A Enduring Legacy of Christian Classics: Why Books that Sold Few Copies During Their Authors Lives are Best Sellers Now

A.W. Tozer and Arthur Walkington Pink—two names that have become synonymous with deep theological insights, reverence for God’s holiness, and an unwavering commitment to biblical truth. Today, these men’s works are hailed as Christian classics. Tozer’s The Knowledge of the Holy and Pink’s The Sovereignty of God are read by millions, shaping countless lives in profound ways. Yet, ironically, during their lifetimes, these books were about as popular as tofu at a Texas barbecue.

In fact, both authors would have been shocked to learn how beloved their books have become. Tozer passed away in 1963, never living to see The Knowledge of the Holy become a staple on every serious Christian’s bookshelf. Arthur Pink, too, toiled in near obscurity for much of his life, his books finding only a small audience, despite the rich theological treasures they contained.

So, what is it about these works that caused them to languish unnoticed for so long, only to explode in popularity decades later? What makes the writings of Tozer and Pink so enduring, despite their slow starts? Grab a cup of coffee (or tea, if you’re the contemplative sort), and let’s dive into this curious phenomenon with a side of wholesome humor, some illuminating anecdotes, and a reverence for the enduring power of these spiritual works.

A Message Too Rich for Fast Food Faith

Let’s face it: Arthur Pink and A.W. Tozer weren’t exactly peddling spiritual cotton candy. These men dealt in spiritual steak—rich, hearty, and demanding thoughtful chewing. But here’s the thing about steak: not everyone’s ready for it. Sometimes, you just want a quick burger, easy to consume and requiring minimal effort. Similarly, during the lifetimes of these theological giants, the spiritual climate was often more conducive to fast food faith than to deep, reflective spiritual nourishment.

In the mid-20th century, Western Christianity saw a shift towards more seeker-sensitive approaches. The gospel was being marketed as something quick and easy, a one-stop-shop for personal peace and happiness. But Pink and Tozer? They were over here saying, “Slow down. Let’s talk about the holiness of God, the sovereignty of God, and what it means to live a life of surrender.”

Take Arthur Pink, for example. His magnum opus, The Sovereignty of God, was not exactly the sort of thing you’d find in the spiritual self-help section. Pink’s relentless focus on God’s absolute control over all things wasn’t a message that made people want to jump up and shout “Amen!”—at least not immediately. It made them think, wrestle, and maybe even squirm a little. It still does today. This wasn’t a book for a Sunday afternoon read while sipping lemonade. It was the kind of book that demanded a pencil, a notebook, and perhaps a few hours of staring off into space, pondering the mysteries of the Almighty.

Similarly, Tozer’s The Knowledge of the Holy called readers to a reverence and awe of God that ran counter to the more casual, feel-good approach of many Christian writings at the time. Tozer was relentless in calling believers back to a deeper understanding of God’s character, warning against reducing God to a manageable deity that fits neatly into our lives. He famously said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” That’s a far cry from the more therapeutic, “God loves you just the way you are, now go live your best life” message that was gaining traction in popular Christian culture.

In short, the messages of Pink and Tozer were rich, deep, and countercultural—appealing to those seeking spiritual depth, but not necessarily to the casual reader looking for a quick spiritual pick-me-up.

The "Pink Phenomenon": A Man Ahead of His Time

Arthur Walkington Pink is a bit of an enigma in Christian history. Born in 1886 in Nottingham, England, Pink lived much of his life in relative obscurity. He started out preaching in churches and traveling widely, but as time went on, his uncompromising theological stance and sometimes difficult personality led him to a more isolated existence. By the time of his death in 1952, Pink was living in a small cottage in Scotland, corresponding with a few devoted followers and writing articles for his small magazine, Studies in the Scriptures.

And yet, despite his lack of popularity during his lifetime, Pink’s works have seen a resurgence in the decades following his death. Today, his books are widely read and respected for their depth and theological rigor. The Sovereignty of God, in particular, has become a touchstone for many believers who are grappling with the complex relationship between God’s control and human responsibility.

So, why didn’t Pink’s works catch fire while he was alive? One possible reason is that he was simply ahead of his time. Pink’s emphasis on God’s sovereignty and election, while biblically sound, didn’t sit well with the more Arminian-leaning Christian landscape of his day. People didn’t want to hear about God’s absolute control over all things, including salvation. They wanted to believe that they had more control, more choice. Pink, on the other hand, wasn’t interested in giving people the comforting illusion of control—he was interested in presenting the truth as he saw it in Scripture, even if it ruffled some feathers.

