Heroes Have Faults

I am very big on having spiritual heroes.  Some of mine are alive; e.g. John Piper, D.A. Carson, C.J. Mahaney, and R.C. Sproul.  Many are dead; e.g. Jonathan Edwards, John Owen, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and John G. Paton.  I think you should have both kinds.  A.W. Tozer is amongst the dead ones.  The largest part of his ministry was spent pastoring the Southside Alliance Church in Chicago.  We will be reading his classic work “The Knowledge of the Holy” this year in the Non-Raking Book Club.  This was the first Tozer book I had ever read and I was instantly a fan after reading lines like these:

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.

If we insist upon trying to imagine Him, we end up with an idol, made not with hands but with thoughts; and an idol of the mind is as offensive to God as an idol of the hand.

The simplicity, reverence, and humility with which Tozer passionately deals with God’s attributes is admirable.  Part of my passion to make sure all of my sermons and ministry give a glimpse of God stems from this book.  So I was giddy to find out that a Tozer biography had been produced and quickly added it to my wish list.  I have not read Lyle Dorsett’s “A Passion for God” yet but have read a couple of reviews.  The reviews focus in on Tozer’s failure to let his love for God spill over into his love for his family.  It appears that in his pursuit of God he neglected his family.  (If God is properly pursued it should lead to deeper love for family, seeking to lead them to the God you love and deeper fellowship together in Christ.)

Tozer had faults.  I have faults.  Be gracious to your leaders.  We mess up.  The gracious thing is not to pass over my sins, but to lovingly, humbly, and prayerfully come to me.  I want to know my faults and sins.  I don’t want to know your personal opinions or complaints.  But please if you see any ways that my life is inconsistent or mars the gospel, rebuke me.  This would be the most loving thing you could do for me, and I pray that i will have the grace and wisdom to thank you for it.

HT: Between Two Worlds & Challies