Do Eckhart Tolle’s Teachings Contradict Christianity?

Post Author: Bill Pratt

A%20New%20Earth Do Eckhart Tolles Teachings Contradict Christianity? Recently I learned that a local church was hosting “Bible studies” based on Eckhart Tolle’s teachings. So, does Tolle agree with the teachings of Christianity? Is it appropriate to promote his beliefs in a Christian church?

First, let me admit that I have not read his books personally, but I have certainly read about them (if anyone would like to correct any errors I make in the following analysis, please do so by commenting). According to Dr. James A. Beverley, in a 2008 article written for Christianity Today, Tolle definitely does not adhere to the essential beliefs of Christianity.

Here is a brief list of anti-Christian beliefs promoted by Tolle:

1. God and man are one (pantheism). Christianity teaches that God is distinct from man, that He created man.

2. The human self is an illusion (Buddhism). Christianity affirms the existence of the human self, but laments its corruption by sin.

3. Death and the human body are illusions (Buddhism). Christianity affirms that both are real.

4. Jesus is not uniquely God, since everyone is God. Christianity denies that everyone is God, and claims that Jesus is the unique human manifestation of God.

All of these teachings directly contradict Christian beliefs. I’m sure Tolle’s teachings contain some wisdom, but his overall worldview is obviously not Christian in any meaningful way. The fact that we have a local church promoting Tolle’s beliefs is another clear indication that Christian education is woefully inadequate (I’m assuming that the persons leading these studies are ignorant, not purposefully trying to undermine Christianity).

If you know of any other links that discuss Tolle’s beliefs in comparison to Christianity, feel free to post them in the comments section of this post.

Tags: A New Earth, Buddhism, Christianity Today, Eckhart Tolle, James Beverley, Pantheism

This entry was posted by Bill Pratt on Friday, April 30th, 2010 at 3:00 pm and is filed under Pantheism, Religion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Bill Pratt

Comments

Greg

Is it the local UU church?
Bill Pratt

No, it’s actually a Catholic church.
Old Bill

He sounds a little like Wayne Dyer – very smooth and nice to listen to – but glosses over the specifics of faith in God. A summary of Tolle’s belief is that the essence of all religions “have become so overlaid with extraneous matter that their spiritual substance has become almost completely obscured”, and that they have become “to a large extent … divisive rather than unifying” . There is some truth (just a little) in that.
Bill Pratt

The challenge lies in discerning what is extraneous and what is not. Dyer and Tolle strip away so much that nothing is left but an empty carcass.
sunraynnc

If you are speaking of Holy Trinity, it is an Episcopal church. I don’t know if holding a book study is “promoting” a book or set of beliefs…maybe it is more of a “comparative” study.
Bill Pratt

It was not Holy Trinity. There’s a difference between studying a book in order to learn something by comparison, versus holding a “Bible study” class where the book is actually being promoted for its spiritual teachings. I have nothing against the first use of Tolle’s book, but I do have something against the second. The context I was given with this particular church is that it was being promoted as a book that was compatible with Christianity and that the attendees were not told that Tolle’s teachings contradict essential teachings of Christianity.
Mike K

I attend the Catholic church referenced here, I know the host of this study, and I know at least one person (besides the host) who attended this study. I would like to clarify a couple of things. First, the Catholic church did not host this study, it was a parishioner of the church hosting at their house. Second, the church did not and does not promote Tolle’s beliefs in any way, shape, of form. And last, this was not a “Bible study”, nor was it promoted as compatible with Christianity.

But, I agree that the attendees were not told that Tolle’s teachings contradict essential teachings of Christianity, and the purpose of the event was to learn more about Tolle’s philosophy with the intent to apply it to their lives.

I write this since I feel there is enough Catholic bashing, mostly based on ignorance, and I would like to keep any additional misinformation from spreading.
Bill Pratt

Thanks for the clarification, Mike. I’m glad to hear the church wasn’t hosting it. I’m still disappointed that a church member would host this kind of study without making clear that Tolle rejects core Christian beliefs. You and I have often lamented the ignorance in all of our churches, and this was just one more example. Also, I wasn’t really interested in the Catholic angle, so I left it out of the original post, and only answered when someone asked in the comments. It could have just as easily been a Baptist or Methodist church.
Nox

