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Reclaiming Christianity: A Call to Authentic Faith

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Like Ravenhill, Bridges, Stedman and other contemporary prophets, A.W. Tozer never in his lifetime stopped calling the Church back to her first love, holiness and purity in Jesus Christ. Tozer was never one to tiptoe around the need for the Church and her individual members to stand apart from the world, to walk and talk as those called out to be God's people. His criticism could be brash but it was always rooted in a no-nonsense biblical faith that he drew directly from the scriptures. To read Tozer is face the man as he points out the many areas in which you have compromised with the world and in which you risk becoming lukewarm, or worse.

Reclaiming Christianity is a collection of essays that are just this year seeing the light of publication day. In each, Tozer issues the same call for restoration from what he saw as a weak and ineffective Church. He saw her drifting toward entertainment rather than solemnity, modeling her activities on big business rather than community, and drawing her members toward a lukewarm faith rather than holiness.

Remember, brother Tozer went home in 1963. Can you imagine what he would see in today's church?

This is an excellent collection of short reads that will confront you on every page. Even if you have convinced yourself that you have no areas of compromise, the author's words will penetrate the thick blanket of justification and ignite the Spirit of conviction within. Let the words sink in, open your Bible and fall to your knees before the Lord. He will quicken your passion and you can do the same favor for your brother.

This is the third book I've read of A.W. Tozer's, and I am thoroughly enjoying it. His message is clear and easy to understand. He calls us back to God's Word and the to power of God's Holy Spirit that makes His Word alive to us. I wish I could have heard him preach in person! The only difficulty I find in his books is the use of the KJV translation for all the Scripture quotations, which are sometimes more difficult for me to follow. But I realize that since Tozer preached from the KJV, it might have been too difficult for the editor to substitute a more modern translation. Tozer's teaching is worth any extra effort it takes to follow the KJV quotations.

As always, the words of Tozer point us to where we should be. In his typical unashamed and unfiltered manner, he gets to the heart of the matter rather quickly. Much like the prophets of the Old Testament, he is unwavering in his proclamation of truth. Our faith is not about our expectations and wants. Rather it is a call to surrender our loves to the life-changing power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you are content with contemporary Christianity, then you will want to avoid this book, and any book that Tozer wrote. However, if you are wanting to open your mind and spirit up to the possibility that God desires more from you than what our self-centered approach to the teachings of Jesus has embraced over the past 100 years, then this book will help you to wrestle with those issues that matter and focus your attention on the only One Who can truly transform the human heart and the culture in which we live.

I have always loved A.W. Tozier's writings, and this is no exception. Tozier goes in depth to explain just why the church needs to grow up, and quit looking inside, and start looking outside of itself, to see the people in need of Christ around us, and be busy reaching out. As I say, not an easy read, but a good one!

This was my first Tozer book that I have read, & being a young adult I wasn't sure how much I could relate or get from it. How I was surprised! Such an awesome book, speaking directly into my life & the church of this day. Worth any price, & needs to be in anyones library who lives the real Christian life, not just a Sunday morning service.

This book is a call for Christians and Christian churches to return to the authentic Christianity of Christ. As always, Tozer does not mince words in his view of the modern church and its straying from the truth of God's word. If you are a church leader, bent on growing your church through programs, new carpet in the sanctuary and messages that won't "wound" people's hearts...be ready to be chastised by Tozer's words. If you are a seeker of Christ and His truth, and trying to discover what "truth" really is from God' perspective...this book is for you. Truth can hurt sometimes, but Truth is what everyone's heart is seeking - whether a believer or not.