Recently I got a call from a friend asking me about the latest and greatest spiritual rage, "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle. Yes, this is the same "awakening guide" that Oprah is now promoting and teaching. And yes, this is the same stuff that has Christians everywhere forwarding link upon link to their friends outraged by the heresy wrapped in these teachings.
More than just forwarding links and saying it is wrong, I think we Christians need to know how to give an intelligent and ready answer. I am no expert on Apologetics. However, I am a woman who has experienced the truth of Jesus in my life and feel very passionate about debunking untruths that will confuse at best and destroy at worst.
My friend asking about Tolle's book is seeking spiritual things but has not yet professed Jesus as her Savior.
She processes my relationship with the Lord by seeing me as a deeply "spiritual" person and just assumed I would love the fact that she was reading this "spiritual" book.
Instead of immediately launching into my diatribe about why this book is not what she should be reading, I asked her a simple question, "So, what do you think about it?"
She sighed and said she found the book to be confusing and exhausting. A more perfect description of what happens to a person reading man-made, human contrived, supposed enlightenment, could not be found. On this point she is dead on.
I explained that frustration will always be the result when trying to find enlightenment outside of the solid truth of God's word. It would be like putting a cup of dirt on your kitchen table and being told that you could produce a flower just from this dirt if only your mind could graduate past the flat realities of this world and into a more enlightened state. If only you could still your soul just enough and transcend past the natural order of things, you can bring something glorious from nothing at all.
Here is a direct quote from "A New Earth" by Tolle, "Using the word 'enlightenment' in a wider sense than the conventionally accepted one, we could look upon flowers as the enlightenment of plants. Any life-form in any realm- mineral, vegetable, animal, or human- can be said to undergo 'enlightenment.' It is, however, an extremely rare occurrence since it is more than an evolutionary progression: It implies a discontinuity in its development, a leap to an entirely different level of Being and, most important, a lessening of materiality."
He goes on to say that Jesus was an early flower of humanity whose message could not be widespread and could not transform human behavior except in a small minority of people.
Hmmmm.... Really Mr. Tolle? As a human I know several things beyond a shadow of your doubtful teaching:
* I could strain with all the upper consciousness that my spirit could ever hope to graduate to and no flower will ever appear from a cup of only dirt. My efforts would be better placed to use my energy and common sense to go get a seed, push it down into the dirt, apply the right amount of sunshine and water... and then and only then would a flower have the chance of appearing.
* Secondly, I know your book, has sold really well. However, it pales in comparison to the sales of the best selling book of all time, "God's Holy Bible." Combined with the fact that Jesus lived 2000 years ago and still profoundly affects millions of people, I would say that pretty much debunks the theory that Jesus' message is not widespread. I wonder if 2000 years from now, anyone will even know the name of Eckhart Tolle???
* Finally, to say that Jesus only affected the behavior of a small minority of people is not only not true but it totally misses the beauty of the reality of Jesus. He did not come to just change people's behavior. That would just rearrange a person's exterior. Jesus' teachings are able to transform a person from the inside out. Not to just help them be better people but to give them the promise of eternity.
1 Timothy 6: 3-5 says, "If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain."
Bloggy Friends I know this is heavy stuff for a Monday morning. However, I feel a great sense of responsibility to know how to defend my faith. If you found this helpful, let me know. I plan to post more about how to answer people asking about this book with the solid truth of God.
On a lighter note... the winner of the cupcake star tins giveaway is...
Jennifer who wrote a comment so funny I literally doubled over laughing!!!
"...I eagerly offered to make the cupcakes for my two year old daughter's preschool class (I really just wanted to show off my cute new pampered chef cupcake carrier thingy) Anyway, I went to the grocery store and searched high and low for my special ingredients (the box of instant mix). They had muffin mix, brownie mix, cake mix, lemon bar mix... Who knew there was no such thing as "Cupcake" mix? Have a good weekend, Jennifer"
Sweet, sweet Jennifer... e-mail me at Lysa1@Proverbs31.org and let me know where to send your prize.
Have a truth-filled happy Monday everyone!
More than just forwarding links and saying it is wrong, I think we Christians need to know how to give an intelligent and ready answer. I am no expert on Apologetics. However, I am a woman who has experienced the truth of Jesus in my life and feel very passionate about debunking untruths that will confuse at best and destroy at worst.
My friend asking about Tolle's book is seeking spiritual things but has not yet professed Jesus as her Savior.
She processes my relationship with the Lord by seeing me as a deeply "spiritual" person and just assumed I would love the fact that she was reading this "spiritual" book.
Instead of immediately launching into my diatribe about why this book is not what she should be reading, I asked her a simple question, "So, what do you think about it?"
She sighed and said she found the book to be confusing and exhausting. A more perfect description of what happens to a person reading man-made, human contrived, supposed enlightenment, could not be found. On this point she is dead on.
I explained that frustration will always be the result when trying to find enlightenment outside of the solid truth of God's word. It would be like putting a cup of dirt on your kitchen table and being told that you could produce a flower just from this dirt if only your mind could graduate past the flat realities of this world and into a more enlightened state. If only you could still your soul just enough and transcend past the natural order of things, you can bring something glorious from nothing at all.
Here is a direct quote from "A New Earth" by Tolle, "Using the word 'enlightenment' in a wider sense than the conventionally accepted one, we could look upon flowers as the enlightenment of plants. Any life-form in any realm- mineral, vegetable, animal, or human- can be said to undergo 'enlightenment.' It is, however, an extremely rare occurrence since it is more than an evolutionary progression: It implies a discontinuity in its development, a leap to an entirely different level of Being and, most important, a lessening of materiality."
He goes on to say that Jesus was an early flower of humanity whose message could not be widespread and could not transform human behavior except in a small minority of people.
Hmmmm.... Really Mr. Tolle? As a human I know several things beyond a shadow of your doubtful teaching:
* I could strain with all the upper consciousness that my spirit could ever hope to graduate to and no flower will ever appear from a cup of only dirt. My efforts would be better placed to use my energy and common sense to go get a seed, push it down into the dirt, apply the right amount of sunshine and water... and then and only then would a flower have the chance of appearing.
* Secondly, I know your book, has sold really well. However, it pales in comparison to the sales of the best selling book of all time, "God's Holy Bible." Combined with the fact that Jesus lived 2000 years ago and still profoundly affects millions of people, I would say that pretty much debunks the theory that Jesus' message is not widespread. I wonder if 2000 years from now, anyone will even know the name of Eckhart Tolle???
* Finally, to say that Jesus only affected the behavior of a small minority of people is not only not true but it totally misses the beauty of the reality of Jesus. He did not come to just change people's behavior. That would just rearrange a person's exterior. Jesus' teachings are able to transform a person from the inside out. Not to just help them be better people but to give them the promise of eternity.
1 Timothy 6: 3-5 says, "If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain."
Bloggy Friends I know this is heavy stuff for a Monday morning. However, I feel a great sense of responsibility to know how to defend my faith. If you found this helpful, let me know. I plan to post more about how to answer people asking about this book with the solid truth of God.
On a lighter note... the winner of the cupcake star tins giveaway is...
Jennifer who wrote a comment so funny I literally doubled over laughing!!!
"...I eagerly offered to make the cupcakes for my two year old daughter's preschool class (I really just wanted to show off my cute new pampered chef cupcake carrier thingy) Anyway, I went to the grocery store and searched high and low for my special ingredients (the box of instant mix). They had muffin mix, brownie mix, cake mix, lemon bar mix... Who knew there was no such thing as "Cupcake" mix? Have a good weekend, Jennifer"
Sweet, sweet Jennifer... e-mail me at Lysa1@Proverbs31.org and let me know where to send your prize.
Have a truth-filled happy Monday everyone!
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