To add to Pink’s mystique, there’s a humorous (and somewhat sad) anecdote about how Pink's early ministry work was often met with indifference. In one of his earliest pastorates in Kentucky, Pink was once confronted by a member of the congregation who said, “Preacher, you’ll starve us with that kind of preaching!” To which Pink reportedly replied, “Better to starve them with truth than to stuff them with falsehood.”

You’ve got to admire his commitment. Pink may have been unpopular, but he was unwavering.

A.W. Tozer and the "Rare Commodity" of Holiness

If Pink was like a theological scalpel, cutting away misconceptions with precision, Tozer was more like a passionate prophet, calling people to return to God’s holiness with a fire in his bones. His books, particularly The Knowledge of the Holy, deal with the attributes of God in a way that few others have. His writing was an invitation to know God, not as a distant deity, but as a holy, personal, and awe-inspiring Being who demands reverence.

And yet, as with Pink, Tozer’s message didn’t exactly light up the Christian best-seller lists in his time. Why? Partly because Tozer wasn’t concerned with fame or fortune. He was more concerned with faithfulness. He famously lived a simple, almost monastic life, refusing to take royalties from his books and pastoring small churches. In fact, one of his most well-known sayings is, “A whole new generation of Christians has come up believing that it is possible to ‘accept’ Christ without forsaking the world.” Ouch.

Tozer’s writings were a wake-up call to Christians who had become too comfortable with a watered-down faith. But as we know, people don’t always enjoy being woken up, especially when they’re in the middle of a comfortable nap. Tozer’s books were a bit like spiritual alarm clocks—necessary, but not always appreciated in the moment.

The Slow Burn of Posthumous Success

There’s an interesting phenomenon that happens with books like Tozer’s and Pink’s: they often find their greatest success after the author has passed away. This was certainly true for both men. After Tozer’s death in 1963, The Knowledge of the Holy began to be widely circulated, and people who had never heard of A.W. Tozer while he was alive suddenly found themselves captivated by his writing. The same is true of Pink, whose works found new life in the decades after his death, thanks in large part to the rise of reformed theology and a growing interest in deep biblical teaching.

Why does this happen? Partly because timeless truth often takes time to be fully appreciated. During their lifetimes, Pink and Tozer were speaking to a relatively small audience—those who were ready to hear their message. But as the spiritual landscape changed, more and more people began to realize that these men had been speaking prophetically, calling the church back to something it had lost: a deep reverence for God, a commitment to biblical truth, and a willingness to wrestle with hard theological concepts.

In a way, Pink and Tozer’s works are like fine wine—they got better with age, and only after their passing did people begin to realize just how valuable their contributions were. To borrow a phrase from another time-honored author, C.S. Lewis, these men were writing “deep magic,” long before the rest of us caught on to its importance. I remind myself of this when I write and publish.?

Hindsight and the Spiritual Journey

One of the reasons books like The Knowledge of the Holy and The Sovereignty of God continue to sell long after their authors’ deaths is that they appeal to readers who have reached a certain point in their spiritual journey. When you’re young in the faith, you might be more interested in books that give you practical steps for daily living or encouragement for dealing with life’s struggles. And there’s certainly a place for those kinds of books.

But as you mature in your walk with God, you start to hunger for something deeper. You begin to realize that the more you learn about God, the more you realize how little you actually know. It’s at that point that books like Tozer’s and Pink’s become invaluable. When the heart longs for more than surface-level platitudes and spiritual quick fixes, when the soul craves to know the grandeur and majesty of God, works like The Knowledge of the Holy and The Sovereignty of God feel like a drink of water in the desert. They don’t just tell you what to do—they take you deep into the character and nature of God Himself, which ultimately transforms everything about how you live.

A.W. Tozer once famously remarked, “We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God.” That’s not the kind of thing you casually weave into a conversation over coffee. But once you’ve encountered the greatness of God, you can’t help but see how small everything else is in comparison. Similarly, Arthur Pink’s relentless pursuit of biblical truth—whether popular or not—challenges readers to think critically and humbly about their own theology, urging them to reorient their lives around God’s sovereignty rather than their own preferences.

Rediscovery Through the Lens of Modern Times

What’s fascinating is how, in today’s world, the messages of Pink and Tozer seem more relevant than ever. In an age of instant gratification, self-promotion, and spiritual shallowness, their writings remind us that the Christian life is not about what we can get from God, but about knowing God Himself. They weren’t offering quick solutions or self-help tips. They were pointing people to the vast, incomprehensible, and awe-inspiring reality of the Almighty. The God Who is Love, Life, and Light. The reality of His Being creation and eternity.

