Worship: Then and Now by A.W. Tozer (1986) Paperback

Tozer decries much of contemporary worship as entertainment, pleading for an insistence on making worship genuine and forsaking the compulsion to substitute work for worship. He argues that the true purpose of worship has been obscured by the desire to entertain and amuse congregations, rather than to facilitate genuine encounters with the divine. Tozer's critique is rooted in his belief that worship should be a transformative experience, one that draws individuals and communities closer to God through reverence, awe, and an earnest pursuit of spiritual connection.

Underlying Tozer's perspective is a concern that the Church has become increasingly focused on production values, flashy performances, and the pursuit of numerical growth, at the expense of fostering authentic devotion and spiritual formation. He contends that this shift has led to a diminishment of the sacred, with worship services becoming more akin to entertainment events than sacred rituals.

Tozer's call to make worship genuine is a plea to recapture the essence of what it means to gather as a community of believers, to set aside the distractions of the world and to engage in a collective act of adoration, thanksgiving, and supplication before the divine. He argues that the substitution of work for worship, such as the emphasis on committees, programs, and administrative tasks, has served to distance the faithful from the core purpose of worship, which is to cultivate a deep and abiding relationship with God.

In Tozer's view, the Church must resist the temptation to chase after the latest trends, gimmicks, or technological advancements in an effort to attract and retain members. Instead, he believes that the focus should be on creating an environment that is conducive to the experience of the sacred, where individuals can encounter the presence of God and be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Tozer's message is one of a return to the roots of Christian worship, where the emphasis is on the majesty of God, the wonder of divine grace, and the transformative power of encountering the divine. He calls for a renewed commitment to creating spaces and practices that facilitate genuine worship, where the faithful can put aside their preoccupations with the world and immerse themselves in the profound mystery of the divine.

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