A.W. Tozer - Calvinist?

[4ndr3w]

uzzled: Does anyone know A.W. Tozer's beliefs?

I was reading an online book [u:97c2e9dee8]Man - The Dwelling Place of God[/u:97c2e9dee8] and came across this.

http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/tozer/5j00.0010/5j00.0010.20.htm
"To square the records, however, it should be said that if the Calvinist does not rise as high, he usually stays up longer. He places more emphasis on the Holy Scriptures which never change, while his opposite number (as the newspapers say) tends to judge his spiritual condition by the state of his feelings, which change constantly. This may be the reason that so many Calvinistic churches remain orthodox for centuries, at least in doctrine, while many churches of the Arminian persuasion often go liberal in one generation."

 

[Me Died Blue]

I don't have any sources at the moment, but as far as I know, Tozer was Arminian.

 

[ReformedWretch]

I sure wish he were Calvinist!

He is the author of a quoate I so closely resemble and relate to!

THE LONELINESS OF THE CHRISTIAN

By A.W. Tozer



The loneliness of the Christian results from his walk with God in an ungodly world, a walk that must often take him away from the fellowship of good Christians as well as from that of the unregenerate world. His God-given instincts cry out for companionship with others of his kind, others who can understand his longings, his aspirations, his absorption in the love of Christ; and because within his circle of friends there are so few who share his inner experiences he is forced to walk alone. The unsatisfied longings of the prophets for human understanding caused them to cry out in their complaint, and even our Lord Himself suffered in the same way.

The man [or woman] who has passed on into the divine Presence in actual inner experience will not find many who understand him. He finds few who care to talk about that which is the supreme object of his interest, so he is often silent and preoccupied in the midst of noisy religious shoptalk. For this he earns the reputation of being dull and over-serious, so he is avoided and the gulf between him and society widens. He searches for friends upon whose garments he can detect the smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces, and finding few or none he, like Mary of old, keeps these things in his heart.

It is this very loneliness that throws him back upon God. His inability to find human companionship drives him to seek in God what he can find nowhere else.

 

[mjbee]

Adam, have you ever read "On Breeding Spotted Mice"? I like Tozer, too, but he always seemed to dance around the questions of election and predestination. Perhaps he was trying to appeal to a wider audience. No matter. I love his writings!

Bee

 

[ABondSlaveofChristJesus]

hmm

I listened to a sermon of his that seemed pretty calvinistic to me. :thumbup:

 

[ReformedWretch]

No Melissa, I have not read that. I will now though Thanks!

 

[cupotea]

I have been reading his book "The Knowledge of the Holy," for a class I am required to take called Spiritual Formation. In it, he writes on the attributes of God from a most worshipful angle. He seems to have only the greatest respect for the classical views of Immutability, Sovereignty, Majesty, Perfection, Completeness, and utter beauty of God. I do agree, though, that he dances around soteriological issues. I suppose that is good, in the sense that we can appreciate him, and so can our Arminian brothers.

 

[Me Died Blue]

[quote:b4417f4091="JesusFan"]I have been reading his book "The Knowledge of the Holy," for a class I am required to take called Spiritual Formation. In it, he writes on the attributes of God from a most worshipful angle. He seems to have only the greatest respect for the classical views of Immutability, Sovereignty, Majesty, Perfection, Completeness, and utter beauty of God. I do agree, though, that he dances around soteriological issues. I suppose that is good, in the sense that we can appreciate him, and so can our Arminian brothers.[/quote:b4417f4091]

While I appreciate some of his works too, I have to take issue with your claim that his soteriological vagueness is good. A less-direct biblical view is [i:b4417f4091]never[/i:b4417f4091] a good thing, no matter how much wider an audience it is supposedly appealing to.

And even though he's vague, Tozer did indeed deny the Reformed doctrine of soteriology, because in his book [i:b4417f4091]The Pursuit of God[/i:b4417f4091], he affirms the doctrine of "prevenient grace," which is basically an acknowledgement of God having sought the man before the man can seek God, but it still denies that the ultimate choice is in God's hands.

 

[4ndr3w]

[quote:c1f4f69548="joshua"]I found this quote at http://brainyquote.com

[quote:c1f4f69548]Salvation is from our side a choice, from the divine side it is a seizing upon, an apprehending, a conquest by the Most High God. Our "accepting" and "willing" are reactions rather than actions. The right of determination must always remain with God.

A.W. Tozer
[/quote:c1f4f69548][/quote:c1f4f69548]

Hmmm. uzzled:

Christopher, Do you have any direct quotes of Tozer's view on "Prevenient Grace". Was his definition that same as that of Arminians? I say that because I have actually heard Reformed people speaking of a different concept of "Prevenient Grace".

I must confess, I don't have time right now to read his book. I will try to get to it later. I was hoping you might quote him or list pages to watch out for.

 

[Bryan]

Tozer was an arminian, but he's one of my favorite arminians
When you come across a person who has a great love of God, you are attracted to them. I find this with Tozer. His love of god comes out so clearly in his writtings. He is a little off in some theological areas but none that puts him far outside of the Christian camp. He knew the God of the Bible, had an awe of him that msot people never achieve, and wrote wonderfuly about this.

Bryan
SDG

 

[cupotea]

Tozer began as a Presbyterian though, didn't he? Or was that Simpson? I know Tozer is held in very high regard among the C&MA people, and Simpson was their founder, I believe.

 

[D. Paul]

One of my favorite written articles of Tozer's is this one:

http://www.wrfd.com/editorials.asp?Id=29&Type=Other

I used to record his sermons from an old radio program late at night (Voices of the Past) and always found him edifying but did soon see his leanings toward Arminianism. Does that necessarily cancel out the Gospel he preached?

 

[Bryan]

Simpson was both a Presbyterian and Baptist at points in his life. I don't know if Tozer was in any other denomination before pastoring an Alliance Church or not.

Bryan
SDG