NF

A classic lived by many, but this is my first reading. I wasn't as blown away as I'd hoped. There were things I liked and some that really didn't resonate with me (probably the Arminian flavor) ( )

This was a very good book - one I'll keep on my shelf for years to come, I'm sure. The first half in particular did really increase my desire to know God more intimately.

There was one chapter that talked about the Voice of God that seemed to state that the Bible isn't the only way to hear God's voice, and I feel that many may misinterpret this to mean that they don't need to verify what they hear with the Bible and be sure that the two are aligned, since the Bible is the only revealed Word of God. Tozer clarified in a later chapter that we are to refer to the Bible, but it was brief and could be easily overlooked, especially since it was in an entirely different chapter. Certainly, God speaks with a still, small voice, in the Spirit, but if what we hear is in any way contradictory to what the Bible plainly teaches, we are not hearing the Spirit of God speaking, but an evil Spirit - the Bible teaches to discern the Spirits, and we do this with the Bible. So for that reason, I gave only four stars. Other than that one issue, this book is stellar. ( )

Popular evangelical classics

Box a

4.5

An excellent read. Very short, almost laid out like a devotional, but there's a lot to unpack and I took my time with it.

The language can be archaic, and could be a struggle for some, but I think it's generally more accessible than a lot of Lewis' writing. So if you get on with him, you'll likely get on with this.

A lot of what is laid out here is simple at its heart, but also profound. Highly recommended. I'm sure I will return to it. ( )

Excellent ... classic ( )

Wasn't sure what to expect from Tozer and found I was pleasantly surprised. ( )

52904

Excellent book. Short, simple read, but packed with insights for connecting with God on a deeper level. ( )

pre-ISBN

wow!

I cannot say enough good things about this book. Tozer describes practical ways to pursue God that anyone willing can master. ( )

Read as a young Christian 16 years ago and has helped shaped my life and faith. "If my fire is not large it is yet real, and there may be those who can light their candle at its flame." To have found God and still pursue him is the paradox of love. ( )

I enjoyed going through this as a buddy read, as it has been sitting unread on my Kindle for years. I’m not quite sure how to rate it because although there are parts that will stick with me, I had quibbles with other parts; and I suspect that his tone/approach in other works would resonate more with me.

In my opinion, this is a book that everyone should read. If you're not a Christian, it will open your heart and eyes to the living God and, if you are a Christian, it will draw you closer to the Lord and create a deeper relationship with him.

This book was originally published in 1948 but it's Biblical principles and truths contained inside are timeless. It's written in a way that is easy to read and apply to your life. It was difficult for me to put down. I had a highlighter in hand the whole time I was reading as there was so much I want to refer back to.

Mr. Tozer emphasizes that we need to experience God - to cultivate a relationship with him that grows through consistent time with him as we would anyone important to us in our life. One of my favorite quotes from the book is, "God wills that we should push on into His Presence and live our whole lives there". This, for me, explains what this book is about in that one sentence.

This really is a book that I will read over and over again. With each reading, I believe there will be new things that pop out of me. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 stars.

*This book was provided to me by Bethany House. I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this book. ( )

This is the book i hoped that Knowing God would be. Full of passion and insight about your relationship with God. I could go one, but everyone should read this book. It's dated, but it holds up really well. This book good aptly be described as inspirational (while most books with that moniker are not). ( )

A really good read, especially considering this book was written in 1948. It's amazing that the Church faces the same challenges, just in a little different form. As I read in previous reviews, I would agree that the prayers at the conclusion of each chapter are superb. ( )

This book draws you into a deeper relationship God and exposes the roadblocks that hinder us from knowing Him. ( )

I listened to the audio version narrated by Grover Gardner. There is an introduction that tells about A.W. Tozer. It seems he was a mystic and I gathered that from some of what he says in the book. He writes from a 1948 Christian awareness of how to speak about God. He speaks only of Christians and Christianity. I could imagine today that he might be more like Merton having a dialog with the Dalai Lama, but that is not what is to be found in this book. What I particularly liked was his emphasis on an experience of God and not a reliance on dogma, Bible, prayer, or ministry to others. He applauds those things, but he sees the basis of it all as an experience of God. He does not attempt to give us an idea of what his experience of God is. I got the impression that he leaves that to each person to find out and not just once, but to continually be open to that experience. It sounds like Tozer's environment was one of a society where almost everyone was a professed Christian. He is speaking to them and trying to draw them into actually experiencing more. His way into that seems to be to truly desire it. I don't remember a lot of dos and don'ts in the book. ( )

This book has impacted my life more than any other book I have ever read. The first time I read this book was in 1980. I was in my Senior year in college, and learning how to be both a disciple of Jesus and a disciple maker of others. I was yearning to know God more intimately, I had a strong love for His Word, and had a great desire to teach others how to study the Bible for themselves, how to grow to love and enjoy it, and how to allow God to develop a yearning for Him in their hearts.

And then along comes this little book. And the impact was astounding. One image will never leave my consciousness. And that is that there is a veil over my heart separating me from the Father just as sure as there was a veil separating mankind from the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle and the Temple. Jesus' death caused the veil to rip in two, giving me access to the Father. But I sew it up again and again with my sin and fears and inability to be open and honest with God because of my wounds or being sinned against or whatever the reason. And tearing the veil again hurts. But the more I yearn to be close to God, the more I'm willing to allow Him to tear down the veil again, knowing He will be with me and will grant me the strength and grace to endure it.

