A Passion for God: The Spiritual Journey of A. W. Tozer

Pastor A. W. Tozer, author of the Christian classics The Pursuit of God and The Knowledge of the Holy, was a complex, intensely private, deeply spiritual man.
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In fact, I find myself quite besotted with the great Christian teachers of the previous two centuries, because they include names that have always been hallmarks of what was taught to me as being solid Biblical teaching — J.


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In deciding to read a biography on A. Tozer the question, 55 years on from his death, the question was simply, which biography to start with? The Spiritual Journey of A. Tozer by Lyle Dorsett as a potential consideration, and I subsequently found it cheap at my local second-hand Christian bookstore. Dorsett writes beautifully, and the flow of the book is subtly captivating.

He is the author of numerous books, among them biographies of Joy Davidman Mrs. Bounds, and Billy Sunday. Keenly interested in the life and writings of C. Lewis , A Passion for Souls: The Life of D. Moody ; Seeking the Secret Place: The Spiritual Formation of C.


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Lewis and A Passion for God: He called saints and sinners alike to repent and be converted. Tozer was a man who was passionate about God and commendably so. He was not a man to be pushed around by his context, but he was a man that was willingly pushed by his sincere pursuit of and understanding of Scripture. This biography shows Tozer's warts and all which I believe is the great value of the biography. The clear message I received from it was that God uses men who fully pursue God and yet these very men are not yet like their Savior who they so adore.

In God's good grace his wife was Tozer was a man who was passionate about God and commendably so. In God's good grace his wife was faithful to him and his children were not bitter, but Dorsett documents how Tozer neglected them often. He was also less than a careful pastor of his people outside of the pulpit.

I wanted to give a 5 because of the value it was for me to listen to it, but I also wanted to give it a 3 because of two primary things concerning the approach of the biographer. First, Dorsett consistently used the word "biblical" regarding Tozer's form of continuationism. I would have appreciated a simple statement of what Tozer believed. Second, Dorsett spoke often of Tozer's "mysticism.

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Overall I especially recommend this to pastors as it helps them to analyze their own ministry through the lens of Tozer's significant strengths and weaknesses. May 12, Jennifer rated it it was ok Shelves: This was a dry, simplistic, and repetitious biography about A. Tozer, a theologian who seemed to have had quite the impact back in the day. I haven't read any of his books, but his name has been floated quite a bit in the circles I've frequented in the past.

Tozer was an introvert and had at times a cold harshness to his personality. This, of course, led to a lot of relational difficulties that seemed to plague his entire life. While it was shocking to read about his uncaring ways towards his This was a dry, simplistic, and repetitious biography about A.

A Passion for God: The Spiritual Journey of A. W. Tozer

While it was shocking to read about his uncaring ways towards his wife and children, the book did seemed to be weighted heavily on her side and we get very little of Tozer's perspective, so it's hard to really make any judgments on the situation. Tozer's devotion to God and to prayer are quite inspiring, but his lack of love for his family and parishioners certainly leaves a sour taste in my mouth. The author seemed almost obsessed with fleshing out Tozer's relational difficulties and that made it hard reading. I think I need to read some of Tozer's works and maybe read another biography from a different perspective to perhaps understand him a little better.

It is clear, though, that God did use Tozer, cracked pot though he was as we all are , and that is encouraging. Oct 31, Heather rated it it was amazing Shelves: I didn't give this book 5 stars because I loved it, in many ways I found it discouraging and heartbreaking. I gave it five stars because Mr.

Dorsett achieved a rare balance of treating his subject sympathetically while being very honest about his faults. Too many biographers paint larger than life pictures of the person they are writing about, promoting hero worship. The flaws in Tozer are painful, they do not make for easy reading, but they are instructively sobering. This is not to say that th I didn't give this book 5 stars because I loved it, in many ways I found it discouraging and heartbreaking.

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This is not to say that the book is focused primarily on Tozer's flaws, but they do reoccur throughout the book and Mr. Dorsett does not allow us to push them into a corner and treat them as some inconsequential blemishes on an otherwise perfect man. We learn that Tozer's faults are troubling as much as his virtues are inspiring. I listened to this book as a download from Christian audio. My main complaint with the book was that Mr. Dorsett often said the same things twice or more. I think he was trying to pick up a theme he had already started in order to delve into it more thoroughly, but it sounded tediously repetitious at times.

