Of God and Men
Of God and Men emerged from A. W. Tozer's conviction that mid-twentieth-century American Christianity had grown dangerously comfortable with spiritual mediocrity. Writing as pastor of Chicago's Southside Alliance Church and editor of The Alliance Witness, Tozer assembled this collection of essays and editorials addressing what he saw as the church's drift toward worldliness and its abandonment of the holy. The book captures Tozer's growing alarm at a Christianity that had made peace with entertainment, shallow preaching, and the pursuit of numerical success over spiritual depth.
Tozer's central argument moves through several interconnected themes: the absolute necessity of knowing God as He truly is rather than as we imagine Him to be, the dangerous tendency of churches to adopt worldly methods and values, and the urgent need for believers to pursue genuine holiness. He contrasts the reverent worship of previous generations with what he perceives as the casual, entertainment-focused approach of contemporary Christianity. Throughout, Tozer insists that true spiritual life requires both rigorous intellectual honesty about God's nature and a willingness to be transformed by divine encounter. His critique extends to pastoral ministry itself, challenging preachers to abandon crowd-pleasing techniques in favor of faithful proclamation that calls hearers to costly discipleship.
Of God and Men has endured because Tozer's concerns about spiritual superficiality have proven persistent across generations. His blend of mystical longing and prophetic criticism continues to resonate with readers who sense something missing in conventional church life. The work stands as representative of Tozer's broader corpus, offering his characteristic combination of theological insight and practical spiritual direction.
Who should read this: Christians troubled by what they perceive as spiritual shallowness in contemporary church culture will find Tozer's diagnosis and prescription compelling. Those satisfied with conventional expressions of faith or seeking primarily practical guidance rather than spiritual challenge should look elsewhere.