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Culture: Living as Citizens of Heaven on Earth--Collected Insights from A.W. Tozer
" We have done nothing until we have left the world and set our faces toward the city of God in hard, practical reality ." —A. W. Tozer Readers love Tozer the way we love friends who tell the hard truth. The truth is often bitter, but if we are wise we will drink it down, and we'll be thankful we did. In Culture , A. W. Tozer tells it how it is: to follow Christ toward heaven is to invite trouble in this world. Within these pages are reflections on the true nature of the church, the cost of following Jesus, and the blessed hope of the heaven-bound. Read Culture to be made sober, determined, and bold in a world that would rather you quietly blend in.
176 pages, Paperback
Published July 5, 2016
45 people are currently reading
630 people want to read
About the author
A.W. Tozer
664 books2,102 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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November 16, 2016Culture is a compilation of A.W. Tozer’s sermons and books throughout the decades. I had previously read “Knowledge of The Holy,” one of his most famed works, as well as another compilation in a daily-devotional style. I also treated this book as a though-provoking devotional, though it wasn’t formatted in that layout. This short but meaningful 166 page book was reminiscent of the times devotionals actually brought enlightenment and depth to your faith, and were not a 5-minute read to fill a daily spiritual quota with a cute quote and scripture, and a small thought that you preceded to forget minutes within reading it. (Proviso: not all modern devotionals are as described. Just most of them.)
Culture by A.W. Tozer has exponentially increased my awareness of living a Christ-filled life in everyday engagements. In the first chapter “The Sacrament of Living,” Tozer beautifully illustrated the necessity of practicing a spirit of prayer and keeping a mindset of doing everything for the glory of Christ, even the aimless and trivial domestic chores we carelessly execute. It brought an understanding that previously I failed to grasp. That everything in our lives – not just evangelizing on the side of the street once a month- is momentous to our walk with Christ. And what’s more, he put forth the idea that we should cherish the mundane.
Tozer begins this chapter with 1 Corinthians 10:31. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do it all to the glory of God.” He ends it with a prayer that eloquently describes the lifestyle we should strive after, “I long to live in restful sincerity of heart.”
This book focuses on the concept, correspondingly to the first chapter, that we are enabled, through Christ, to impact our culture, our society, and our circles by glorifying Christ in our bodies, words, and actions.
QUOTES…
“We have the peculiar contradiction of believing the right thing and living the wrong way, a strange anomaly within the church everywhere.”
“When the spirit of prayer is on us, the spirit praying in us to the God above us will get things done around us.”
*disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Moody Publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
FULL REVIEW: http://literarycafe.weebly.com/home/c...
Culture by A.W. Tozer has exponentially increased my awareness of living a Christ-filled life in everyday engagements. In the first chapter “The Sacrament of Living,” Tozer beautifully illustrated the necessity of practicing a spirit of prayer and keeping a mindset of doing everything for the glory of Christ, even the aimless and trivial domestic chores we carelessly execute. It brought an understanding that previously I failed to grasp. That everything in our lives – not just evangelizing on the side of the street once a month- is momentous to our walk with Christ. And what’s more, he put forth the idea that we should cherish the mundane.
Tozer begins this chapter with 1 Corinthians 10:31. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do it all to the glory of God.” He ends it with a prayer that eloquently describes the lifestyle we should strive after, “I long to live in restful sincerity of heart.”
This book focuses on the concept, correspondingly to the first chapter, that we are enabled, through Christ, to impact our culture, our society, and our circles by glorifying Christ in our bodies, words, and actions.
QUOTES…
“We have the peculiar contradiction of believing the right thing and living the wrong way, a strange anomaly within the church everywhere.”
“When the spirit of prayer is on us, the spirit praying in us to the God above us will get things done around us.”
*disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Moody Publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
FULL REVIEW: http://literarycafe.weebly.com/home/c...
August 9, 2021
In this book of collected works, Tozer tackles the topic of culture and worldliness in relation to our heavenly citizenship.
