Thursday, September 20, 2012

Is There a Christian Economic Policy?

One of the dramatic changes in America that has taken place in my lifetime is the shifting political  allegiance of evangelicals. Growing up in Kentucky, most people I had anything to do with were self-described evangelicals, and most were Democrats. They believed in traditional moral values, a strong national defense, and an economic policy that was fair to "the working man." They typically held Republicans in suspicion as servants of wealthy special interests like corporations, and believed that New Deal programs saved the county from the economic ruin of the Depression.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Ecclesiastes Lesson 2: All Is Vanity (1:1-11)


The opening verses of the book set the stage for the themes that will recur throughout Ecclesiastes.

The Introduction (1:1-3)
Ecclesiastes is framed by a narrator who speaks of the author (Qohelet, “the Preacher”) in the third person (see the conclusion in 12:8-14).

Ecclesiastes - Introduction

I have started a new adult Bible class on the Book of Ecclesiastes. I am giving my class some self-guided study guides to work on ahead of time. Here is the first lesson, an introduction.


Authorship
The title of this book reflects the term that is used to describe the author. The English title, Ecclesiastes, comes from the Greek word (ekklesiastes) that means “one who addresses an assembly (ekklesia)". The Hebrew title is Qohelet [pronounced ko-HEL-et], which means “one who leads an assembly.”