There’s a certain irony to the fact that their works, which struggled to find traction during their lifetimes, now sell by the millions. Perhaps it’s because we live in a time where people are increasingly disillusioned with the superficiality of modern culture, both inside and outside the church. As believers are rediscovering the richness of the Christian faith, they’re turning to voices like Tozer and Pink—voices that never compromised on the truth, even when it wasn’t popular.

It’s also worth noting that the internet has played a significant role in the rediscovery of these Christian classics. What was once limited to print has now been digitized, making Tozer’s and Pink’s works more accessible than ever before. Today, a simple search can bring up thousands of quotes, articles, and discussions about their books, and whole communities of believers have been built around their teachings. This accessibility has allowed their messages to reach people who may have otherwise never encountered their writings.

Arthur Pink: The Reluctant Bestseller

Let’s circle back to Arthur Pink for a moment. There’s a bit of humor in the fact that Pink, a man who lived much of his later life in seclusion, likely would have been quite startled by the popularity his books now enjoy. Pink wasn’t writing for fame or fortune—he was writing for the faithful few who were willing to engage deeply with Scripture.

But therein lies the beauty of Pink’s ministry. He wasn’t swayed by public opinion or by the need for widespread approval. Instead, he remained focused on the truth of God’s Word, even if that meant laboring in relative obscurity. There’s something profoundly encouraging about that. Pink’s ministry reminds us that faithfulness to God’s calling doesn’t always mean success in the world’s eyes. Sometimes, it means quietly planting seeds that will only bear fruit long after we’re gone.

And let’s be honest—Arthur Pink probably wouldn’t have been the kind of guy to promote himself, anyway. He was more comfortable behind the scenes, penning his theological treatises and sending out his magazine to the handful of subscribers who stuck with him. It’s almost as if God waited until Pink was safely out of the picture before allowing his books to achieve widespread fame, ensuring that Pink’s message remained front and center while his personality stayed in the background.

8. A Lighthearted Note on Tozer’s Style

Of course, we can’t talk about these theological heavyweights without acknowledging that, despite their deep and sometimes weighty subjects, both men had a certain flair to their writing. Tozer, in particular, had a way with words that could be both convicting and, occasionally, a bit cheeky.

For instance, Tozer once famously critiqued modern Christian worship by saying, “Christians don’t tell lies; they just go to church and sing them.” Ouch. But at the same time, you can’t help but chuckle at the boldness of such a statement. Tozer wasn’t afraid to call things as he saw them, and while his critiques were sharp, they were also meant to wake people up to the reality of their spiritual condition.

Tozer had a pastor’s heart, but he also had the soul of a prophet. He wasn’t concerned with being liked; he was concerned with being faithful to the truth. His writing, though deeply serious, never lost its capacity to cut through the noise with wit and precision. It’s one of the reasons his books are still so widely read today—they’re not only theologically rich, but they also have a certain punch to them that keeps you engaged, even when the message is convicting.

The Unlikely Heroes of Modern Christian Thought

In the end, A.W. Tozer and Arthur Walkington Pink weren’t likely candidates for modern Christian bestsellers. They didn’t have big marketing campaigns, multi-campus churches, or global platforms. They didn’t seek fame, and they certainly didn’t water down their messages to appeal to the masses.

And yet, here we are—decades after their deaths—still reading their books, still quoting their words, and still marveling at their insights. Why? Because they were faithful to the truth, and the truth, as it often does, stood the test of time.

Their lives remind us that success in the kingdom of God doesn’t always look like success in the world. Sometimes, it looks like quietly serving, faithfully writing, and trusting that God will use your work in His time, not yours. As the Apostle Paul once said, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Tozer and Pink were planters and waterers, faithfully doing the work God called them to, even when they couldn’t see the fruits of their labor.

The Final Word: A Legacy Built on Truth

As readers today, we are the beneficiaries of their faithfulness. We get to enjoy the fruits of their labor, savoring the rich spiritual insights they left behind. And in a world that’s constantly shifting, their works offer us something solid to hold onto—a vision of God that is bigger, holier, and more awe-inspiring than anything we could have imagined.

So, the next time you pick up a copy of The Knowledge of the Holy or The Sovereignty of God, take a moment to appreciate the journey that brought these books to you. They may have started slow, but they’ve become spiritual landmarks, guiding generations of Christians into a deeper understanding of who God is. And in the end, that’s all that Tozer and Pink ever wanted—to point people back to the glory of God.