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The Radical Cross: Living the Passion of Christ
"The cross of Christ demands from each of us identification. It is of no use to us unless we make it our own and enter into his death and resurrection." A. W. Tozer
The Radical Cross is a powerful compilation of A. W. Tozer's inspired impressions on the cross of Christ. Arranged thematically, this thought-provoking book discusses The Radical Cross and its promises, its price, its purpose, its pain, its provisions and its paradox. It is a book that will challenge you to make the cross your own and to live the passion of Christ.
The Radical Cross is a powerful compilation of A. W. Tozer's inspired impressions on the cross of Christ. Arranged thematically, this thought-provoking book discusses The Radical Cross and its promises, its price, its purpose, its pain, its provisions and its paradox. It is a book that will challenge you to make the cross your own and to live the passion of Christ.
148 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
76 people are currently reading
1258 people want to read
About the author
A.W. Tozer
664 books2,096 followersAiden 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
March 27, 2013
Christianity is nothing without the Cross. If Jesus did not die and rise again, he is simply a man who made crazy claims about being the son of God. If the Gospel is preached devoid of the Cross, it is no Gospel at all. There is no Grace without the cross. No salvation without the cross. No heaven for us to gain. No healing for our bodies. No joy to give us strength. We are allowed into the family of God by the adoptive love of God. This is only accessible through the cross. There are to crosses though. The one that gives us access to the Father, and brings us in as engrafted adopted sons and daughters. The second is the cross that we are all required, not asked to bear.
Matthew 16:23-25
Amplified Bible (AMP)
23 But Jesus turned [a]away from Peter and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! You are in My way [an offense and a hindrance and a snare to Me]; for you are [b]minding what partakes not of the nature and quality of God, but of men.
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [[c]cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].
25 For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting].
This is the message of the Radical Cross. That a free gift if accepted requires absolute surrender.
Matthew 16:23-25
Amplified Bible (AMP)
23 But Jesus turned [a]away from Peter and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! You are in My way [an offense and a hindrance and a snare to Me]; for you are [b]minding what partakes not of the nature and quality of God, but of men.
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [[c]cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].
25 For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting].
This is the message of the Radical Cross. That a free gift if accepted requires absolute surrender.
January 14, 2013
Short chapters that needed to be digested slowly. Lots of insights:
You cannot carry a cross in company.... Man learns in inner solitude what he could have not learned in a crowd.
We Christians do so many things that are not really bad; they are just trivial. They are unworthy of us -- much so if we discovered Albert Einstein cutting out paper dolls...
What a blessing to find out that the mercy of God speaks louder than the voice of justice.
The Christian sees the world as a sinking ship from which he escapes not by integration but by abandonment.
You cannot carry a cross in company.... Man learns in inner solitude what he could have not learned in a crowd.
We Christians do so many things that are not really bad; they are just trivial. They are unworthy of us -- much so if we discovered Albert Einstein cutting out paper dolls...
What a blessing to find out that the mercy of God speaks louder than the voice of justice.
The Christian sees the world as a sinking ship from which he escapes not by integration but by abandonment.
April 29, 2014
This is a collection of essays from his major works published under other titles. Even though they are reprints, they are still excellent. It is all on the cross. I especially liked chapters 28 and 29, titled 'The Cross Did Not Change God' and 'Grace: The Only Means of Salvation'. The only problem that I have with Tozer is a lack of Scriptural Indexes, and General Indexes, which would certainly be useful in trying to re-find ideas and scriptures that he referred to.
January 19, 2019
“We want to be saved but we insist that Christ do all the dying. No cross for us, no dethronement, no dying. We remain king within the little kingdom of Mansoul and wear our tinsel crown with all the pride of a Ceasar; but we doom ourselves to shadows and weakness and spiritual sterility.”
Unique journey within those pages. It will rebuke you and unconsciously, will led you to pray and ask for forgiveness for being on comfort zone and neglecting the cross. It is an in-depth study of Matthew 16:24 “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
The teachings will awaken a thirst to know more Jesus and his Cross, and the feeling of parching it with every words set on each page. Teachings that will imbue deep into your soul.
The collection is very timely considering the time gap. It just shows that the Radical Cross is timeless. Its teachings are still appropriate to this age and time.
Unique journey within those pages. It will rebuke you and unconsciously, will led you to pray and ask for forgiveness for being on comfort zone and neglecting the cross. It is an in-depth study of Matthew 16:24 “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
The teachings will awaken a thirst to know more Jesus and his Cross, and the feeling of parching it with every words set on each page. Teachings that will imbue deep into your soul.
The collection is very timely considering the time gap. It just shows that the Radical Cross is timeless. Its teachings are still appropriate to this age and time.
