The Pursuit of God

Introduction

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Temperamentally, he was reclusive, reflective and poetic. He was especially drawn to the writings of fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Christian mystics and seventeenth century Quietists 4 like François Fénelon and Madame Guyon. He recognized them as kindred spirits and soul friends. With their help, he came to discover the exquisite experience of beholding God’s beauty with adoration and delight. Some of these spiritual writers were already known in his Holiness church tradition, but he discovered the majority of them on his own while browsing used book stores. He absorbed their visions, and then, with a uniquely engaging style, passed along his discoveries to others. He spoke reprovingly to a conservative Protestant community that had become, in his judgment, largely disconnected from the presence of God. His legacy was to reconnect such conservative evangelicals with larger, ecumenical streams of Christian spirituality, and to prod Bible-centered Christians to pursue the God who dwells “beyond the sacred page.” 5 A Modern Spiritual Classic In 1959, someone asked Tozer to recommend some spiritual classics. He responded with a list of thirty-five. 6 The inquirer then posed a follow-up question: “What 4 Quietism – A stream of Christian spirituality which emphasizes being still, passive, and quiet before God in order to allow God to take the lead and direct every aspect of one’s life. 5 Glen G. Scorgie, “Tozer, A(iden) W(ilson) (1897–1963),” in Dictionary of Christian Spirituality , ed. Glen G. Scorgie (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 805. 6 The list has been preserved in David J. Fant, Jr., A. W. Tozer: A Twentieth Century Prophet (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1964), 181. The full list is included in the “Soul Work and Soul Care” appendix.