A Christian book alternative to Tolle's A New Earth

March 24, 2008 - PRLog -- The Christian alternative to A New Earth?

Eckhart Tolle’s book, A New Earth, is topping the best sellers list as he and Oprah Winfrey teach an online course about consciousness, the ego, and being awake. Their class has created an unexpected void in the Christian literary world, as pastors and leaders struggle to answer some tough spiritual questions A New Earth has raised.
Aisles and pews are a buzz with concerned believers who want to know if they are living out of their egos when they choose to remain identified as Christian. The Apple You Were Fed by Kimberly Lisowski and Andrea Pouliot hits the issue of conscious awareness head on from the voices of a legalistic, stay-at-home, Christian and a working, liberal-minded agnostic.

Their willingness to drop their social identities, push past intellectual barriers, and force honest dialogue about deeper personal matters allows readers to follow the path to enlightenment- Jesus style. The intense progression of their private and often controversial thoughts and conversations leads to the same awakening as A New Earth. The striking difference, however, is the decidedly Christian approach in The Apple You Were Fed.

Arguably, there is a need for the depth of spirituality Tolle brings when such a large percentage of young people walk away from the Christian church with more questions about human behavior than answers. The Apple You Were Fed bridges this gap by offering the same insight but from a biblical perspective.  What Tolle calls “egoic behaviors or thoughts,” Lisowski and Pouliot refer to as “sin.” He explains the “masks we wear,” they call those external rolls, “carnival cut-outs.” He states the ego’s need for superiority; they refer to that bolstering as “ladder climbing.” When A New Earth drum rolls to the crescendo it reveals the ego’s belief that “I am not enough.” The Apple You Were Fed reaches its pinnacle moment when it reveals the lie we all believe: “I am not enough,” which Lisowski and Pouliot refer to as original sin. While the two books share a myriad of insights, they branch out slightly about the remedy. Tolle suggests being present in one’s “I am,” while Lisowski and Pouliot guide readers to see that “inner self” as created, valued, and loved by God which frees it to live.

A spiritual tutorial, which Tolle does well, often can lead to more questions about living out the concepts in a practical world of everyday problems and life issues. This is where differences between the styles of the two books are most notable because while Tolle teaches, Lisowski and Pouliot share. As readers eavesdrop on two relatable women who show the process of learning as it unfolds rather than communicating their findings as do teachers, some of the questions arising about how to live in a broken world are answered. Their lives are fair game: past secrets, parenting mishaps, stressed marriages, struggling faith… they show all of it. Lisowski and Pouliot carry the process past the learning and into the practice of dealing with these issues first hand so readers can follow the path of two ordinary people, who live normal, everyday lives with real issues, yet find and experience the freedom to be “alive.”

Undoubtedly, The Apple You Were Fed will be the first to fill the void A New Earth has created in the Christian literary world. The seamless blending of the two book’s theories and the utopian life hinted at in both works is cause for hope. If Tolle readers can’t be convinced to be so “in the now” that they no longer need to believe in Jesus, Lisowski and Pouliot will be there to show them how to awaken more fully in Christ.  With those Tolle readers who are left in need of an anchor for the spirituality that Tolle teaches, The Apple You Were Fed will share how Jesus’ message of love had this “Truth” all along, and offers the addition of a steadfast, grounded guide into spiritually living it out.

You can read more about The Apple You Were Fed by visiting www.theappleyouwerefed.com or ordering a copy from all major retailers, amazon.com or barnesnoble.com. You can email them at theappleyouwerefed@gmail.com.

Website: www.theappleyouwerefed.com