Thank you for sending me a copy of your friend's letter. It was very encouraging to read his response to the Ecclesiastes book. My purpose for publishing it was to provide a thought-provoking tool to encourage people to think more deeply about life and its ultimate meaning, and, as a result, be willing to enter into dialogue with others on those subjects. That certainly seems to have been accomplished in this situation with Eugene.

I must say that I was very impressed with the eloquence of Eugene's letter! His words were filled with such wonderful imagery - it was a pleasure to read what he wrote. He must be an absolutely delightful person to talk to as a friend. I can certainly see why he would be one of your "dearest friends in the world."

In response to your request, let me share some thoughts that I hope will be helpful as you write back to him.

First of all, I was very encouraged to read that he is "increasingly hungry to be delivered from my lifelong atheism . . . " From the way he approached the book, I'm sure that he has given much thought to his choice not to believe. I have always been encouraged by honest skeptics. He was not afraid to actually read the book, as so many people who call themselves skeptics or atheists would not have done. In reality, many of those people have chosen ignorance by deciding to ignore anything that challenges their thinking.

I was also encouraged to note that Eugene understood that Solomon's was a "pragmatic theology that takes its lead from reality . . ."

Truth is the only thing that is consistent. And that, ultimately, is what Biblical Christianity is. It's not a philosophy or religion in the sense of something that men think up to make themselves feel good. It is the truth about life and reality. Ultimately, there really is a God, who really is sovereign and good, who really did create the universe and life out of nothing and gave mankind the freedom of choice, and who really did enter human history as a man in order to redeem mankind from the consequences of sin and death.

A number of years ago, I walked into the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and read a sign that spoke volumes about how truth works. The sign noted that the difference between what is found in nature and what is man-made is seen most clearly when each is placed under a microscope. The closer you look at what is man-made, the more you see its imperfections. The closer you look at something in nature, the more impressed you are with its intricate complexity! You find out if something is, indeed, true by "putting it under a microscope" and examining it closely. Too many self-proclaimed atheists are afraid to do that.

Eugene stops in his tracks, however, when he comes to Solomon's mention of God. He is disturbed by Solomon's "slipping God in, presented without presence, introduced without evidence, not to be questioned, least of all to be personally experienced."

I think Eugene has forgotten who Solomon is, and has a slight misunderstanding of what Solomon is doing in Ecclesiastes. Solomon knew God existed. He had direct experience with God when God appeared to him in a dream and gave him the opportunity to ask for anything he wanted. Solomon is not writing to convince his readers that God exists. He is recording his honest thoughts as he personally wrestles with where meaning and purpose in life lay. He is not trying to deceitfully "slip" something in unawares. He is simply speaking from his personal frame of reference.

Along those lines, it seems interesting to me that God does not really try to prove His existence anywhere in the Bible. He begins with the declaration that He exists - "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth . . ." Paul says in Romans that the knowledge of God is inherent in each person's heart - "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him . . ."

The truth of that was vividly brought home to me a number of years ago by one of my cousins. He was brilliant intellectually - valedictorian of his high school class and a top student at Columbia and in medical school. He claimed to be an atheist. On one occasion when I was in his home, his wife asked me a question about God. As I began to answer her question, my cousin jumped in and forbid me to even discuss that subject in his home. He said he was convinced that there was no God, and did not want God's name to even be mentioned in his home.

Some years after that occasion, my cousin's father died. To my absolute shock, my cousin called me to ask if I would conduct his father's funeral. When I arrived at the funeral home, there was a big discussion within the family about whether or not my uncle believed in God and whether or not I should be allowed to speak. I called my cousin aside to get a clarification on what he wanted, since he was the oldest child and also the person who had asked me to lead the service. To my very great surprise, my cousin responded by saying that, "My father had little good to say about the church, but, if he was honest with himself, I'm convinced he would have to say that deep down he did believe in God . . . just as I would have to say if I were being honest with myself!"

I think Eugene has also misunderstood what Solomon is saying when he utters his famous, "Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!"

As I tried to point out in the book's Afterword, Solomon is looking for what is truly meaningful in life and not finding it "under the sun" - ie. in temporal pursuits. The precise reason for why everything "under the sun" is meaningless is because everyone dies. In 9:3, he states clearly that, "This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all." In all of his musings, he can't get around the fact that death is the destiny of every person.

The most significant implication of that fact if there is nothing beyond the temporal world in which we live is that people are, ultimately, insignificant. If we are simply a chance mixing of elements which exist as human beings today, and tomorrow return to dust with nothing else in the future, then our importance as individuals in life is really no greater than that of a rock, or a sea urchin, or a pig. We may influence the course of life in some small degree while we are alive, but, ultimately, we are simply a relatively meaningless blip in the course of history which, in itself, is relatively meaningless since nothing really has a purpose, anyway. In fact, the rock, in its form, may be more significant than we are since it will surely outlast us, and, depending on its size and location, may have more influence on the course of history than we do.

Eugene then chafes under the misconception that Solomon is trying to force his readers to bow before God "out of fear of his judgment. Tremble, infidel, this is a vengeful God."

Solomon is simply stating an honest truth in his closing statement. The decisions we make in life have consequences. He is not forcing us to believe in God or obey his commandments. Solomon is admonishing his readers to act in their own best interests. Goodness imposed is not good. The four letter word for forced love is . . . rape! God doesn't impose his goodness on us or rape us. But, he does warn us that there are consequences in life.

In relation to that, a friend just sent me an email with a very perceptive insight into how God deals with people:

"The God of the Bible is so radical that he places the tree of life and the tree of death next to each other in the Garden of Eden. He puts good and evil side by side for comparison, for the freedom of an informed choice. He defines for the man and woman the consequences of each choice, but does not remove their power to choose death. If no wrong choice can be made, then no right choice can be made, and thus we are reduced to being puppets on a cosmic stage that does not care about us."

Solomon's conclusion is the natural and appropriate result of his reasoning. When life is lived "under heaven" - ie. with God in view - then life has meaning. To "fear" God is not to cringe before him in abject dread, but to acknowledge his presence and have a very healthy respect for who he is and what he has said. I "fear" power lines because I know that there is a proper way to handle them, and that I will experience the benefits or consequences of treating them or not treating them with respect. I "fear" God and keep his commandments because I know that he is there, and that there are benefits and consequences resulting from how I treat him.

Eugene rallies his strength for his final disagreement with what Solomon says by flatly declaring that Solomon is wrong! "I say, No, I'm going to live! When the royal savant says - There is nothing new under the sun, - I reply, Not true. Not in his time, not in ours. I'm new! So are you! . . . I'm having too much fun. I love this life. I'm having a hell of a time chasing after its winds."

Eugene's very eloquent statements are noble and courageous. He is "spitting in the face of death!" Unfortunately for him, however, Solomon is not wrong. Solomon, Eugene, and all of us, will die. What we face is the same as everyone else has faced. When Solomon says that laughter is meaningless, he is not saying that it is bad - it's just empty if pursued in and of itself.

Interestingly, Eugene's ending statement is a very perceptive comment, the implications of which I doubt he fully appreciates. "Every second is a gift!" From whom is every second a gift? It is the gift of God. And, we should be mindful of exactly that. That, in reality, is Solomon's conclusion.

God bless you, -------. Thanks for sending the letter along to me. I hope these thoughts are helpful as you respond to your friend. I would love to meet him someday. He seems like a wonderful person to dialogue with.

In His care,

George