Jun 05, Poiema rated it really liked it Shelves: Tozer is one of my spiritual heroes. This is a biography of a complex man, a man who knew how to enter the Holy of Holies with God and come back alive. His devotional life, self education, and resultant spiritual depth well equipped him to communicate gospel truth to his generation early to mid s.

Tozer was both a writer and a preacher, and as such contributed cutting edge discernment and deva A. Tozer was both a writer and a preacher, and as such contributed cutting edge discernment and devastatingly probing prose. The biographer captures the essence of the man's passion and sympathetically deals with his glaring weakness: An insightful and stimulating read. This was an interesting book of a very compelling life. I now have an affection for A.

Tozier as a man who was able to have a very intimate relationship with God. I also found it somewhat sad and concerning that he had such a challenging relationship with his own family. I wonder if it's possible to have such a strong focus on God without neglecting your earthly family. I discovered what I usually find when I read a good biography; there are valuable things to learn, but I don't want to copy t This was an interesting book of a very compelling life. I discovered what I usually find when I read a good biography; there are valuable things to learn, but I don't want to copy their life.

The challenge that I have with this book is that I did not really enjoy the writing style of Dorsett, but in all it was worth the read. Dec 24, Barrie Bliss rated it really liked it. Opens your eyes to life of Aiden W. His struggles and his victories. A man who came from nothing and kept the same humility his entire a life. Tozer A Passion For God. Jun 16, Glenn rated it it was ok. The book is not so much about A. Tozer's spiritual life as it is about Ada Tozer, his wife.

This book is her long complaint against his reclusive personality. Dorsett tries so hard not to write a hagiography that he obsesses over Aiden's flaws to the point of distraction. In my view, Dorsett assumes too much from Ada's letters making Tozer appear to be a hypocrite toward his wife and family. If I had never read Tozer before reading this biography, I would assume his books are not worthy to di The book is not so much about A.

If I had never read Tozer before reading this biography, I would assume his books are not worthy to digest because of his inconsistent character. Aug 25, Lois rated it it was amazing. I appreciated the author's balanced and thoughtful approach to exploring A.

Tozer's life and the opportunity to learn from his mistakes and gain inspiration from his achievements. The chapter on Tozer's response to racial conflict in the Chicago church's neighborhood was notably interesting.

Book Review: A Passion for God: The Spiritual Journey of A. W. Tozer by Lyle Dorsett

Chapters are nicely arranged by aspects of his life instead of strictly chronological. The photographs included in my edition were a treat. I have never read any of Tozer's books, but now I want to collect e I appreciated the author's balanced and thoughtful approach to exploring A. I have never read any of Tozer's books, but now I want to collect everything he's written.

I'm also looking forward to reading other biographies by Dorsett. Mar 18, Havebooks Willread rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: I enjoyed this book very much. Dorsett's writing style is easy to read and his details are thorough. I read it while simultaneously reading The Pursuit of God by Tozer and I think this biography helped me to better understand and appreciate what Tozer was saying and where he was coming from.

I highly recommend this biography to anyone who is interested in learning more about Tozer or is curious about his works. It has made me want to read another book by Tozer at some point, probably The Knowledg I enjoyed this book very much. It has made me want to read another book by Tozer at some point, probably The Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God: Their Meaning in the Christian Life. Jun 03, Adam Shields rated it it was amazing Shelves: Full review at h http: I liked this book. It is a good brief biography. I struggled thinking through some of the issues this book brought up for me.

For instance what is the role of depression for people that we often look up to as prayer warriors. What do we think of people that are viewed as "saints" but who are bad parents and spouses. I recommend the book. Mar 18, Vaclav rated it really liked it. I am one of them. I have been blessed by all the books Tozer wrote. I think we idolize people too much because we look for heroes without faults.

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The Bible and this bio present the honest truth about those who trust in God, but who also fail in many ways, as we all do. Jesus is the only star here, he's the only superhero, he's the only one we should make much of, he's the only one to worship! About Lyle Wesley Dorsett. Dorsett received his B.

He began his teaching career at the University of Missouri, moving briefly to the Univ. Books by Lyle Wesley Dorsett. Trivia About A Passion for God