A. W. Tozer (1897–1963) began his lifelong pursuit of God after hearing a street preacher in Akron, Ohio, at seventeen. This conversation is assembled from his writings and sermons — three of which are now gathered as Three Spiritual Classics in One Volume — on knowing God, longing for Him, and being sought first.
The Interview · A. W. Tozer
On the Pursuit of God
Drawn from his writings and sermons, the words of a self-taught theologian many have called a modern-day prophet.
By DORX Chronicle Editorial Desk
August 15, 2026 · 8 min read
DORX Chronicle: Your pursuit of God began with a street preacher when you were seventeen. What set it in motion?
A. W. Tozer: A few plain words, spoken with conviction, were enough. I was a self-taught man who found that the ministry of God’s Word could fill a life entirely — as pastor, as teacher, as writer.
DORX Chronicle: The new volume gathers The Knowledge of the Holy, The Pursuit of God, and God’s Pursuit of Man. How do they fit together?
A. W. Tozer: They move in one direction and then reverse it — from the majesty of God, to the soul’s longing for Him, to the astonishing grace by which He seeks us first. What we call our pursuit is really our answer to His.
DORX Chronicle: You write to awaken rather than to inform. Why?
A. W. Tozer: Because shallow religion is content with facts about God. I want the reader past that — into genuine encounter with the living God, unafraid of mystery.
DORX Chronicle: What would you say to a reader picking up these classics today?
A. W. Tozer: That God is not far off. Seek Him with the whole heart, and you will find He was seeking you long before you began.
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