Închinare și distracție

by A.W. Tozer

Tozer had strong convictions about the subject of worship as well as its corruption by what he referred to as "the Great God Entertainment." The excerpts in this book were carefully selected to give you a clear picture of his thoughts on both topics. Worship: Unacceptable worship, spiritual concentration, the presence of God, the power of God, personal communion, adoration, hymns. Entertainment: Evangelical heresy, propaganda, an outward shift, modern evangelism, religious activity, worldliness Also included are Tozer's sermon "The Act and Object of Worship: in its entirety as well as his controversial essay, "The Menace of the Religious Movie," written in the mid 1950s.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Nonfiction, Textbooks

Unknown Binding

First published June 1, 1997

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

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: The impulse to worship is universal. If there is a race or tribe anywhere in the world that does not worship it has not been discovered. And yet the act of worship is, for the most part, so imperfect, so impure and so far astray that any teaching that might help us worship God more acceptably would indeed be a word well spoken.

Tozer on Worship and Entertainment is a collection of themed excerpts compiled by James L. Snyder. What did Tozer have to say on worship? on true worship? on false worship? on entertainment? on the state of the church? on the state of society? on human nature? on sin? on the Word of God?

The first chapter is a full sermon by A.W. Tozer entitled, "The Act and Object of Worship." The last chapter is another full piece by A.W. Tozer. That one is, "The Menace of the Religious Movie." The other chapters are all excerpts from various sermons and articles. The chapter titles are: "Worship," "Unacceptable Worship," "Spiritual Concentration," "The Presence of God," "Personal Communion," "The Power of God in Worship," "Adoration," "Thoughts of God," "Hymn," "Entertainment: An Evangelical Heresy," "Propaganda, Popular Religion and Programs," "An Outward Shift," "Modern Evangelism," "Religious Activity," and "Worldliness."

I love Tozer. If you've read this blog for any amount of time you know that I love, love, love A.W. Tozer. Even though he's not Reformed. Even though I don't always agree with him 100% of the time. I love his passion, his zeal, his no-nonsense approach to proclaiming the WHOLE word of God. Diluting the truth was not an option for Tozer. He was uncompromising when it comes to teaching and preaching.

In chapter one, Tozer writes:
Worship must be all--entire. By that I mean that the total life must worship God. The whole personality has to worship God or our worship is not perfect. Faith, love, obedience, loyalty, high conduct and life all must be taken as burnt offerings and offered to God. If there is anything in me that does not worship God, then there is nothing in me that worships God perfectly. I would not go so far as to say that God will not accept anything less than perfect worship; if I did, I would rule myself out... But the ideal God sets before su is that we should worship as near to perfectly as we can. And if there are areas in my being which are not harmonious and do not worship God then there is no area in my being that worships God perfectly. (4-5)
Do you see what I mean?! Even within the Christian community, Tozer's conclusions may seem extreme. But when taken in light of the word of God--it is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. We are to have undivided hearts that love God wholly and completely. Sin must go. No ifs about it. And that message doesn't sit well with the world OR with worldly churches.

Just in case you missed what Tozer was saying,
I repeat that no worship is wholly pleasing to God till there is nothing in us displeasing God. (7)
Do we ever really truly stop and consider if our lives are pleasing to God? Or are we all about pleasing ourselves OR pleasing others? Do we look to God for standards? Or do we set our own? Or perhaps even worse do we let society set the standards we live by?
How can we worship God acceptably when there is within our nature something that, when it catches on fire, gives off not a fragrance but a smell? How can we hope to worship God acceptably when there is something in our nature which is undisciplined, uncorrected, unpaged, unpurified--which is evil and which will not and cannot worship God acceptably? Even granted that a man with evil ingredients in his nature might with some part of him worship God half acceptably, what kind of way is that to live? (9)
How we live does matter. Tozer writes,
We can go to church and worship. But if we go to church and worship one day it's not true worship unless it is followed by worship six days after that till the next Sabbath comes. We must never rest until everything inside us worships God. (10)

Not only do our actions matter, but our thoughts matter too.
God won't dwell in spiteful thoughts, polluted thoughts, lustful thoughts, covetous thoughts or prideful thoughts. He will only dwell in meek, pure, charitable, clean and loving thoughts. He will dwell in positive thoughts--even aggressive, fighting thoughts if need be--but they must be pure thoughts, thoughts that are like God's. God will dwell in them as a sanctuary. Your theology is your foundation...Make your thoughts a sanctuary God can inhabit, and don't let any of the rest of your life dishonor God. See to it that not a foot of ground is unholy. See to it that every hour and every place is given over to God, and you will worship Him and He will accept it. (11)
This first chapter is a MUST read in my opinion. It challenges readers--invites them to reorient their lives.

