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Copyright © 2018 James Joshua Tancordo All Rights Reserved. the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Has Permission to Repro Copyright © 2018 James Joshua Tancordo All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction. A.W. TOZER: A MYSTICAL AND CONFESSIONAL EVANGELICAL __________________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary __________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________________ by James Joshua Tancordo May 2018 APPROVAL SHEET A.W. TOZER: A MYSTICAL AND CONFESSIONAL EVANGELICAL James Joshua Tancordo Read and Approved by: __________________________________________ Nathan A. Finn (Chair) __________________________________________ Michael A. G. Haykin __________________________________________ Donald S. Whitney Date______________________________ I dedicate this dissertation to my wife, Becky. This milestone would not have been possible without her sacrificial love, encouragement, and understanding. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PREFACE ........................................................................................................................... v Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................1 The Life of Tozer ................................................................................................2 Thesis ..................................................................................................................7 Review of Literature about Tozer .......................................................................7 The Need for the Present Study ........................................................................13 Methodology .....................................................................................................17 2. EVANGELICALISM DEFINED AND DESCRIBED ........................................19 Evangelicalism in Its Historical Setting ............................................................19 Defining Evangelicalism ...................................................................................38 The Approach of the Present Work ...................................................................52 3. TOZER AND CONVERSION .............................................................................58 The Center: Conversionism ..............................................................................58 The Boundary: Justification by Faith Alone .....................................................79 Significance of Tozer's Conversionism for Spirituality ....................................85 4. TOZER AND OUTREACH .................................................................................89 The Center: Activism ........................................................................................89 The Boundary: The Exclusivity of the Gospel ................................................109 Significance of Tozer's Activism for Spirituality ...........................................114 5. TOZER AND THE BIBLE ................................................................................119 The Center: Biblicism .....................................................................................119 iv The Boundary: Biblical Inerrancy ...................................................................141 Significance of Tozer's Biblicism for Spirituality ...........................................147 6. TOZER AND THE CROSS ...............................................................................150 The Center: Crucicentrism ..............................................................................150 The Boundary: Penal Substitutionary Atonement...........................................166 Significance of Tozer's Crucicentrism for Spirituality ...................................175 7. TOZER’S RELATIONSHIP TO MYSTICISM ................................................178 Elements of Mysticism Tozer Appreciated .....................................................178 Elements of Mysticism Tozer Rejected ..........................................................183 8. CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................188 Why Turn to the Mystics? ...............................................................................188 Is Tozer a Good Model? ..................................................................................196 Concluding Thought .......................................................................................199 APPENDIX ......................................................................................................................200 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 202 PREFACE Like any sizeable project, this dissertation was written with the valuable assistance of others. Nathan Finn, my doctoral supervisor, deserves most of the credit for helping me arrive at this topic in the first place and then tirelessly proofreading my drafts and offering valuable insights and suggestions. Without question, his guidance has made me a more skilled writer, a more careful researcher, and a more nuanced interpreter. His efforts have made this dissertation what it is. My other committee members, Michael Haykin and Donald Whitney, have also been incredibly helpful in completing this project. From the earliest stages of the project, they gave useful ideas and suggestions. Their guidance and wisdom have certainly been a valuable asset. Last but not least, my wife, Becky, has also assisted me in writing this dissertation. This assistance has come mostly in the form of the personal sacrifices she has made to allow me time to complete this project. She has also been a useful conversation partner as I thought about which direction to take and various other “big picture” decisions. James J. Tancordo Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania May 2018 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”1 These are the well-known words with which Aiden Wilson Tozer (1897–1963) begins The Knowledge of the Holy. They represent one of the central thrusts of Tozer’s ministry: seeking and being captivated by God himself. In an age when so many Christians hurriedly moved from one church activity to the next, rarely thinking deeply about spiritual matters, Tozer emphasized the importance of communing with God in a significant and meaningful way. Arguably, he was one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century evangelicalism, inspiring countless Christians, both inside and outside his denomination, to devote themselves to a more passionate pursuit of God.2 As one who knew him well has written: So impressed were people with this man that they applied to him such descriptive terms as oracle, seer, Christian mystic. Certainly there was something that distinguished him from the common run of preachers, authors, and editors. His was an originality of thought, a spiritual depth of message, a craftsmanship of style. When he spoke, people listened; what he wrote, they read….That explains the subtitle of this book [A Twentieth-Century Prophet].3 1A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God: Their Meaning in the Christian Life (New York: HarperCollins, 1961), 1. 2See David Neff, “The Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals,” Christianity Today, October 2006, 52. Tozer’s The Knowledge of the Holy was ranked number 49 on the list. In addition, Lauren Barlow has gathered numerous testimonies from Christian leaders around the country to demonstrate how much of an impact Tozer has had. The volume includes contributions from Ravi Zacharias, Randy Alcorn, Dan Kimball, Johnny Hunt, Joni Eareckson Tada, Charles Swindoll, Bill Johnson, Alex McFarland, and Elmer Towns, among others. See Lauren Barlow, ed., Inspired by Tozer: 50 Artists, Writers and Leaders Share the Insights and Passion They’ve Gained from A. W. Tozer (Ventura, CA: Regal, 2011). 3David J. Fant, A. W. Tozer: A Twentieth-Century Prophet (Camp Hill, PA: Wingspread, 1964). 1 The Life of Tozer Tozer was born on April 21, 1897, to Jacob and Prudence Tozer as the third of six children. The Tozers were a relatively poor farming family who lived in La Jose, Pennsylvania. Besides helping on the family farm, Tozer first worked in railroad cars selling items such as peanuts, candy, and books. In 1912, the family moved to Akron, Ohio, as a result of the father’s failing health. They now had to adjust to city life. Tozer’s oldest brother, Zene, had moved to Akron a few years before this and was working in a Goodrich rubber plant. Tozer began working there as well to help put food on the family’s table. Living in Akron allowed the Tozer family to attend church more frequently, and Tozer and his siblings participated in Sunday school. Three years after moving, in 1915, Tozer came to faith while listening to an open-air preacher. The elderly man was speaking on a busy street corner and said to the crowd, “If you don’t know how to be saved, just call on God, saying, ‘Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.’”4 Upon hearing this, Tozer went to his attic to be by himself and wrestled with God over the state of his soul. After emerging from the attic, he had been saved. Although Tozer was baptized by immersion in the Church of the Brethren, he began attending Grace Methodist
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