Made up of 24 chapters, some longer and some quite concise, but no less hard-hitting. Tozer's words are so timely in the present day, even though they were written over 50 years ago. I love how he speaks with conviction, not mincing words in fear of offending.
This book is focused around our battle with worldliness, and how we are called to live in anticipation of the eternal reality rather than the temporal one that seems all too pressing at times. I liked that some of the chapters were shorter, and made the book easier to put down, tough that didn't make them any less hard-hitting.
Overall, whether the reader is a seasoned Tozer fan or new to his writings, I think that this compilation could be a wonderful addition to your collection or a great starting point. Thoroughly enjoyed!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Made up of 24 chapters, some longer and some quite concise, but no less hard-hitting. Tozer's words are so timely in the present day, even though they were written over 50 years ago. I love how he speaks with conviction, not mincing words in fear of offending.
This book is focused around our battle with worldliness, and how we are called to live in anticipation of the eternal reality rather than the temporal one that seems all too pressing at times. I liked that some of the chapters were shorter, and made the book easier to put down, tough that didn't make them any less hard-hitting.
Overall, whether the reader is a seasoned Tozer fan or new to his writings, I think that this compilation could be a wonderful addition to your collection or a great starting point. Thoroughly enjoyed!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
June 20, 2025
Everyone read this book tomorrow. Literally read it!
What incredible excerpts from Tozer discussing living in the world as people who have encountered a Holy God and left changed & in awe of Him.
“…A Christian’s standing before God does not depend upon His standing before men…. And by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we may do our hoping and waiting in such a way that our enemies will be forced to admit that we have been with Jesus and learned from Him.” Pg 164
What incredible excerpts from Tozer discussing living in the world as people who have encountered a Holy God and left changed & in awe of Him.
“…A Christian’s standing before God does not depend upon His standing before men…. And by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we may do our hoping and waiting in such a way that our enemies will be forced to admit that we have been with Jesus and learned from Him.” Pg 164
July 10, 2018
[Note: This book was provided free of charge by Moody Publishers. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]
This book may politely be said to be a bit mistitled. That is not to say that this book is by any means a bad one. It is, in fact, quite an excellent book and one that I highly agree with in terms of its focus on avoiding the compartmentalization that tends to happen with believers. Though this is by no means the only book written about this subject [1], it certainly is a great book and a prophetic one. Dealing with matters of considerable contemporary interest to the Church at large and to Evangelicals in particular, this book gives a timely as well as timeless rebuke to some of the more lamentable trends within the Evangelical movement. Likewise, the author's understanding of the bigoted nature of leftist and secularist groups is itself rather prescient, considering that this remains a fact that is not commonly recognized by those on the left who fancy themselves to be open-minded. Not all of these insights will be appreciated by everyone who reads this book, but the author is clearly "not far from the Kingdom of God" at all in his analysis.
This short volume of a bit more than 150 pages is divided into 24 short chapters that are taken from a few of Tozer's preexisting works and repackaged here. The author talks about the sacrament of living (1), the bible as an unchanging authority (2), draws two portraits of the church (3), looks at how the truth is modified by many contemporary believers and ministers (4), and looks at both the biblical concept of the church (5) and the model church of Thessalonica (6). Later on in the book the author deals with such issues as income taxes (8), the need for believers to have both courage and moderation (10), something the author recognizes as a struggle within himself, the honest use of religious words (11), properly seeing the earth as a spiritual battleground and not a playground (14), and warning Evangelicals not to try to curry favor with the powerful and engage in social climbing that would distort the Gospel message (15). The author also reminds us, if such a reminder was necessary, that the Gospel by necessity will interfere with our private lives by forbidding us to do what we want to do and commanding us to do what we are unwilling to do (20).