Tozer is emphatic.

I want to tell you that if your life doesn't worship God, your lips don't worship God either. (39)
If you departmentalize your life and let certain parts of you worship God but other parts of you do not worship God, you are not worshipping God as you should. (39)
A heretic is not a man who denies all of the truth, he's just a very persnickety man who picks out what he likes and rejects the rest. Heresy means I take what I like and I reject what I don't like. (39)
Whatever keeps me from the Bible is my enemy, however harmless it may appear to be. Whatever engages my attention when I should be meditating on God and things eternal does injury to my soul. Let the cares of life crowd out the Scriptures from my mind and I have suffered loss where I can least afford it. Let me accept anything else instead of Scriptures and I have been cheated and robbed to my eternal confusion. (42)
Let us open our Bibles, spread them out on a chair and meditate on the Word of God. It will open itself to us, and the Spirit of God will come and brood over it. Get on your knees and in faith, say, "Father, here I am. Begin to teach me!" (46)
If we would progress spiritually, we must separate ourselves unto the things of God and concentrate upon them to the exclusion of a thousand things the worldly man considers important. (47)
We should never forget that God created us to be joyful worshipers, but sin drew us into everything else but worship. (67)
Oh, go back into the Word of God and consider how thirsty the friends of God were for God Himself! The great difference between us and Abraham, David and Paul is that they sought Him and found Him and seeking Him still, found Him and sought Him continually! We accept Him and seek Him no more, and that is the difference. (69)
We can get a right start only by accepting God as He is and learning to love Him for what He is. As we go on to know Him better, we shall find it a source of unspeakable joy that God is just what He is. (77)
I do not think death is going to transform our attitudes and disposition. If in this life we are not really comfortable talking or singing about heaven, I doubt that death will transform us into enthusiasts. If the worship and adoration of God are tedious now they will be tedious after the hour of death. (85-6)
Hymns do not create truth, nor even reveal it; they celebrate it. (94)
I hope that we will remove from our hearts every ugly thing and every unbeautiful thing and every dead thing and every unholy thing that might prevent us from worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ in the beauty of holiness. (108)
Why should believing Christians want everything pre-cooked, pre-digested, sliced and salted, and expect that God must come and help us eat and hold the food to our baby lips while we pound the table and splash--and we think that is Christianity. (116)
Never imagine that the cross of Christ will become socially acceptable. That which is of Adam will always persecute that which is of Christ. (126)
We cannot afford to let down our Christian standards just to hold the interest of people who want to go to hell and still belong to a church. (137)
Any evangelism which by appeal to common interests and chatter about current events seeks to establish a common ground where the sinner can feel at home is as false as the altars of Baal ever were. Every effort to smooth out the road for men and to take away the guilt and the embarrassment is worse than wasted; it is evil and dangerous to the souls of men. (165)
I am positive that much that passes for the gospel in our day is very little more than a very mild case of orthodox religion grafted on to a heart that is sold out to the world in its pleasures and tastes and ambitions. (168)
In many churches Christianity has been watered down until the solution is so week that if it were poison it would not hurt anyone, and if it were medicine it would not cure anyone. (170)
I'm against the devil, I'm against sin, I'm against worldliness, I'm against the flesh and I'm against Christianity that pretends to be Christianity and isn't. I'm against spiritual ignorance that tries to harmonize Christianity with the world. It's absolutely futile to try to do it. (179)

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began to notice a dearth of Scripture references in the book and it concerned me but then toward the end of the book, the references picked up. The book is made up of snippets from various sermons sometimes years apart. This gives the book mild disjointedness but this is a fault of editors, not Tozer. But these criticisms are overcome by Tozer's wisdom and keen observations using his Biblical insight. Here's my favorite quote:
"The amount of loafing practiced by the average Christian in spiritual things would ruin a concert pianist if he allowed himself to do the same thing in the field of music. The idle puttering around that we see in church circles would end the career of a big league pitcher in a week. No scientist could solve his exacting problem if he took as little interest in it as the rank and file of Christians take in the art of being holy. The nation whose soldiers were as soft and undisciplined as the soldiers of the churches would be conquered by the first enemy that attacked it. Triumphs are not won by men in easy chairs. Success is costly. If we would progress spiritually, we must separate ourselves unto the things of God and concentrate upon them to the exclusion of a thousand things the worldly man considers important." This is a useful book. One last criticism: perhaps his take on worship may be better explained by the process of sanctification. Just my two cents.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The real architect of this book is James L. Snyder who compiled and organized the excerpts found in this book. Because the book itself is nothing but a conglomerate of excerpts from various Tozer publications (sermons, books, articles etc.)it understandably has some problems with smooth progression of arguments and ideas. However, having said that, Snyder did an admirable for the most part and in places it seems that Tozer himself would have structured things similarly. Tozer takes an extreme position on some issues surrounding worship but that does not overshadow the fact that Tozer understood contemporary evangelical Christianity much better than most in the 1950's and certainly saw the dangers that lay ahead of it and still surround it.

