In a very roundabout way recently, I was introduced to the work of a prolific Christian author named A.W. Tozer. From what I have learned, I’m probably in rare company being a lifelong Christian and having no idea who this Tozer guy was. In his lifetime, Tozer wrote more than 40 books and served in ministry more than 40 years, all without formal seminary training. He is best known for the spiritual classic: The Pursuit of God.

Early on in that book, Tozer says the following:

“Christian theology teaches the doctrine of provenient grace, which briefly stated means this, that before a man can seek God, God must first have sought the man. Before a sinful man can think a right thought of God, there must have been a work of enlightenment done within him; imperfect it may be, but a true work nonetheless, and the secret cause of all desiring and seeking and praying which may follow.”

He had me at hello. And so I’ve been diligently reading two different books by him the past few weeks. You will no doubt witness me citing Tozer in upcoming posts, possibly wrestling with some of the insights he provokes in his writing. All in all, I believe he was graced with the gift of prophecy and has significant wisdom to pass along from God. It also seems to me that at times his take on things can be a bit fanatical and overly zealous. I’m not sure I’m ready to blindly follow everything he has to say, but he has helped me think differently and to challenge some conventional wisdom.

Since my jury is still somewhat out on Tozer, I’d love to hear how others feel about him. Have you been inspired by him? Believe he’s brilliant? A quack? Has it all right? All wrong? Somewhere in between? In the meantime, I’ll keep going deeper into The Pursuit of God and The Purpose of Man and let you know what I learn, both about Tozer and myself.