The Forgotten Tozer: A. W. Tozer’s Challenge to
Today’s Church
LIKE many other Christians, the author became
acquainted with A. W. Tozer through his classic book, The Knowledge of the Holy. Other than that classic work, however,
he had read almost nothing else of Tozer until about 1998. It was then that
someone handed him a copy of God Tells
the Man Who Cares. He was
astounded to learn that decades ago Tozer faced and addressed most of
the same issues that are diluting Christianity and undermining the Church
today. A year of research and writing resulted in the present book. While it
contains some biographical material, it is not a biography. Citing more than
200 extensive and carefully documented Tozer quotations, it is a review and
analysis of Tozer’s thought on contemporary Christianity of his day (and as it
turns out, our own as well). (186 pages)
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Contents
Christianity today is man-centered, not God centered.
God
is made to wait patiently, even respectfully,
on the whims of men.[1]
Introduction
Gone But Not Forgotten
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L
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Other
than that classic work, however, I had read almost nothing else of Tozer in my
nearly two and one half decades of full-time ministry, that is, until about
1998. It was at that time that one of the lambs under my care handed me a copy
of God Tells the Man Who Cares and
said, “After reading this I thought it might be an encouragement and maybe even
a challenge to you.” Well, it was both of those. What I read positively astounded
me! I had no idea that Tozer, decades ago, faced and pointedly addressed most
of the same issues that are diluting Christianity and undermining the Church today.
Along with several others, Tozer was among one of those rare men of faith and
conviction who upheld the authority of Scripture and purity of the Church.
As I continued to
reflect on Tozer and mention him to other preachers and church members, it
became clear that, like me, few knew of this aspect of Tozer’s burden and
ministry. Truly, it seemed to me, while he remained one of the great “Christian
mystics” and one of the greatest of the “devotional writers,” this timely
aspect of Tozer had been tragically (perhaps even conveniently) forgotten.
With that observation
in mind, I envisioned this book on The
Forgotten Tozer, which I pray will serve to remind us not only of what
Tozer said but that what he said was true. While this book contains some
biographical material, it is not a biography. It is a review and analysis of
Tozer’s thought on contemporary Christianity of his day (and as it turns out,
our own as well). While actually penned back in 1999, I had to set the work
aside for lack of a publisher. As I discovered in those days, an Acquisitions
Editor might like a book very much and want to pursue it, but he still must
find interest among those on the Editorial Committee. But God is sovereign in
His timing. If anything, the situation is graver now than it was then, so
Tozer’s challenge is all the more pertinent and critical. The
following from Tozer’s pen sets the stage:
Within the circles of evangelical Christianity itself there has arisen in the last few years dangerous and dismaying trends away from true Bible Christianity. A spirit has been introduced which is surely not the Spirit of Christ, methods employed which are wholly carnal, objectives adopted which have not one line of Scripture to support them, a level of conduct accepted which is practically identical with that of the world—and yet scarcely one voice has been raised in opposition. And this in spite of the fact that the Bible-honoring followers of Christ lament among themselves the dangerous, wobbly course things are taking.
So radical is the essential spirit and content of orthodox Christianity changing these days under the vigorous leadership of undiscerning religionists that, if the trend is not stopped, what is called Christianity will soon be something altogether other than the faith of our fathers. We’ll have only Bible words left. Bible religion will have perished from wounds received in the house of her friends.[2]
My method of presenting Tozer’s thought is simple: state the
problem, present the Scripture, and permit Tozer to comment, making applications
to our day as appropriate. While some writers might just summarize what he
said, I believe we should allow Tozer to speak for himself. Is it not better to
read the man himself than to read the man’s interpreter? Is this not what we
wish the news media would do today, just let someone speak for himself instead
of telling us what he said?
One thing I want to avoid, and I know he would agree, is to
set Tozer up as the authority. We certainly have enough of that today with
various Christian leaders. While this book is based largely on quotations from
Tozer, I do not present them with the attitude of: “This is what Tozer
said.” Rather I present them from the perspective: “This is what Scripture
says and what Tozer preached.” There is a vast difference. Various Christian
leaders today—ones that have been dubbed with titles such as, “Christian
Leader,” “Successful Church Builder,” “Church Growth Guru,” “Christian Psychologist,”
and others—are often followed no matter what they say, without a moment’s
consideration of whether or not their words plumb with Scripture. My purpose
here, then, is not to lift up A. W. Tozer as the authority, rather to call attention to the fact that Tozer proclaimed
the Authority.
While writing this Introduction, I was reminded of a
statement about the Americans who were killed in Vietnam. As many Americans (although
not enough) remember, the Vietnam War was one we “lost,” and it is for that
very reason that many Americans want to forget about it and those who fought
there. But the statement I’ve read in several sources over the years by people
who do care about those who gave their all in Vietnam is, “Gone but not
forgotten.” (Sadly, other such things are easily forgotten as well, such as
Pearl Harbor and 9/11.)
That is how I feel about many of the things A. W. Tozer
wrote and spoke—they seem forgotten by the masses. Oh, many
Christians like to read his “devotional thoughts,” but they pass by his
observations and criticisms about contemporary Christianity. Many, for the sake
of unity and tolerance, choose not to discern what is good from what is not.
So, it is with great burden that I offer, for whatever it
might be worth, this analysis of Tozer’s “contemporary thought.” The title, The
Forgotten Tozer, was actually prompted by Iain Murray’s wonderful book, The
Forgotten Spurgeon (Banner of Truth), but in some ways I believe it is even
more appropriate here. By the end of this book, therefore, I pray you will say
with me about Tozer: “Gone but not forgotten.”
In true Tozer fashion, let us open with a word of prayer:
Gracious Father, I come humbly before You in worship. I praise You and glorify You alone, for only Thou art worthy. I examine my heart and prove that it is pure in attitude and action. Give me the courage to set aside my preconceived ideas and notions and turn to the Word of God alone for my guide in life and ministry. Give me the strength not to be conformed to contemporary thought but transformed by consecrated truth. Father, change me in whatever ways are needed to make me what I should be. I ask it all in the Savior’s precious name, Amen.
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