Aiden Wilson Tozer (April 21, 1897 - May 12, 1963) was a renowned preacher and author. He is considered a Christian mystic and a 20th-century prophet. April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... 1897 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... May 12 is the 132nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (133rd in leap years). ... 1963 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Mysticism (ancient Greek mysticon = secret) is meditation, prayer, or theology focused on the direct experience of union with divinity, God, or Ultimate Reality, or the belief that such experience is a genuine and important source of knowledge. ...

Among his more than forty books, at least two are regarded as Christian classics: "The Pursuit of God" and "The Knowledge of the Holy."

For many, reading Tozer can be a deeply moving experience. His books impress on the reader the necessity and possibility for a deeper and honest walk with God.

His respected reputation as a preacher and writer on the spiritual life is surprising, considering he received no formal theological training. He did receive two honorary doctorates.

His preaching and books were never solely focused on academic or theoretical concerns. His highly readable style is characterized by a freshness, and is drawn from a deep sense of relationship with God, with an urgent regard for a relevant and applicable understanding of scripture. While his works are strikingly meditative and sensitive, his clear prose also displays a clarity of perception and disciplined logic.

Possessing a unique discernment of contemporary Christian living, his spiritual intuition about modern trends of the church guided his argument that the church was on a dangerous course towards compromising with ‘worldly’ concerns. With a simple and penetrating style he was able to demolish popular assumptions about the Christian experience.

Prayer was of vital personal importance for Tozer. "His preaching as well as his writings were but extensions of his prayer life," comments his biographer James L. Snyder in the book, "In Pursuit of God: The Life Of A.W. Tozer.” “He had the ability to make his listeners face themselves in the light of what God was saying to them,” writes Snyder.

Living a simple and non-materialistic lifestyle, he and his wife never owned a car, preferring bus and train travel. Even after becoming a well-known Christian author, Tozer signed away much of his royalties to those who were in need.

Important events in the Life of A.W. Tozer

Aiden Wilson Tozer was born April 21, 1897, in La Jose (now Newburg ), a tiny farming community in western Pennsylvania. State nickname: The Keystone State Other U.S. States Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell (D) Official languages None Area 119,283 km² (33rd)  - Land 116,074 km²  - Water 3,208 km² (2. ...

His conversion experience was as a teenager in Akron, Ohio. While on his way home from work at a tire company he overheard a street preacher say "If you don't know how to be saved . . . just call on God." Upon returning home he climbed into the attic, heeding the preacher’s advice. City nickname: The Rubber Capital of the World Location within the state of Ohio County Summit Mayor Don Plusquellic Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 161. ...

In 1919, five years after his conversion, and without formal theological training, Tozer accepted an offer to pastor his first church. This began forty four years of ministry associated with The Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA), a protestant evangelical denomination. Thirty three of those years he served as pastor in a number of churches. He also ministered as an author, magazine editor, Bible conference speaker, denominational leader, and a spiritual mentor to many. The Christian And Missionary Alliance (C&MA) is an Evangelical Protestant denomination within Christianity. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Evangelical has several distinct meanings: In its original sense, it means belonging or related to the Gospel (Greek: euangelion - good news) of the New Testament. ...

His first pastorate was in a small storefront church in Nutter Fort, West Virginia. Tozer also served as pastor for thirty years at Southside Alliance Church in Chicago (1928 to 1959), and the final years of ministry and his life were spent as pastor of Avenue Road Church in Toronto, Canada. State nickname: Mountain State Other U.S. States Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Governor Joe Manchin (D) Official languages English Area 62,809 km² (41st)  - Land 62,436 km²  - Water 376 km² (0. ... Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ... Avenue Road Church was a church located on Avenue Road in Toronto, Canada. ... }|135px|City of Toronto, Ontario Official Flag]]|Coat Image=[[Image:{{{Coat Image}}}|135px|City of Toronto, Ontario Coat of Arms]]}} {{Canadian City/Disable Field={{{Disable Motto Link}}}}} Motto: Diversity Our Strength {{Canadian City/Location Image is:{{{Location Image Type}}}|[[Image:{{{Location Image}}}|thumbnail|250px|City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada Location. ...

In 1950, Tozer was elected editor of the Alliance Weekly magazine, now called Alliance Life, the official publication of The Christian and Missionary Alliance. From his first editorial, dated June 3, 1950, he wrote "It will cost something to walk slow in the parade of the ages while excited men of time rush about confusing motion with progress. But it will pay in the long run and the true Christian is not much interested in anything short of that."

Tozer and his wife Ada Cecelia Pfautz were parents of seven children, six boys and one girl.

He was buried in Akron, with a simple epitaph marking his grave: “A. W. Tozer - A Man of God.”

Fellow author Leonard Ravenhill once said of Tozer, "I fear that we shall never see another Tozer. Men like him are not college bred but Spirit taught."

More quotes from Tozer:

Speaking about the fast-paced modern church, he warned, "Our religious activities should be ordered in such a way as to leave plenty of time for the cultivation of the fruits of solitude and silence."

“God wants us to worship Him. He doesn't need us, for He couldn't be a self-sufficient God and need anything or anybody, but He wants us. When Adam sinned it was not he who cried, ‘God, where art Thou?’ It was God who cried, ‘Adam, where art thou?’” - from “Worship: The Missing Jewel”

Reflecting on his relationship with God, "I have found God to be cordial and generous and in every way easy to live with."

"Some of my friends good-humoredly -- and some a little bit severely -- have called me a 'mystic.' Well I'd like to say this about any mysticism I may suppose to have. If an arch-angel from heaven were to come, and were to start giving me, telling me, teaching me, and giving me instruction, I'd ask him for the text. I'd say, 'Where's it say that in the Bible? I want to know.' And I would insist that it was according to the scriptures, because I do not believe in any extra-scriptural teachings, nor any anti-scriptural teachings, or any sub-scriptural teachings. I think we ought to put the emphasis where God puts it, and continue to put it there, and to expound the scriptures, and stay by the scriptures. I wouldn't -- no matter if I saw a light above the light of the sun, I'd keep my mouth shut about it 'til I'd checked with Daniel and Revelation and the rest of the scriptures to see if it had any basis in truth. And if it didn't, I'd think I'd just eaten something I shouldn't, and I wouldn't say anything about it. Because I don't beleive in anything that is unscriptural or that is anti-scripture." - from "What Difference Does the Holy Spirit Make?"

Main Works

• The Pursuit of God.

• The Knowledge of the Holy.

• That Incredible Christian. How Heaven's children live on Earth.