Although I greatly appreciate this book, I do not feel as if the title is the best one, not least because the author is not talking about culture so much as he is talking about the responsibility of believers as citizens of heaven and pilgrims and sojourners on earth. To be sure, this book touches on issues of culture, but it would have been better titled "Citizen." Then again, the decision was not mine. In this particular book, Tozer is at his toughminded best, demonstrating that not only was he a clear-eyed observer of the Christianity of his day and someone who had a fair deal of understanding about the path that Christianity was moving on, but also someone who was clear-eyed about his own shortcomings and struggles, and someone who was not self-deceived as to his own harshness when it came to defending what he saw of the truth in an embattled situation. That sort of self-knowledge is precious, in that it keeps this book from being self-righteous, even if it is certainly a rigorous book of considerable fierceness.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2013...
This book may politely be said to be a bit mistitled. That is not to say that this book is by any means a bad one. It is, in fact, quite an excellent book and one that I highly agree with in terms of its focus on avoiding the compartmentalization that tends to happen with believers. Though this is by no means the only book written about this subject [1], it certainly is a great book and a prophetic one. Dealing with matters of considerable contemporary interest to the Church at large and to Evangelicals in particular, this book gives a timely as well as timeless rebuke to some of the more lamentable trends within the Evangelical movement. Likewise, the author's understanding of the bigoted nature of leftist and secularist groups is itself rather prescient, considering that this remains a fact that is not commonly recognized by those on the left who fancy themselves to be open-minded. Not all of these insights will be appreciated by everyone who reads this book, but the author is clearly "not far from the Kingdom of God" at all in his analysis.
This short volume of a bit more than 150 pages is divided into 24 short chapters that are taken from a few of Tozer's preexisting works and repackaged here. The author talks about the sacrament of living (1), the bible as an unchanging authority (2), draws two portraits of the church (3), looks at how the truth is modified by many contemporary believers and ministers (4), and looks at both the biblical concept of the church (5) and the model church of Thessalonica (6). Later on in the book the author deals with such issues as income taxes (8), the need for believers to have both courage and moderation (10), something the author recognizes as a struggle within himself, the honest use of religious words (11), properly seeing the earth as a spiritual battleground and not a playground (14), and warning Evangelicals not to try to curry favor with the powerful and engage in social climbing that would distort the Gospel message (15). The author also reminds us, if such a reminder was necessary, that the Gospel by necessity will interfere with our private lives by forbidding us to do what we want to do and commanding us to do what we are unwilling to do (20).
Although I greatly appreciate this book, I do not feel as if the title is the best one, not least because the author is not talking about culture so much as he is talking about the responsibility of believers as citizens of heaven and pilgrims and sojourners on earth. To be sure, this book touches on issues of culture, but it would have been better titled "Citizen." Then again, the decision was not mine. In this particular book, Tozer is at his toughminded best, demonstrating that not only was he a clear-eyed observer of the Christianity of his day and someone who had a fair deal of understanding about the path that Christianity was moving on, but also someone who was clear-eyed about his own shortcomings and struggles, and someone who was not self-deceived as to his own harshness when it came to defending what he saw of the truth in an embattled situation. That sort of self-knowledge is precious, in that it keeps this book from being self-righteous, even if it is certainly a rigorous book of considerable fierceness.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2013...
January 28, 2019
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was full of insights and challenges to the reader. There were a few points that were made that I feel were either outdated or perhaps I am just a little more liberal in my thinking, but overall I really enjoyed it.
May 10, 2023
A book I think every Christian should read.
March 13, 2017
Culture is a collection of A.W. Tozer’s writings that specifically deal with Christians living in a fallen world. This is the fifth book that I have had the privilege to review which is from writings and or sermons of Tozer’s and I would urge any Christian from any type of denomination to take the time and read his insights. You will always learn from his teachings.
This book in particular is a great insight into the church and where she was going wrong, even back during Tozer’s ministry. The church was watering down the Word of God, trying to fit in more and make more people want to come to church. This has been a mistake that we have yet to fully recover from. Many believed that the pageantry was more important than the substance people saw and felt in Church.
I cannot even imagine what A.W. Tozer would think of our current situation and state of many churches in our country, he saw the warning signs during his life time and I think he would be stunned at the demise of our culture. This is such a great read, it is informative and will show you how we, as a society have been in a decline for a long time.
