In June, the “Bible@10” group will turn toward the book of Ecclesiastes. We’ll explore questions like: What kind of text is Ecclesiastes? How does it portray God, the world, and humankind? What does it have to say about human beings, the world as their home, and their position in relation to God? How might this biblical book challenge and enrich us today?

Our goal is to understand what its (often unheard) author has to say about these theological issues. The focus will be hearing the message of Ecclesiastes on its own terms. And no, its message is not that everything is “meaningless” or “vain”—which is something we’ll address. Yet its message is nonetheless challenging for many people in our 21st century culture.

The only book you need to bring is a translation of the Bible. Since the book of Ecclesiastes is rather short (12 chapters), it would be best if participants would read it in its entirety prior to our first session.