That's only one among many lessons I have gleaned from this book - and I have read it many, many times, written notes in it, confessed my sins on its pages, and written down Prayers in it. For me, it has stood the test of time. ( )

Author is self-taught, associated with Christian Missionary Alliance, with honorary degree from Wheaton, and 60 republications of articles and sermons into books. Tozer provided a thorough explanation about God's universal presence, and he stated that God offers His love to all His children. The degree of our fellowship with God relies on us, which is why we cannot say that He is too preoccupied to give us His time. Instead, our Heavenly Father pursues us to be with Him. Yet, only a few respond to God's call to build a personal relationship with our Creator.

Interestingly, in 1963, Tozer documents the fact that few Americans were practicing Christianity. Few. Very few.

I appreciate his self-taught voice from the study of a wide variety of "scriptural" sources (not sectarian), preaching the idea that God is pursuing us--all of us--out of love, and in spite of our Sins. Tozer puts the trumpet to his lips warning against greed, selfishness, fraud and materialism. He is a prophet of "spiritual" richness, ecumenically drawing from all spiritual traditions. Tozer does not deal with theodicy or nature, and treats "God" as a metaphor Creator. ( )

This was a May re-read. Tozer is an incredibly rich writer which defies easy categorization. Your everyday evangelical, fundamentalist mystic radio-preacher from a few decades back. So much here that is worth digesting slowly. With as much as I read, it is sometimes daunting dipping back to old favorites. Will they hold up? Will they be good as I remember them? In this case, just rewards--Tozer is the real deal. ( )

Notes for a longer review:

- Underwhelming.
- Very much the "christianity is not a religion, it's a relationship" kind of approach. Touchy-feely, big on the Heart and Personal Revelation, but not so much on rigorous thinking and epistemology. Tozer deals in opinions, subjective truths, tries to avoid saying things that can be pinned down and considered carefully. The goal is not to present a coherent system of thought/belief, but to bemoan the loss of True Christianity, of the Simpler Days, of the easy black-and-white worldviews that the author imagines were real at some unspecified point in the past.
- disparages both sceptics and theologians, those who have a more intellectual approach to the christian faith than the emotional one Tozer favours
- reason, thinking, etc. can be discarded in favour of emotions, gut-feeling and personal revelation.
- the vast majority of christians are Doing It Rong. But not Tozer. He's Doing It Rite.
- promotes self-mortification, denying the self. Only valid if you agree with the presupposition that anything that doesn't serve god is ipso facto selfish and sinful. If I agreed with that, I'd already be a christian
- In favour of things that feel poetically true, can be formulated in rhetorically satisfactory ways (echoing new testament verbiage), as opposed to things that can be demonstrated to be true.
- when Tozer briefly chooses to acknowledge the conflicts between scientific accounts and his religious preferences, he throws an Argument from Ignorance and other fallacies at us (e.g. false equivalence) and considers that a Job Well Done. ( )

A.W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God is a spiritual classic that deserves to be read repeatedly. Tozer’s writing reflects the fire and vitality found in his recorded sermons, a fire and vitality that come from a life that is God-ward in its orientation.

In ten shorts chapters Tozer distills the biblical truths surrounding our lifelong pursuit of God as believers. In these chapters Tozer speaks to realities that were and are distant realities in American evangelicalism. As Tozer states, “We are overrun today with orthodox scribes, but the prophets, where are they? The hard voice of the scribe sounds over evangelicalism, but the church waits for the tender voice of the saint who has penetrated the veil and has gazed with inward eye upon the wonder that is God (p. 49).” Tozer’s observations about evangelicalism are still true today, reading it one would think Tozer was writing about the current state of Christianity in America rather than the late 1940s.

Tozer was one of the spiritual giants of his day and had an insight into the spiritual conditions of the church. Of his published works this might be one of the most important in my opinion. I have listened to Tozer’s recorded sermons since my college days and have always found him to have a balance and insight that makes him worth listening to and reading. Tozer’s hope for the Church in writing this book is that it would awaken it from the slumber which is so evident. Read Tozer and you will see the heart of one who has penetrated the veil in his pursuit of God.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book from the publisher for the purpose of reviewing it. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. ( )

Title: The Pursuit of God (Updated Edition)
Author: A. W. Tozer
Pages: 128
Year: 2015
Publisher: Aneko Press
My rating is 5 stars out of 5.
When I read the title and author, I was drawn back in my mind to the day I married my husband in a church. It was the very church where Tozer preached to people. There are other writings of Tozer that are also rich in teaching and if possible read about Tozer’s life. Tozer was a man who sought hard after God and in this book he challenges all to live a life fully and completely for God.
Some of the chapter themes were convicting as I read and realized God was speaking to my heart about where He is working. Other times I was challenged in my thoughts or comforted emotionally. There is always room for the believer to grow in becoming more Christ like and this book is one where words of exhortation are delivered without apology. Prayers are given to aid the person in asking for the Lord’s help, hand or voice.
Nothing replaces the Bible; however, there are authors who have written what God has laid on their heart to share with others in the hopes of drawing them near to Him. Tozer is one such author. The book was originally published in 1948 and some of the problems that we see in the Body needing to be addressed are addressed by the author. Draw near to the heart of the author as he points the reader to the heart and mind of our God!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” ( )