I was given this book by Moody Publishers for my honest opinion and review. To see all of my reviews visit my blog Blessings N Bloggings
This book in particular is a great insight into the church and where she was going wrong, even back during Tozer’s ministry. The church was watering down the Word of God, trying to fit in more and make more people want to come to church. This has been a mistake that we have yet to fully recover from. Many believed that the pageantry was more important than the substance people saw and felt in Church.
I cannot even imagine what A.W. Tozer would think of our current situation and state of many churches in our country, he saw the warning signs during his life time and I think he would be stunned at the demise of our culture. This is such a great read, it is informative and will show you how we, as a society have been in a decline for a long time.
I was given this book by Moody Publishers for my honest opinion and review. To see all of my reviews visit my blog Blessings N Bloggings
July 3, 2016
1 Corinthians 10:31. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God
From the very first chapter of this book that contains 24 writings, I couldn’t help but think that once again I had the opportunity to learn from someone who stood completely grounded in the Bible and didn’t pander to those who were looking for an easy religion. When I read books by Tozer, I am sitting up a straighter and definitely paying attention because I can tell he was a man who walked his talk. And I can learn a lot from people like that.
The very first chapter tosses you into a look at what the above verse from 1 Corinthians means. I honestly have to say that even though I had read it before, I never gave it a lot of thought. But now, I’ve spent days thinking about what Tozer wrote and what it means do everything for the glory of God. He talks about the disconnect that most of us have between everyday life and the Christian life. After taking a careful inventory, I can see that I really fail at this; I too have that separation in my life.
This is the second A. W. Tozer book that I’ve read recently, and I highly recommend it. (The other one was a compilation of his writings and sermons on Prayer—I highly recommend that one too!) I loved how the readings centered around one topic in each of the books. The topic for this one is how do we live out our faith when the world around us wants Christians to be accepting of everything. This is definitely a book for our times!
From the very first chapter of this book that contains 24 writings, I couldn’t help but think that once again I had the opportunity to learn from someone who stood completely grounded in the Bible and didn’t pander to those who were looking for an easy religion. When I read books by Tozer, I am sitting up a straighter and definitely paying attention because I can tell he was a man who walked his talk. And I can learn a lot from people like that.
The very first chapter tosses you into a look at what the above verse from 1 Corinthians means. I honestly have to say that even though I had read it before, I never gave it a lot of thought. But now, I’ve spent days thinking about what Tozer wrote and what it means do everything for the glory of God. He talks about the disconnect that most of us have between everyday life and the Christian life. After taking a careful inventory, I can see that I really fail at this; I too have that separation in my life.
This is the second A. W. Tozer book that I’ve read recently, and I highly recommend it. (The other one was a compilation of his writings and sermons on Prayer—I highly recommend that one too!) I loved how the readings centered around one topic in each of the books. The topic for this one is how do we live out our faith when the world around us wants Christians to be accepting of everything. This is definitely a book for our times!
August 17, 2016
I forgot how insightful and thought provoking Tozer's works were until I picked up this gem of a book. Filled with short articles on various topics which is a wonderful format as it is so much easier to get through as it is broken up quite nicely. Each topic is so though provoking and leaves one with a lot to ponder.
Tozer is not like so many popular Christian ministers today who seem more interested in making people feel good rather than rely on what the Bible has to say. Not so with Tozer, he really digs deep into the scripture and rely on them to make points. It is so refreshing to read something that is deeper and not all fluff and nonsense.
Many of the articles remind me so much of C.S. Lewis, the wisdom, the elegant prose, the keen insight, makes for a delightful read.
If you are looking for a intellectually stimulating book, broken down into short segments that are easy to tackle, I highly recommend this book.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Tozer is not like so many popular Christian ministers today who seem more interested in making people feel good rather than rely on what the Bible has to say. Not so with Tozer, he really digs deep into the scripture and rely on them to make points. It is so refreshing to read something that is deeper and not all fluff and nonsense.
Many of the articles remind me so much of C.S. Lewis, the wisdom, the elegant prose, the keen insight, makes for a delightful read.