[Kayci Pharaon · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I wouldn’t give to see Tozer’s reaction to the modern church…

This book fell into my lap at the perfect time, as I’ve spent the past few months learning about worship from a biblical perspective instead of having my ideas only shaped by the worship environments I’m used to. I will never see worship the same way after reading this book! I couldn’t read this book without having a notebook nearby because I was jotting things down from nearly every page. Your toes will be stepped on and your heart will be stirred. I cannot recommend this book enough.

[Jackson Brooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst books I have ever read. Simply a compilation of senseless condemnations against contemporary Christian worship. I am fully aware of the excesses of contemporary Christian music, but Tozer's citique was uncharitable. Not only were some of the quotes surprisingly bad (considering they came from Tozer), but also, the editor simply reuses quotes in several places (simply to reach a word count or something?)

[Cassie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book for one main reason: I do not like A. W. Tozer. He is arrogant, opinionated, and bossy. He seems to think that he is always right about everything, and that is the way he speaks and writes. He seems also to believe that everything modern is evil and is of the devil, and I really just do not like him. He annoys me so, so much, and I think that he needs to get down off his high horse.

[Darby Hughes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Tozer, but this book is a collection of such short (and often overlapping and repetitive) quotes that the ideas presented are left underdeveloped. Quotes are drawn from various other books by Tozer. If you're looking for short quotes on worship, this would be helpful, but it's not very good as a book to steadily read through.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though these excerpts come from the '30s, '40s, and early '50s before his death, it's as if he knew exactly where the western Church was headed and could've just as easily been written/spoken today.

[Ben Aurich · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though Tozer makes some interesting and thought provoking observations, I strongly disagree with his conclusion. He takes his convictions too far, and I would argue, burns more bridges than he builds.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tozer goes too far in his condemnation of cultural elements that aren't specifically Christian, and even in his critiques of Christian culture and entertainment. A healthy dose of the Reformation would have helped him out in those and other areas. But when he's on, he's on, such as with his criticisms of those who would turn corporate worship into entertainment. Even if you don't agree with everything he says, he's always worth reading. He had an insight that many seem to be lacking today, as well as a plain way of speaking that makes him effective as well as enjoyable to read.

[Cindy Davis- Cindy's Book Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tozer has very strong views, and I wonder how much more he would have added to this book, had he still been alive today. I may not agree with everything that he states in this book, but I thought it was a really good book, and very applicable to the church today. I would highly recommend worship leaders, pastors and the layperson to read this book. It has information in it that is applicable to all of us.

[Popa Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the first half of the book, after that there were some sketchy things

[Elise Glenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting because it was not written by Tozer but a compile of various sermons and lectures on entertainment which makes it some what repetitive and not a fluid book.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

The format of this book is rather odd. The idea basically involves taking lots of quotes by Tozer on worship and entertainment, organizing them thematically, and then grouping them together to make chapters. At times the quotes flow into one another to keep the train of thought. However the organizing of the design makes it so that each quote is it’s own paragraph and the flow of thought is interrupted by information as to the background (date/location/page if applicable) of the original context behind the given quote. This is bizarre indeed, as Tozer had, while alive, written works about this sort of thing, and so on occasion when reading this book, I found myself thinking - “wouldn’t it be great to read this quote in the context Tozer meant to communicate it in, in the book about this subject that Tozer wrote...”

This is not to say that I do not appreciate a book that compiles fantastic quotes by a giant of the faith like Tozer in a “collected insight from...” piece of work. It may have worked better had the work been compiled as devotional material. Perhaps many do not have an issue with the formatting, and it may very well indicate a limitation of my own, but I found the formatting to be too distracting. Sometimes the quotes did not seem to relate to each other either. Tozer has many great ideas on worship, and is at his best when talking about the Trinity and teaching theological realities about God. Tozer’s writings on the entertainment industry were not very helpful, however at times I wasn’t sure if this was because of the formatting or Tozer’s very different cultural lens.

To review a book like this is challenging as I’m not sure if really I am reviewing James L. Snyder’s organizational abilities or Tozer’s actual thoughts, which are themselves on one page profoundly thought provoking and on another page so culturally removed that it comes across as slightly alien. I give it 2.5 stars, I hope this reflects my own shortcomings as a reader rather than the publishers.