October 19, 2015
A book containing reflections on the cross taken from other books by Tozer. Many good ones but also because of the different sources of the reflections I had a hard time getting the red thread of the book.
July 4, 2015
There is a point in time that changes history all together, it is the time that all of God's grace was poured out on earth and salvation was secured for anyone willing to take up his* cross and follow. The things Jesus did as He lived changed the lives that He touched. His final act was to lay His own life down so that ANYONE can receive God's grace and that's when history changed. A W Tozer wrote this book before 1963 (not sure of the exact date), but what Tozer says in this book is sooooooooooooooooooooooo relevant to today's society and today's problems that it seems like it was written yesterday. One thing about this book is that the truth is the truth, regardless of the circumstances, regardless of the Supreme Court decisions, regardless of my wishes for what it could be. Truth is Truth and only God is the Truth.
I found some quotes from the book that can stand on their own, but they tie so well to all that Tozer has to say in the book:
“When God justifies a sinner everything in God is on the sinner's side.”
“In every Christian’s heart there is a cross and a throne, and the Christian is on the throne till he puts himself on the cross. If he refuses the cross he remains on the throne. Perhaps this is at the bottom of the backsliding and worldliness among gospel believers today. We want to be saved but we insist that Christ do all the dying. No cross for us, no dethronement, no dying. We remain king within the little kingdom of Mansoul and wear our tinsel crown with all the pride of a Caesar, but we doom ourselves to shadows and weakness and spiritual sterility.”
“The cross stands high above the opinions of men and to that cross all opinions must come at last for judgment.”
“The work of Christ on the cross did not influence God to love us, did not increase that love by one degree, did not open any fount of grace or mercy in His heart. He had loved us from old eternity and needed nothing to stimulate that love. The cross is not responsible for God's love; rather it was His love which conceived the cross as the one method by which we could be saved. God felt no different toward us after Christ had died for us, for in the mind of God Christ had already died before the foundation of the world. God never saw us except through atonement. The human race could not have existed one day in its fallen state had not Christ spread His mantle of atonement over it. And this He did in eternal purpose long ages before they led Him out to die on the hill above Jerusalem. All God's dealings with man have been conditioned upon the cross.”
To consider the last fifty or so years we can see that the order of God's world deteriorate even further into chaos, and that in itself is a clarion call for everyone to pick up his own cross and experience the grace of God.
Five solid stars!
My thanks to Wingspread for allowing me to read and review this book.
*I am not at all threatened by using he/him/his as a gender-neutral pronoun.
I found some quotes from the book that can stand on their own, but they tie so well to all that Tozer has to say in the book:
“When God justifies a sinner everything in God is on the sinner's side.”
“In every Christian’s heart there is a cross and a throne, and the Christian is on the throne till he puts himself on the cross. If he refuses the cross he remains on the throne. Perhaps this is at the bottom of the backsliding and worldliness among gospel believers today. We want to be saved but we insist that Christ do all the dying. No cross for us, no dethronement, no dying. We remain king within the little kingdom of Mansoul and wear our tinsel crown with all the pride of a Caesar, but we doom ourselves to shadows and weakness and spiritual sterility.”
“The cross stands high above the opinions of men and to that cross all opinions must come at last for judgment.”
“The work of Christ on the cross did not influence God to love us, did not increase that love by one degree, did not open any fount of grace or mercy in His heart. He had loved us from old eternity and needed nothing to stimulate that love. The cross is not responsible for God's love; rather it was His love which conceived the cross as the one method by which we could be saved. God felt no different toward us after Christ had died for us, for in the mind of God Christ had already died before the foundation of the world. God never saw us except through atonement. The human race could not have existed one day in its fallen state had not Christ spread His mantle of atonement over it. And this He did in eternal purpose long ages before they led Him out to die on the hill above Jerusalem. All God's dealings with man have been conditioned upon the cross.”
To consider the last fifty or so years we can see that the order of God's world deteriorate even further into chaos, and that in itself is a clarion call for everyone to pick up his own cross and experience the grace of God.
Five solid stars!
My thanks to Wingspread for allowing me to read and review this book.
*I am not at all threatened by using he/him/his as a gender-neutral pronoun.
April 22, 2015
The witness of the Church is most effective when she declares rather than explains, for the gospel is addressed not to reason but to faith. What can be proved requires no faith to accept. Faith rests upon the character of God, not upon the demonstrations of laboratory or logic. The cross stands in bold opposition to the natural man. Its philosophy runs contrary to the processes of the unregenerate mind, so that Paul could say bluntly that the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. To try to find a common ground between the message of the cross and man’s fallen reason is to try the impossible, and if persisted in must result an impaired reason, a meaningless cross and powerless Christianity.