I think you should personally read the book yourself, relying on other people’s comments of the book is not sufficient to give you an overall opinion. Eckhart does not contradict christianity but rather goes to the essence of what the religion points to. You really do need to read the book and then form an opinion as is the case with most things that are put under scrutiny.
Bill Pratt

Hi Nox,
I admit that reading the book would be better. However, do you agree that Eckhart denies that Jesus is the only true God-man to ever live, or that salvation is only through believing that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead?
Nox

To my recollection, there is nothing in Eckhart’s books which explicitly state the denial of Jesus as God, however, I do believe that he did paraphrase quotes from the bible (made by Jesus himself) such as ‘you (referring to humanity)are the light of the world’, or “you are god” (I apologize for not knowing the exact reference to these quotes) which suggest that he may have implied this. My previous comment however was not directed at whether Eckhart Tolle believes Jesus to be God, but rather in reference to you asking the question of whether it is appropriate to promote his beliefs in a christian church. Having said that, I do believe there is great truth in his books. The term chrisitian is an abstract concept, nothing more then a label on a group of individuals following a common purpose, Jesus himself did not start christianity. If you can look past the labels of theological dogma, to the core of what all religions point to, youll find that having a label on something such as christian, muslim, jew or whatever it may be, actually divides humanity. If a christian can look at a person of another religion and see him/her in their essence – beyond the beliefs, culture, or background – just as who they are and not want to change them or draw them in, the world will be a much better place. This, I believe is what Jesus meant when he coined the phrase “judge not and you shall not be judged”.
Bill Pratt

Nox,
I have studied the words of Jesus extensively for many years. He made claims about himself, that he was the unique, the one and only human representation of God. I don’t think Tolle would go along with this. Christianity is not an abstract label at all. It defines a group of people who, in a spiritual sense, have been born again through the power of the Holy Spirit. Christians are born again when they express belief that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died for mankind’s sins, and that he rose from the dead. These are very concrete things we believe, and it sets us apart from those who do not believe these things. If Tolle denies any of these core beliefs of Christians, then his teachings should not be featured in a Christian church without a warning to that effect. I have no issue studying Tolle’s teachings, as long as everyone is made aware that he denies the core beliefs we hold dear.

When you say that we need to get to the core of what religions point to, I say that we must take the words of Jesus seriously, as recorded in the New Testament. If you haven’t read the Gospel of John, you should read it. See what Jesus says about himself in this book, written by one of his closest followers.
Nox

Bill,
I too know a relatively large amount about the bible. You know as much as I do that the bible for many years has been construed in different ways by different individuals, including but not limited to christians. You should also know that alot of the bible’s teachings and stories are interpreted metaphorically rather than literally. In this light please answer this question? Why should your personal idiosyncratic ideas of the bible be superior to that of another having the same amount of knowledge, experience and study in a particular area. Remember that your readings of the bible and how you interpret it are subject largely to your past experiences, upbringing and education, doesnt this in itself show some form of bias in the different views the bible is interpreted and taught in church. Now… Christianity is an abstract concept in that it doesnt tell you anything about the individuals underneath the label, people from England have a flag, national anthem, culture a concrete set of beliefs, a government, “which they hold most dear”, which may be different from an Australian or American system, yet if we held these labels as our identity and not the actual individuals underneath the mental blanket of ideas the disparity in the world would be chaotic. It is only through accepting and finding what it is that we have in common, in other words the essence of the individuals underneath all the different countries, and seeing that there really is no difference in what everyone is trying to find and believe in, the only difference is the path they take to get there. The bible says “god created man in his own image”, it appears however that man created god in his own image, the infinite, the sacred, the omega, omnipotent, nameless being, reduced down to a mental concept of beliefs that man has said to worship as your god or my god.

I have read the bible, what is the harm in you reading eckharts book, if your faith in god is solid, is it really that bad to give it a go, you may yourself find that it opens your eyes to other areas and not at all deteriorates your beliefs.

On a lighter note, the book really isnt about religion, or trying to get people to believe in something or change what they believe. I dont want to try and explain on an internet website as I may ruin the book for you if you do read it lol.
I respectfully accept what you believe and can see what you mean and are trying to say.

Peace.
Bill Pratt

Hi Nox,
You said “Why should your personal idiosyncratic ideas of the bible be superior to that of another having the same amount of knowledge, experience and study in a particular area?”