There is also an essay on the “demerits” of the Christian movie at the end. It is fascinating to read the perspectives of a Christian leader who is interacts with movies and the entertainment industry with such disapproval. This comes across slightly antiquated now, and a great dialogue partner would be Mike Cosper’s The Stories We Tell which makes a great case for connecting various story types, using a wide array of movies, with the Biblical Narrative, encouraging an Acts 17 Mars Hill-esque approach to connecting modern media platforms to the Bible.

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, worship. I’ve been in church for about 20 years now. I haven’t heard many debates about the nature of God. I haven’t seen conflict about homiletics or core doctrine. I’ve managed to avoid controversies about proper attire and how salty the communion wafer should be. But worship…

Practically every church I’ve been to has had some type of crisis about how worship should be carried out. Young folks are pushing for the rock-n-roll stuff. Our elders can’t understand why anyone would want to move on from those old hymns. Neither side is willing to give an inch.

A.W. Tozer isn’t willing to give an inch either. This book is a series of sermon excerpts detailing Tozer’s view on worship. He’s a hard man. Much of this is very convicting. Some of it I don’t agree with, but that might just be because it was written 60 years ago, and I’ve just become so used to doing things the wrong way.

God has called on me to lead worship from time to time, and this has been a strange experience for me. On one hand, I’m singing. There is always a performance aspect to singing. I just don’t see a way around that. Then there is the requisite humility of singing for a holy, infinite God. I want to sing well. I want to honor God. I want to place the focus on God and not on myself. But I want to do all of the above in a way that encourages the congregation to do likewise. All of this while trying to remember my entrance, the words to the song, and to smile. To top it off, I’m trying to get outta my own head while juggling all these conflicting ideas! Tozer has been a good exercise to meditate on my task. I should have read more slowly.

There were a couple times during my reading that I was reminded of my last conversation with my late Uncle Emmitt. I would have loved to bounce some of the ideas in this book off him. I think you really start missing someone when you want to share something with them. Something that only the two of you might know. Something that was unique in your relationship. An inside joke, a private memory. But they’re no longer in this world. Another example is when I was reading The Dark Tower, and the Trashcan Man from The Stand had a cameo. I was so excited that I wanted to call my mom to share it with her. This was just a few months after she had passed. It’s a lonely, interruptive feeling. Man, I’m counting on a reunion.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several others have commented about this book being repetitive. You must remember this book is a compilation of Tozer's sermons over the years, so there is bound to be repetition in each topic. If anything, it reinforces his consistency, which the author mentions in the preface. What Mr. Synder has put together, over 500 tape recordings, was truly a labor of love. This book will challenge you. Reading it affirmed so many of the areas of the modern church I've personally witnessed that grieved me. This is a must-read for every professing Christian. Ask God to open your heart and mind to show you HIS truth. Nothing else matters but what God thinks of how and why we do what we do. We will be held accountable for every action or lack thereof.

[Jon Pentecost · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful content limited in its usefulness by the format/organization.

The subtitle of the book stated that this contained ‘selected excerpts’—I didn’t realize that that meant excerpts that were little more than a paragraph. As a result much of the book is without context or sustained argument, rather just a collection of Tozer-zingers. Especially since many (most?) of the excerpts came from the same sermons or books, a better way for presenting Tozer’s own thoughts seems readily apparent to me. That said, I still benefited from some of the Tozer-Twitter lines of this book. The impact of entertainment culture on the church is something Christians often overlook, and Tozer speaks prescient warnings.

The final chapter is an essay critiquing the use of religious movies in order to spiritual truths. It is helpfully provocative and well worth reading. It shows careful thought as to the way a method of communication can alter or distort its own content.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book compiled by James L. Snyder covering many of Tozer's writings, but not all, concerning worship and entertainment in some of his previous books, sermons, and writings. I like the way he sections off chapters and paragraphs to give a way of finding these writings or paragraphs, which was not done very much in his previous writings. If you look at one of his books and compare it to this work, you will see what I mean. The last chapter talks about the menace of the religious movie, which you may or may not agree with. But he does point out some important principles in this chapter which came from a booklet he wrote.

[Daniel Schwamm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most challenging books to read in our present times. Tozer, in such apparent love and humility, seeks to implore us to consider the disposition of our hearts as we come to praising the Lord through voice and instrument. These are such deep issues which we need to consider, at the very least within our own hearts. However, I think it would do us a great deal of good to consider these things in our larger church communities in order to ensure that we maintain the most powerful essence of worship, in both spirit and truth, as we come before the Lord with our voices and instruments.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A.W. Tozer wrote as though he knew what the church in America would become. God used this collection of sermon excerpts in this pastor's mind and heart to lead me to repentance. I've just finished re-reading it.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye opener!

[Jasmine Shadows · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you don't want to be challenged by truth regarding your worship this book is not for you. This is an open and honest book about what it truly is to worship God.