Have we lost the meaning of the cross in our personal lives and in the body of believers that is the church? Is it a decoration that adorns our necks? Or does it display something more sinister? The study of the cross is one that is significant. The bible says that it is foolishness to men, but to the Christian it reveals the Character of God and his redemption for mankind. The cross represents death, suffering and the wrath of sin. The resurrection represents all things made new and the victory of death. It is because of the resurrection Christianity is true.
The emphasis of this study on the cross is that we do not conform the cross to our experience and emotions but to conform to the word of God. How do we see Jesus? The manger, the cross and the throne are equally important and each speaks to our salvation and the work of Christ. In every Christian heart there is a cross and throne and we are on the throne until we carry our cross. (kindle location 1002)
What does the cross speak to you? Does the cross slays the sinner or redirects him? Does the cross gear the believer to a better life now or to heavenward? Does the cross breaks the heart of man or is of no significance? The suffering of Jesus on the cross was a correction for mankind that results in healing.
Tozer is dogmatic in his teaching which not popular in today’s culture; however, truth should be dogmatic. Some teaching of Tozer is conflicting to my heart and results a tension; however he is true to the whole character of God and in his delivery does not apologize.
A special Thank you Moody Publishing and Netgalley for ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
Have we lost the meaning of the cross in our personal lives and in the body of believers that is the church? Is it a decoration that adorns our necks? Or does it display something more sinister? The study of the cross is one that is significant. The bible says that it is foolishness to men, but to the Christian it reveals the Character of God and his redemption for mankind. The cross represents death, suffering and the wrath of sin. The resurrection represents all things made new and the victory of death. It is because of the resurrection Christianity is true.
The emphasis of this study on the cross is that we do not conform the cross to our experience and emotions but to conform to the word of God. How do we see Jesus? The manger, the cross and the throne are equally important and each speaks to our salvation and the work of Christ. In every Christian heart there is a cross and throne and we are on the throne until we carry our cross. (kindle location 1002)
What does the cross speak to you? Does the cross slays the sinner or redirects him? Does the cross gear the believer to a better life now or to heavenward? Does the cross breaks the heart of man or is of no significance? The suffering of Jesus on the cross was a correction for mankind that results in healing.
Tozer is dogmatic in his teaching which not popular in today’s culture; however, truth should be dogmatic. Some teaching of Tozer is conflicting to my heart and results a tension; however he is true to the whole character of God and in his delivery does not apologize.
A special Thank you Moody Publishing and Netgalley for ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
July 17, 2015
A. W. Tozer never concerned himself with the opinions of the masses. He would not dilute the message he delivered to make friends or to assure people that their easy, comfortable faith is all that they need. Like his other teachings, this book goes right to the heart of the matter holding nothing back. You will not find Tozer pandering to any crowd trying to make you feel at home in a watered-down version of the meaning of the cross.
The insights in this book will have you reconsidering the life you are living. Tozer tells us to reach past our comfortable faith and experience a deeper life.
This book contains a collection of short essays about the cross. I had been using the book as a daily devotional, and I recommend that method as a way to absorb a bit at a time.This is a wonderful book. I highly recommend it.
May 30, 2014
Tozer espouses a sane, Biblical, healthy, and uncompromising theology. I think it does even the most learned and mature among us a great deal of good to do this sort of reading periodically and take refreshment from the simplicity of things. This is not to imply that this book is in any way simplistic – it is in fact a sophisticated collection of thoughts on the meaning and significance of the Cross of Christ – but only that it is simple, with that perfect straightforwardness which characterized the life of our Lord.
January 14, 2008
Tozer is sold-out for Jesus and inspires his readers to also be sold-out. Very spiritually motivational. You could say this book will kick your spiritual butt. Of course it's not much fun to have your butt kicked, but it does help you reach your goals. My goal is Jesus, so this is a great book for me.
December 16, 2015
Tozer was a modern day prophet and his many works are truly enlightening and truly challenge one in their walk with God. This work speaks much on radically living out one's faith in Christ and living passionately and radically for Christ, and we cannot do that without the cross. This is one of Tozer's many great works that believers should read and learn from!
October 15, 2015
A+ for sure. This is a book people need to read. Tozer presents the cross as I believe it's meant to be, not as we'd like it to be. His words will push you and challenge you, and at times they might make you uncomfortable. But for a lot of us, that's what we need. Highly recommend this book for anybody.
April 13, 2017
This book has different compilations about the cross of Christ. It is challenge for your how you live your life and gifs some beautiful thoughts to think about. If you want to get everything out the book don’t read it in a day.
July 30, 2011
This might be the best written work of his I've read so far. Read it, and you won't be dissappointed. Challenged, yes. But not unnecessarily.
February 9, 2012
I thoroughly enjoy Tozer's writings; an excellent writer and Pastor
March 15, 2012
Another wonderfully convicting and compelling book by Tozer. I never read one of his books without feeling that I have been challenged and changed.
