Week 1: Preface & Introduction — Why Our Idea of God Matters

1.Tozer writes that "what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." Do you agree? Why would our mental picture of God be more revealing than, say, our behavior or our stated beliefs?

2.He argues that the church has not deliberately abandoned a high concept of God but has done so "little by little and without her knowledge." Can you think of examples — in worship music, sermons, or everyday Christian conversation — where God seems smaller or more manageable than the God of Scripture?

3.Tozer says that "low views of God destroy the gospel for all who hold them." That is a strong statement. What connection does he see between our theology (our doctrine of God) and the health of the gospel message?

4.He distinguishes between thinking about God casually and actually knowing God. What is the difference, in Tozer's view? How does that distinction shape the purpose of this entire book?

5.Tozer frames the recovery of a worthy concept of God as an urgent, practical matter for the church — not merely an academic one. How does your own church community treat the question of who God is? Is it central, assumed, or largely unexamined?

6.Tozer writes as a pastor deeply grieved by what he sees. How does the tone of the preface shape your expectations for the book? What do you hope to gain — and what might you be afraid to confront — as you work through it?

7.The introduction connects a right knowledge of God to genuine worship. How has your worship life been shaped — for better or worse — by what you actually believe about God rather than what you say you believe?