They should not. I am a firm believer in standing behind the essential beliefs of Christianity, not my personal idiosyncratic beliefs. There are about a dozen core beliefs that Christians embodied in creeds through the first few hundred years of the church. To these I hold and everything else is debatable. These core beliefs, by the way, are held by Roman Catholics, eastern Orthodox, and most Protestant denominations. You talked about finding common ground, and that is exactly what these essential beliefs do.

I am not against reading Tolle’s books at all. I am against a Christian church promoting his ideas as compatible with essential Christian beliefs. Some of his ideas are, and some are not. The congregation should clearly be told this.
Nox

hi bill,

while you are a firm believer in the essential beliefs of christianity, your interpretation of these essential beliefs are still based on personal idiosyncratc idealisms. I mean surely you do not agree with the early christians who established the religion and killed those who opposed it, is this really what jesus wanted? Your beliefs differ Im sure, on how you interpret what Jesus said, your beliefs are not based on the collective majority of christians per se, as in,I believe what I do because that is what all christians believe, rather, your beliefs are personal on what you take to be chritian.(even though it may be what the majority of christians believe). I speak more on Eckhart in your other blog about, difficult questions.
Nox

I apologize for the appalling spelling mistakes in this blog and the other, I should really proof read before i submit the comments.
Belva Moore

Tolle is no different than every other “new age philosopher” in that the belief system he is teaching here is a conglomeration or borrowed concepts from various non Western religions. The problem with that is there is no anchor, so to speak, for this type belief system. i.e. no absolute truth. If everyone is god, then everyone can make up their own rules. This type belief system can only lead to chaos.

Like you, I find it disturbing that someone might be promoting this book as a Bible study unless is it a compare and contrast type study. However, these things happen – satin loves an open door, but a cracked one will do. I once was invited to and attended The Course in Miracles which was held at a local church, and be assured it was not a compare and contrast study. The Bible was never mentioned or referenced.

The best defense for this type of philosophy creeping into mainline Christianity is for churches to take Bible study seriously and blend that with apologetics so that Christians can develop an understanding of why we believe what we believe, and it should start from the cradle. Small children are remarkably able to understand these truths and are capable of asking questions about them.

It all comes down to control. Who is in control; who is the rule maker – man or God. I prefer God. He’s smarter than me.
Joseph

I disagree, well my perception is different.
In the Bible where God says to Moses “I AM” i interpret this as God is…
God is the absolute reason for all being and the essence of all existence. you cannot give God a location, like up in heaven somewhere, he is the sustain-er of everyone and everything. Jesus had a distinct relationship with God and was a manifestation of this essence or light inside of him. But we can also strive to manifest this as we are all created in the image of God.

As it says in the 17th chapter of Luke “The Kingdom of God is within You”. God is… and this is what people such as Eckhart and many others try to grasp when speaking of consciousness however by calling it consciousness instead of God they are not quite there yet in terms of understanding our maker.

as for the notion of self, Jesus said
“If any one desires to follow me, let him renounce self and take up his cross, and so be my follower.” the elimination of bad thoughts, desires, vain imaginings and ego from our lives is not a bad thing. we should not ask God for a list of things, only to do his will and closeness to God should be our ultimate goal rather than any material temporary things.

This is my view anyway, please respond
Peter

Well, I haven’t read the whole “New Earth” but I know the Eckart Tolle teachings and I read his 2 previous books: “The power of now” and “Stillness speaks”. Here are the errors

“1. God and man are one (pantheism).”

No. Tolle does not say that.

“2. The human self is an illusion (Buddhism).”

No. Tolle does not say that.

“3. Death and the human body are illusions (Buddhism).”

No. Tolle does not say that.

“4. Jesus is not uniquely God, since everyone is God.”

No. Tolle does not say that everyone is God. He does not also say wheter Jesus is God or not.

“If you know of any other links that discuss Tolle’s beliefs in comparison to Christianity, feel free to post them in the comments section of this post.”

http://toddwrightnow.blogspot.com/2010/02/eckhart-tolle-for-christians_01.html
Seancardoso

How can you comment without having read his books?
Gary Rogers

Thanks Peter for the link to a great blog that is very well thought out and written.
NewBlue

It is unfortunate that another uninformed, fixed jury “argument” for so-called “say this prayer and think like me” Christianity has been flopped onto the blogosphere. It’s a shame. Disagree if you will, but at least know what you’re disagreeing with. Elevating yourself above others because of a specific theological dogma is an activity of Pharisees.

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