January 26, 2013
I would recommend this book to anyone searching to deepen their spiritual life. So many things that Tozer speaks in this book really make u search your soul and challenge yourself. Great read!
April 11, 2016
This collection of essays about Jesus 19 cross and what it means in our lives is challenging and encouraging.
November 15, 2020
This is an easy read, also a quick read. There are 30 chapters but the content was like a devotional. I thought because ravi zacharias was the one to give a foreword, thia book would quite challenging to read 😅
Thia book was different, because this book talk about suffering, pain, and many other aspects we usually neglect when we talk about cross. A quite comprehensive view about the cross and the meaning behind it.
Thia book was different, because this book talk about suffering, pain, and many other aspects we usually neglect when we talk about cross. A quite comprehensive view about the cross and the meaning behind it.
March 24, 2020
Seven out of ten.
This collection of essays and excerpts was simple, approachable, and radical. Tozer is almost always theologically dependable, and he's almost always a refreshing read.
I was caught off guard at times by how extremely simple this book's thought sounds. Some of the passages seemed more like paraphrases than excerpts, and were simplistic to the point of distraction. I much preferred the longer chapters where more of the original content was retained.
Having said thus, I should clarify that the message of the radical cross is important, and this book radiates that message. It's not a classic, perhaps, as a whole. But it's worth one's while.
This collection of essays and excerpts was simple, approachable, and radical. Tozer is almost always theologically dependable, and he's almost always a refreshing read.
I was caught off guard at times by how extremely simple this book's thought sounds. Some of the passages seemed more like paraphrases than excerpts, and were simplistic to the point of distraction. I much preferred the longer chapters where more of the original content was retained.
Having said thus, I should clarify that the message of the radical cross is important, and this book radiates that message. It's not a classic, perhaps, as a whole. But it's worth one's while.
November 23, 2018
The power of the Cross is beyond words but with Tozer it comes to life with his essays on the cross. The purpose, the price , the passion , the power and the perfectness of the cross are clearly explained in this book. A book that should be read to understand why there is only one cross and what it means to us you want to have a closer walk with Him.
May 23, 2008
This is an awesome book that teaches what it really means to follow hard after Christ.
May 27, 2009
You better believe it.
July 8, 2010
Tozer gives a clearer explanation what the cross of Jesus really meant. After reading this, you'll be more serious with Christianity.
May 24, 2012
excellent!
January 4, 2014
A quick refreshing read on the importance of the cross and what it means to us.
July 1, 2015
Final thoughts the last 4 or perhaps 5 paragraphs really nail his point of the whole book, bravo!!
September 6, 2015
I love that like charles spurgeon, A.W. Tozer can speak/preach so effectually and succinctly. No circling the airport, just: here it is and this is why it's important. So powerful.
February 19, 2016
Anything by Tozer is priceless
September 30, 2024
“Though the cross of Christ has been beautified by the poet and the artist, the avid seeker after God is likely to find it the same savage implement of destruction it was in the days of old. The way of the cross is still the pain-wracked path to spiritual power and fruitfulness. So do not seek to hide from it. Do not accept an easy way. Do not allow yourself to be patted to sleep in a comfortable church, void of power and barren of fruit. Do not paint the cross nor deck it with flowers. Take it for what it is, as it is, and you will find it the rugged way to death and life. Let it slay you utterly. Seek God. Seek to be holy and fear none of those things which you will suffer.”
If we had more preachers of the Word of God like A. W. Tozer today, perhaps the Church in America would not so swiftly neglect its obligations and mission. Of all the books and compilations of his sermons, this is easily the best I’ve read (maybe second to “The Pursuit of God”). Just gut punch after gut punch, but all spoken in love and urgency.
Tozer is remarkably prophetic, but that’s has far more to do with there being nothing new under the sun rather than his warnings being timeless in accordance with Scripture, like C. S. Lewis or Jerry Bridges, or Charles Spurgeon. This is a beautiful and convicting compilation of Tozer’s teachings and wisdom on the magnificence of Christ and the Cross. A must-read.
If we had more preachers of the Word of God like A. W. Tozer today, perhaps the Church in America would not so swiftly neglect its obligations and mission. Of all the books and compilations of his sermons, this is easily the best I’ve read (maybe second to “The Pursuit of God”). Just gut punch after gut punch, but all spoken in love and urgency.
Tozer is remarkably prophetic, but that’s has far more to do with there being nothing new under the sun rather than his warnings being timeless in accordance with Scripture, like C. S. Lewis or Jerry Bridges, or Charles Spurgeon. This is a beautiful and convicting compilation of Tozer’s teachings and wisdom on the magnificence of Christ and the Cross. A must-read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews