can talk you out of it."

Margaret, what a great post! I enjoy Tozer. I will read him occasionally and remember again why I like him so much. Thanks for this post!

I've used Tozer's books as part of my daily devotional and found them AWESOME in the exact meaning of that word. One cannot read Tozer and not come away with an increased AWE and love for Christ. I strongly recommend this practice as a change in the QT regimen.

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