Tragedy in the Church: The Missing Gifts

by A.W. Tozer

In this collection of 12 profound sermons, A. W. Tozer points out why so many Christians and churches today are weak. But he doesn't leave us without hope. He uplifts our spirits and helps us recognize what God wants to do in and through each and every one of us. These sermons deal directly with the subjects of the Christian church and the spiritual basis for its varied and continuing ministries. They display A. W. Tozer's love, appreciation, and concern for the church, which motivated him to so consistently issue caution. Tozer always yearned to reveal to the Christina and Missionary Alliance a desire for each church member to reach their full potential for honoring the Lord Jesus Christ, and this book represents that yearning well.

Genres: Christian, Church, Christian Living, Theology

160 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1990

About the author

Aiden Wilson Tozer was an American evangelical pastor, speaker, writer, and editor. After coming to Christ at the age of seventeen, Tozer found his way into the Christian & Missionary Alliance denomination where he served for over forty years. In 1950, he was appointed by the denomination's General Council to be the editor of "The Alliance Witness" (now "Alliance Life").

Born into poverty in western Pennsylvania in 1897, Tozer died in May 1963 a self-educated man who had taught himself what he missed in high school and college due to his home situation. Though he wrote many books, two of them, "The Pursuit of God" and "The Knowledge of the Holy" are widely considered to be classics.

A.W. Tozer and his wife, Ada Cecelia Pfautz, had seven children, six boys and one girl.

Reviews

[Sophie Ferry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like a theologian is made in how well the truth that they preach holds up throughout time. If it’s bogged down by the pressures of culture or the trends within the church it slowly becomes worthless. I love Tozer so much because this guy swings and rarely misses. What do you mean he’s preaching in support of a racially diverse church in the 1960s? Not even Graham was doing that. What do you mean he’s supporting unity of spirit and not uniformity of church? We don’t even get that today! Every time I read Tozer I’m grateful that there’s at least someone sane to look back on and appreciate the work of.

[Ashley Ethridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the 3 recommended books in the study material of my small group Bible study that my church is doing this spring. The focus was on the study of the spiritual gifts and screening them all against scripture. Tozer is truly prophetic (now that I’ve learned that the spiritual gifts of a prophet is being forth telling not fortune telling and understand why many have called Tozer and his spiritual gifts as a prophet) and felt immediately convicted about how I dismiss or minimize the Holy Spirit. The only reason I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I thought this was going to speak about and break down of each of the spiritual gifts in detail and while it is still edifying, it does not do this much. Rather it explains the importance of the Holy Spirit and what we are lacking as a church in the West from believers not faithfully using their gifts for the body and how we lack the Holy Spirit much in the West. Highly recommend!

[Deemel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an inspiring book for todays church. So many challenging thoughts to build and to restore the body of Christ. To know that He is the “Shekinah Glory” God is with us during the good and the bad when the world around us appears to be crumbling away. I loved the writing of this author and the message of this book has enhanced my life in so many ways. I highly recommend this book and will be reading other books by AW Tozer in the future.

[Michael Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still timely today!

There is something about the writings of Tozer that strikes to the heart. While this was written many years ago, the truths are timeless. Do we see the “tragedy” today in the church that Tozer wrote of? Only to a greater degree. That is one reason I like to read Tozer today. This book is no different in it is a “wake up” call to the church as the body of Christ and the individual believers.

[Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

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