Book Review: The Life of A.W. Tozer

The Life of A.W. Tozer: In Pursuit of God

THE LIFE OF A.W. TOZER, IN PURSUIT OF GOD

James L. Snyder

Published by Regal, Ventura, CA, 2009.

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A.W. Tozer (1897 – 1963) may be best known for writing the classics, “The Pursuit of God” (1948) and “The Knowledge of the Holy” (1961). This authorized biography of Tozer, written by Pastor James Snyder, gives a glimpse into the life of Tozer and what motivated him.

As I read this book, I felt like I was reading about Christians’ lives depicted in the Book of Acts. Tozer’s motivation in life was to “leap away from everything that was unimportant to that which was most important: to be possessed by the Spirit of the living God.” After his ordination as a minister, Tozer prayed:

Heal my soul of carnal ambitions and deliver me from the itch for publicity. Save me from bondage to things. Let me not waste my days puttering around the house. Lay Thy terror upon me, O God, and drive me to the place of prayer where I may wrestle with principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world. Deliver me from over-eating and late sleeping. Teach me self-discipline that I may be a good soldier of Jesus Christ …. And now, O Lord of Heaven and earth, I consecrate my remaining days to Thee; let them be many or few, as Thou wilt. I am thy servant to do Thy will, and that will is sweeter to me than position or riches or fame. I choose it above all things on earth or in heaven.

Tozer’s relentless pursuit of God demanded that all else be secondary. If you want to be inspired and challenged at the same time, I encourage you to read this biography.

Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. – Luke 14:33

meet the reviewer: jon schommer

Jon Schommer grew up in Calumetville, Wisconsin (dairy farm country) and currently lives in Woodbury, Minnesota. He has been married for 21 years to Lisa and they have two children; Dave aged 16 and Emily who will turn 14 in January 2010. Jon’s hobbies include gardening and hiking. During the summer, he enjoys golfing once or twice and during the winter he enjoys ice fishing a few times. Jon earned his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and currently is a professor at the University of Minnesota.