Both Sides Now: Ecclesiastes and the Human Condition

Publisher Description

How we understand ourselves and life in this world is inexorably linked to how we understand God. Knowing ourselves and understanding the world in which we live is something about which we are all concerned. Augustine confessed to God, 'I could not find myself, much less find you.'

Sixties' folk singer Joni Mitchell sang 'I've looked at life from both sides now' but lamented 'I really don't know life at all.' In this contemporary look at the book of Ecclesiastes, Peter Barnes takes up these issues. Life is examined honestly and perceptively, confronting us with the realities of life in a fallen world and the inevitability of death.

Thinking carefully about all the apparent meaninglessness of life can actually be used by God, who is totally good, to lead us to himself. All else fails; God alone is worthy of our trust.

This is an evangelistic book that has been written especially for those who are perplexed by the futility and emptiness of life and who may be seeking after God, meaning and fulfilment. It also provides a useful evangelistic resource for Christians keen to share their faith in Christ with others.