Ecclesiastes Workshop

Join the Ecclesiastes Workshop and watch ideas take shape in real time as we explore how this ancient book prepares our hearts to hear the gospel of Christ.

Today, we are announcing an exciting new focus for this blog. No longer just generic posts, now it will be called: Ecclesiastes Workshop.

So far, I’ve been posting miscellaneous articles in this space, simply to jumpstart Substack and resolve some workflow issues. These past articles will probably be deleted at some point, and from now on, all the articles will be focused on how Ecclesiastes is relevant to our lives today.

Some years ago, Paul Earnhart and I were sitting at my kitchen table talking about Ecclesiastes, and I said, “In my opinion, Ecclesiastes is the Scriptural prolegomenon to the gospel.” A bright light flashed into Paul’s eyes, and he almost jumped out of his chair with excitement when he said, “Yes! That’s precisely the right word for it!” (It is indeed a very Paul-Earnhart-kind-of-word, is it not? It really flipped his switch!)

I’ll be unpacking this prelude to the gospel and talking about how Ecclesiastes opens our minds and makes us ready to hear Christ. So maybe this can be your new vocabulary word for the year: prolegomenon — and the plural, in case you ever need it, is prolegomena. ;-)

This will take the form of a “workshop” where I’ll be “thinking out loud” about Ecclesiastes. With a view to writing a book-length project about it a few years from now, Lord willing, this will be the place where I’ll hammer and chisel away at ideas and insights related to Ecclesiastes. In a very real sense, you’ll be watching me figure out what I want to say about this part of the Scriptures. I always go through this process with a new book; the only difference this time is that I’ll be doing it “in public.” You’ll be able to watch me work my way up from vague, first-impression ideas to ones that are more clear and beneficial.

I’ve always agreed with the writer who said, “How can I know what I think until I see what I say?” It is in the painful labor of writing that I clarify my understanding. So welcome to my literary workshop. Who knows what insights are waiting to be discovered in the sometimes mysterious arguments of Ecclesiastes? Buckle your seatbelts.

Next Up: “Unsatisfied, Yet Too Satisfied”

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com