A Dangerous Philosphy:
Success Is Everything

By A. W. Tozer

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold
the truth in unrighteousness.       --Romans 1:18

    The  philosophy of pragmatism---basically, the doctrine
of the utility of truth, is having a powerful influence upon
Christianity in the latter half of the twentieth century.

    For the pragmatist there are no absolutes, nothing is
absolutely good or absolutely true.  Truth and morality
float on a sea of human experience.

    For the pragmatist, truth is to use.  Whatever is useful
is true for the user, though for someone else it may not
be useful, so not true.  The truth of any idea is its ability
to produce desirable results.  If it can show no such
results it is false.  This is pragmatism stripped of its
jargon!

    We live in a day when no one wants to argue with
success.  It is useless to plead for the human soul, to insist
that what a man can do is less important than what he is!

    The spectacular drama of successful deeds leaves the
beholder breathless---deeds you can see.  So who cares
about ideals and character and morals?  These things are
for poets, nice old ladies and philosophers"---let's get on
with the job!"

    The weakness of all this in the church is its tragic
shortsightedness.  It never takes the long view of
religious activity, but goes cheerfully on believing that
"because it works, it is both good and true." It is satisfied
with present success and shakes off any suggestion that
its works may go up in smoke in the day of Christ!

Yours in Christ,

Paul N. F.