Man And His Dwelling Place

Aiden Wilson Tozer (April 21, 1897 - May 12, 1963) was an American Christian pastor, author, magazine editor, and spiritual mentor. For his work, he received two honorary doctoral degrees. Tozer hailed from a tiny farming community in western La Jose, Pennsylvania. He converted to Christianity 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, saying, 'Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.'" Upon returning home, he climbed into the attic and heeded the preacher's advice. In 1919, five years after his conversion and without formal theological training, Tozer accepted an offer to serve as pastor of his first church. That began 44 years of ministry, associated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA), a Protestant Evangelical denomination, 33 served as a pastor in a number of churches. His first pastorate was in a small storefront church in Nutter Fort, West Virginia. Tozer also served as pastor for 30 years at Southside Alliance Church, in Chicago (1928 to 1959), and the final years of his life were spent as pastor of Avenue Road Church, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In observing contemporary Christian living, he felt the church was on a dangerous course toward compromising with "worldly" concerns. Born into poverty, Tozer was self-educated and taught himself what he missed in high school and college. In May 1950, Tozer was elected as the editor of the Alliance Weekly magazine, now Alliance Life, a role he filled until his death in 1963. Alliance Life is the official publication of the C&MA and is currently a bi-monthly magazine. From his first editorial, titled Quality vs Quantity dated June 3, 1950, Tozer 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." Among the more than 60 books that bear his name, most of which were compiled after his death from sermons he preached and articles he wrote, at least two are regarded as Christian classics: The Pursuit of God and The Knowledge of the Holy. Many of his books impress on the reader the possibility and necessity for a deeper relationship with God. (wikipedia.org)

How does one achieve this life in the Spirit, this life lived in the presence of God? There is a temper of soul that is developed in a believer that readily perceives the presence and nearness of God. Every patriarch who walked with God developed this temper of soul that perceived His holy presence. Moses acknowledged His presence by removing his shoes. Abraham acknowledged His presence by leaving his home and kin to follow the Unseen One. Jacob awoke from a dream that ushered him into this awareness and stated, "...Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not" (Genesis 28:16). A man's perception of God's nearness is what marks him for glory, because when one knows God is present, he lives a more faith filled, honorable, holy, fearless, joyful, and loving life.

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"Behold I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me'." — Revelation 3:20 At the hidden center of man's being is the dwelling place of the Triune God. It is such a private, intimate place that no one can intrude but Christ, and even He will enter only through an invitation of faith. Once the Spirit enters the core of the believer's heart and establishes residence there, man becomes a true child of God. But baptism, confirmation, receiving the sacraments, church membership, etc., mean nothing unless God has truly inhabited the soul. In Man: The Dwelling Place of God, Tozer reveals what it truly means to have Christ within us—like leaving your old life behind, understanding the Bible, making godly choices, loving God for Himself, Christian fellowship, and more.

Religious philosopher Panikkar sees wisdom as our universe, our world, our Mother Earth, and as a source of happiness and joy--a dwelling place where people are blessed. Here he discusses wisdom in the context of four different areas: an existential feminine approach; a less fragmented anthropology; its most ancient meaning in philosophy; and the preservation of its identity.