In other words, he really doesn't know what is going to happen to people. The best afterlife that Tolle can offer is either: (a) absorption into an impersonal, universal energy force; or (b) transformation into some kind of "form" that Tolle cannot even predict beyond just some sort of absorption/transformation of their life essence into some kind of metaphysical energy field that fills the cosmos. As he put it: "Transformed to-either to join with the source, or to go through further experiences, experiences of awakening" (I see this as one of those hints at possible reincarnation).

God, on the other hand, has promised an infinitely better destiny to those who accept his gift of salvation made available through Jesus Christ, who said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty" (John 6:35). "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Rom. 10:13), said Paul, who also revealed that God "wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4). Consequently, our responsibility as Christians is to share truth with those still lost and dying in darkness (2 Cor. 4:3-6), in desperate need of hope and help: "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God" (Ps. 146:5).  

We've looked a lot at how Tolle's teachings differ from Christianity, but not all of his followers are (or claim to be) Christians. How do you think we can best approach Tolle's non-Christian followers with the gospel?

  There are a few good witnessing approaches to one can take when speaking to followers of Tolle.

  First, pointing out the way Tolle often contradicts himself might be a good route to traverse. For example, he claims:“Many ‘religious’ people . . . equate truth with thought, and as they are completely identified with thought (their mind), they claim to be in the sole possession of the truth in an unconscious attempt to protect their identity.” At the same time, however, it is none other than Tolle who has claimed, “There is only one absolute Truth, and all other truths emanate from it. When you find that Truth, your actions will be in alignment with it.” Isn’t Tolle being “identified with thought”? Isn’t he just being “religious”? Isn’t he merely trying to protect his identity? Asking such questions could open up a doorway to discussing consistency of thought and belief -- which is what we have in Christ.

 Second, discussing the nature of truth and how we can know truth might also be a worthwhile tactic. To do so, one must bring up Tolle's test for truth -- in other words, how he knows what he knows. His Truth, he maintains, can only be found by intuition, internal knowing, and emotion, as the following quote shows:

Something from within—not from our conditioned mind  but from the deeper level of unconditioned consciousness—  responds immediately. Often all that is needed to evoke this  response is to listen to one statement of Truth and imme-  diately there’s a response. Because we all carry the Truth  within us as our essence, we recognize it immediately.

This is a tenuous position to take—i.e., that truth can be validated by a subjective response (in other words, a feeling). It is reminiscent of the “burning in the bosom” sensation cited by Mormons as divine proof of the Book of Mormon (BOM).7 According to Mormons, the sensation comes to those who, in faith, ask God to give them the “burning” if the BOM is true. Once they receive this feeling, the issue is settled. But can a feeling adequately measure truth? What if one person’s feeling conflicts with another person’s feeling? Which is true? So far, we already have at least two opposing feelings. Devout Mormons would never accept Tolle’s teachings, while Tolle’s devotees would say that Mormons do not have his Truth. After that, we have Muslims, who often say that they, too, feel their faith is true. And what about my own feelings that tell me Tolle’s views, Mormonism, and Islam are all false, but Christianity is true

Clearly, feelings are not a very reliable standard by which to measure truth. They are vulnerable to all sorts of factors that might taint them: a confused state of mind, emotional attachments, doctrinal preconditioning, adrenaline in the brain due to over-stimulation, even lack of food and/or sleep. More important, scripture nowhere describes feelings as a reliable truth detector. In fact, the Bible tells us that the heart, the seat of emotion, is “deceitful above all things” (Jer. 17:9). Nevertheless, Tolle confidently relies on nothing but his feelings, going so far as to forcefully attack any reliance on the mind or thinking in one’s search for truth. The doctrinal results that spring from this kind of non-thinking are not only unbiblical, but befuddling, illogical, and self-contradictory. This is very different than the linear, logical, consistent approach Christianity offers to our basis of faith, which is rooted in scripture.

Finally, the issue of absolute evil can be raised. Tolle teaches that absolute evil does not really exist! It is all an illusion -- i.e., our minds have become so attached to the illusory forms we see, that we only think the things we label as evil, truly are evil in an absolute sense. A drive-by shooting on some inner-city street that takes the life of an innocent child—not evil. The kidnapping and torture of Americans in the Middle East—not evil. Sexual abuse perpetrated by a pedophile—not evil. The Nazi Holocaust—not evil. Our perceptions of these things as evil are just that—mere perceptions. Most unbelievers would be very hard-pressed to accept that such things are not truly evil. But we as Christians must help them see the such a flaw in Tolle's teachings. If we can do that, then we have opened the door to discuss such biblical issues as true good and true evil, sin and it's consequences, and forgiveness, which raises the topics of Jesus and the cross.

Ultimately, however, only scripture and God’s Spirit will open the spiritual eyes of someone like Tolle (and his followers).  For it is the Holy Spirit who really leads someone to repentance (Luke 12:12; John 16:8; Acts 4:8–12; 7:51; 1 Thess. 1:5; 4:7–8), telling them not to “harden” their hearts (Heb. 3:8). And we also have the assurance that scripture is “living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). The answer, therefore, is to pray and follow the Spirit’s lead in sharing biblical truth.