If you are looking for a intellectually stimulating book, broken down into short segments that are easy to tackle, I highly recommend this book.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
January 12, 2017
This was a pretty good book. I found myself liking the first half a lot more than the second. A. W. Tozer is a brilliant man, but seems to go to extremes that I'm not sure are necessary. Also, I'm uneasy about reading chapters that have no context for them. So I'm not sure if I like the fact that each chapter is from a different one of his writings.
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October 6, 2021Normalmente, las personas buscamos adaptarnos a la cultura que nos rodea, pero A. W. Tozer (quien fue pastor por más de 30 años y autor de más de 40 libros), nos dejó al respecto una serie de principios compilados y publicados en el libro llamado «Cultura: La vida en este mundo como ciudadanos del cielo».
Lee la reseña completa en Coalición por el Evangelio.
Lee la reseña completa en Coalición por el Evangelio.
January 26, 2022
There is definitely a lot of good encouragement and challenges for Christians in this collection, but you have to be able to see past clear political bias. I'd give it 4 if he had been a little more loving to "the other side" but he entirely dismisses them as spiritually dead with no exceptions. Still, with discernment this can be a worthwhile read.
September 7, 2017
Just wow! Tozer can pack more punch into 150 pages than any writer I know. He doesn't beat around the bush, but cuts straight to the matter. This is one of the BEST Christian books I have ever read. I wish I could give it 6 stars!
December 31, 2021
Una compilación de escritos del autor alrededor de la temática cultura y cosmovisión moderna, el lugar y responsabilidad del creyente en su entorno. Más que interesante 😻 con ese sabor radical y extremo que caracteriza al autor. Si leíste Intenso y te gustó, esta es una buena opción.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2022
Un mejor libro
La traducción es impecable
Muy bien cuidada y revisada
Por otra parte algunos capítulos son excelentes
Muy edificantes
Otros por el contrario son sencillos y llanos
“Cultura”
Buen libro, al menos leer una vez sobre todo en este mundo tan relativizado
La traducción es impecable
Muy bien cuidada y revisada
Por otra parte algunos capítulos son excelentes
Muy edificantes
Otros por el contrario son sencillos y llanos
“Cultura”
Buen libro, al menos leer una vez sobre todo en este mundo tan relativizado
August 22, 2024
Tozer brings important words of uncompromising biblical truth that need to be said (and lived out) more often in our own current context.
Each chapter is a different excerpt from his writings. Best to be read devotionally.
Each chapter is a different excerpt from his writings. Best to be read devotionally.
August 18, 2017
Insightful, yet Tozer gets pretty negative. Sinfulness, both in and outside the church, should not be such a surprise.
December 30, 2017
A little slow towards the second half, but the content of this book is vital for the Christian to know and process.
March 10, 2020
Thought-provoking.
August 14, 2020
Excelente!
O tipo de livro que todo cristão deveria ler porque faz jus ao título. Faz crescer o desejo em buscar e se relacionar mais com Deus.
O tipo de livro que todo cristão deveria ler porque faz jus ao título. Faz crescer o desejo em buscar e se relacionar mais com Deus.
December 14, 2020
This book is amazing! Tozer holds nothing back. Full of conviction and truth, I loved it!
September 20, 2022
Felt like Tozer wrote this recently. A book that truly defines why liberal Christianity is a plague…there is no fruit from it.
December 29, 2022
Loved this book, Tozer is so insightful and the fact he wrote this in the 1950s is just incredible.
December 31, 2023
Academic giant. Great insight and perspective. Full of Biblical truth.
April 8, 2025
"El hombre que lleva una cruz ya no controla su destino; perdió el control cuando tomó su cruz"
100% recomendado, me gusto cada capítulo, si eres cristiano tienes que leerlo.
100% recomendado, me gusto cada capítulo, si eres cristiano tienes que leerlo.
April 4, 2019
I have been reading this book in chunks and digesting it all month. My only other experience with Tozer is his book 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥, which was very good (If you haven’t read it yet, you are missing out). I do not agree with every aspect of Tozer’s theology, but I do love his writing and frankness.
𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 is a collection of thoughts and insights from other books he has written. This was the perfect format to put down and pick up again, giving me time to think through each section instead of forcing myself to read it all at once.
This collection is not so much about cultural issues (which is what I thought at first) but more along the lines of the subtitle: 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩.
I was going to pull out several sections that stood out to me, but that would be too difficult because there were more chapters that stood out than ones that didn’t.
Being a Christian is not always easy. It is easier to get caught up in this present life. Tozer is straightforward in his words to believers and he speaks a truth that convicts, encourages and spurs us upward.
Thanks to the publisher for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 is a collection of thoughts and insights from other books he has written. This was the perfect format to put down and pick up again, giving me time to think through each section instead of forcing myself to read it all at once.
This collection is not so much about cultural issues (which is what I thought at first) but more along the lines of the subtitle: 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩.
I was going to pull out several sections that stood out to me, but that would be too difficult because there were more chapters that stood out than ones that didn’t.
Being a Christian is not always easy. It is easier to get caught up in this present life. Tozer is straightforward in his words to believers and he speaks a truth that convicts, encourages and spurs us upward.
Thanks to the publisher for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
March 18, 2017
Well I'll be honest in saying this book was not my cup of tea. For some reason Tozer is really difficult for me to read and understand. Obviously it is a slow read, most books like this should be so you can glean all you can. But slow to me just meant I was getting nothing out of it. I'll just leave Tozer to others to read.
"I received this book from MP Newsroom for free. All opinions are my own."
"I received this book from MP Newsroom for free. All opinions are my own."
November 11, 2016
I was a bit surprised by this book. I enjoy reading Tozer. He has written some wonderful Christian Classics that are deep, provocative and insightful. I recently read Culture by A.W.Tozer and I’m surprised to say that I was disappointed with this book.
What did I like?
As you’d expect from Tozer, his writing is packed full of Scripture, he affirms God’s Word and our need to guard the Truth. He calls the reader to consider the cost of following Jesus and to accept that living like Christ should mean we experience trouble in the world, since the morality of Christ and morality of the world will always be at odds. He upholds the need for holiness and gives a number of critiques of the church that give pause and invite consideration about the state of our churches.
What didn’t I like?
This book is not for those who are interested in engaging the discussion about Christ and culture and how the church can engage with culture for the sake of the Gospel. From the title and subtitle (and from other Tozer books) I expected the book to contain deep insight into how to live and engage culture as Christians. Instead the chapters were mostly critical and separatist in their approach, rightly encouraging holiness and purity as Christians living in the world, but failing to give any practical help for how to engage the culture around us in a meaningful way. I’ve come to love Tozer for his penetrating insights into the character of God and the heart of man, but this book was more shallow in its discussion and somewhat one-sided in it’s approach.
Who should read it?
Those who are looking to be challenged to be distinct from the world and who are perhaps newer to contemplating the relationship between Christ and Culture.
I’ll finish with a couple of my favorite quotes:
"There is an inactivity that, paradoxically, is the highest possible activity…
In the Old Testament, to wait on God meant coming before His presence with expectation and waiting there with physical and mental inactivity… There is a place where the mind quits trying to figure out its own way and throws itself wide open to God. And the shining glory of God comes down into the waiting life and imparts an activity." (p101)
"One picture of a Christian is a man carrying a cross… The man with a cross no longer controls his destiny; he lost control when he picked up his cross. That cross immediately became to him an all-absorbing interest, an overwhelming interference. No matter what he may desire to do, there is but one thing he can do; that is, move on toward the place of crucifixion." (p148)
(I received a copy of this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review)
What did I like?
As you’d expect from Tozer, his writing is packed full of Scripture, he affirms God’s Word and our need to guard the Truth. He calls the reader to consider the cost of following Jesus and to accept that living like Christ should mean we experience trouble in the world, since the morality of Christ and morality of the world will always be at odds. He upholds the need for holiness and gives a number of critiques of the church that give pause and invite consideration about the state of our churches.
What didn’t I like?
This book is not for those who are interested in engaging the discussion about Christ and culture and how the church can engage with culture for the sake of the Gospel. From the title and subtitle (and from other Tozer books) I expected the book to contain deep insight into how to live and engage culture as Christians. Instead the chapters were mostly critical and separatist in their approach, rightly encouraging holiness and purity as Christians living in the world, but failing to give any practical help for how to engage the culture around us in a meaningful way. I’ve come to love Tozer for his penetrating insights into the character of God and the heart of man, but this book was more shallow in its discussion and somewhat one-sided in it’s approach.
Who should read it?
Those who are looking to be challenged to be distinct from the world and who are perhaps newer to contemplating the relationship between Christ and Culture.
I’ll finish with a couple of my favorite quotes:
"There is an inactivity that, paradoxically, is the highest possible activity…
In the Old Testament, to wait on God meant coming before His presence with expectation and waiting there with physical and mental inactivity… There is a place where the mind quits trying to figure out its own way and throws itself wide open to God. And the shining glory of God comes down into the waiting life and imparts an activity." (p101)
"One picture of a Christian is a man carrying a cross… The man with a cross no longer controls his destiny; he lost control when he picked up his cross. That cross immediately became to him an all-absorbing interest, an overwhelming interference. No matter what he may desire to do, there is but one thing he can do; that is, move on toward the place of crucifixion." (p148)
(I received a copy of this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review)
August 21, 2016
Sometimes it feels like the culture is against us. Scratch that. Most of the time it feels like the culture is anti-Christian, and increasingly Christians feel uncomfortable with what passes at right, wrong and trendy among the people that we live in. It seems like more and more often our beliefs are completely opposed to the beliefs that we see modeled around us. So, what are we to do? How are we to live? These are the very thoughts that are spoken and questions that are answered in Culture: Living as Citizens of Heaven on Earth–Collected Insights from A.W. Tozer.
A.W. Tozer was a Christian theologian, writer and pastor who lived in the first half of the twentieth century, and he wrote often about how following Christ is inviting trouble in the world, as well as how we should live as citizens of heaven. This book is a small sampling of 24 pieces of writing on what it means to be a Christian in a world that is largely uninterested in Christ. This book covers topics such as, truth, the meaning of the church, the veracity of Scripture, and how Christians should live in this world while maintaining their identities as citizens of another.
The book is short, only 164 pages, but it is very deep. I spent much of the time I was reading it underlining passages and thinking about the words that had been written. Especially helpful to me were such writings as walking the “spiritual-or-secular” tightrope, the sacrament of living and why the world cannot receive Jesus. Tozer also speaks sternly to the church on why we’re losing our impact on the world and what our churches should actually look like.
I found this to be an excellent collection of Tozer’s writing, and if you’ve never been exposed to Tozer’s writing, an excellent introduction to his work. It made me put some of the books that these excerpts were taken from on my “to-read” list, and I’m excited about the idea of spending more time in his writing soon.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A.W. Tozer was a Christian theologian, writer and pastor who lived in the first half of the twentieth century, and he wrote often about how following Christ is inviting trouble in the world, as well as how we should live as citizens of heaven. This book is a small sampling of 24 pieces of writing on what it means to be a Christian in a world that is largely uninterested in Christ. This book covers topics such as, truth, the meaning of the church, the veracity of Scripture, and how Christians should live in this world while maintaining their identities as citizens of another.
The book is short, only 164 pages, but it is very deep. I spent much of the time I was reading it underlining passages and thinking about the words that had been written. Especially helpful to me were such writings as walking the “spiritual-or-secular” tightrope, the sacrament of living and why the world cannot receive Jesus. Tozer also speaks sternly to the church on why we’re losing our impact on the world and what our churches should actually look like.
I found this to be an excellent collection of Tozer’s writing, and if you’ve never been exposed to Tozer’s writing, an excellent introduction to his work. It made me put some of the books that these excerpts were taken from on my “to-read” list, and I’m excited about the idea of spending more time in his writing soon.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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