Skillet – Awake and Alive

Uploaded on Sep 27, 2010

I really have enjoyed reading about this band from Memphis.

Skillet (band)

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Skillet
Skillet performing at a promotional acoustic show in Denton, TX in 2006
Background information
Origin	Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Rock,[1] Christian rock/metal,[2][3] alternative rock,[4] hard rock,[2] nu metal,[5][6] symphonic metal (recent),[5] industrial music (early),[7] grunge (early)[7]
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Ardent, Lava, Atlantic, ForeFront, Fair Trade Services (formerly known as INO)
Associated acts	Seraph
Website	skillet.com
Members
John Cooper Korey Cooper Jen Ledger Seth Morrison
Past members
Kevin Haaland Ben Kasica Trey McClurkin Lori Peters Jonathan Salas Ken Steorts

Skillet is an American Christian rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1996. The band currently consists of husband and wife John (lead vocals, bass) and Korey Cooper (rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), along with Jen Ledger (drums, vocals) and Seth Morrison (lead guitar). The band has released eight albums, two receiving Grammy nominations: Collide and Comatose.^[8] They are planning on releasing their 9th Studio Album in early 2013. Awake has been certified Platinum and debuted on No. 2 on the Billboard 200, with Comatose certified Gold by RIAA.

Skillet went through several line-up changes early in their career, leaving founder John Cooper as the only original member remaining in the band. They have sold over 2 million albums in the U.S. alone^{[not verified in body]} and are known for a relentless touring schedule, which garnered them a top five ranking in the Hardest Working Bands of 2011 by Billboard.com.^[9]

Contents [hide] 1 Band history 1.1 Self-titled and Hey You, I Love Your Soul (1996–99) 1.2 Invincible, Ardent Worship, and Alien Youth (2000–02) 1.3 Collide (2003–05) 1.4 Comatose (2006–08) 1.5 Awake (2009–11) 1.6 Rise (2011–present) 2 Touring 3 Band members 3.1 Timeline 4 Discography 5 Awards and recognition 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Band history

[edit] Self-titled and Hey You, I Love Your Soul (1996–99)

Skillet formed in 1996 with two members: John Cooper, former vocalist for Tennessee progressive rock band Seraph, and Ken Steorts, former guitarist for Urgent Cry. The two bands met through touring together, but those bands disbanded soon after, so John and Ken’s pastor encouraged them to form their own band as a side-project.^[10] Coming from different styles of rock music, they decided to name the experiment Skillet. After Trey McClurkin joined the band as a temporary drummer. Skillet was only together for a month when they received interest from major Christian record label ForeFront Records. In 1996 they released a self-titled debut Skillet. It was well-received, and the trio continued to write new material as they toured the United States. One topic that comes up often among fans and the band itself, is the name ‘Skillet’. John Cooper, the lead vocalist, explains that it was a joke at first. Each starting band member was already in a separate band, and all decided to start a side project. Since each other band had a different sound and style to it, the side project was said to be like putting all of those styles in a big skillet to come up with something unique. Hence the band name ‘Skillet’. The band name is still somewhat of a joke between the band members, especially Cooper, who claims to still not like the title.

Skillet recorded their follow-up album throughout 1997, titled Hey You, I Love Your Soul, which was released in April 1998. Their second effort was a change in style from the band’s first release. With this release, Skillet would abandon their post-grunge approach for a lighter alternative rock and style. His wife Korey was enlisted soon after to play keyboards live in order to alleviate John’s live performance duties.

[edit] Invincible, Ardent Worship, and Alien Youth (2000–02)

Shortly before the band began recording for their third album, Invincible, Steorts left the band to be with his family and launch Visible Music College, a modern music ministry college located in Memphis, and Kevin Haaland joined the band as their new guitarist. Korey Cooper joined the band permanently and played keyboards for the recording of Invincible. Because of this change, the musical style on Invincible changed to a more electronic sound.^[11] Soon after the release of Invincible in early 2000, Trey McClurkin parted ways with Skillet, and Lori Peters filled the drummer’s position.

The band released their first worship album, and fourth album overall, Ardent Worship in late 2000. The band kept much of their sound from Invincible on their next album Alien Youth.^[11] With little time between touring and recording, Skillet released Alien Youth on August 28, 2001, which was the first album that John Cooper took on production duties. Before the release of Alien Youth, Haaland left the band, and Ben Kasica took over on guitar. The first single, the title track, was a major hit in the Christian market and drove Skillet into their first headlining shows.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Collide (2003–05)

In 2003, Collide was released by Ardent Records. It caught the attention of Andy Karp, the Head of A&R of Lava Records, and in 2004 the rights to Collide were bought by Lava Records, a division of Atlantic Records. On May 25, 2004, Collide was re-released under Lava Records, with an added track, “Open Wounds”. Collide was yet another musical shift for the band. Citing P.O.D. as inspiration for the musical shift on Collide, Cooper said, “Well I’m one of these song writers, everything I hear goes through my John Cooper filter of what I like and what I don’t like. […] All these things […] have been an influence on me.”^[12]

[edit] Comatose (2006–08)

Skillet’s album Comatose was released on October 3, 2006. It features the singles “Rebirthing,” “Whispers in the Dark,” “Comatose,” “The Older I Get,” “Those Nights,” “The Last Night“, and “Better Than Drugs”. The album debuted at No. 55 on the Billboard 200 and No. 4 on the US Top Christian Albums chart.^[13]

In January 2008, Skillet announced that their drummer, Lori Peters, was retiring from the band, feeling that “it’s time for her to come off of the road and start a new chapter in her life.”^[14] Peters’ last concert with Skillet was on December 31, 2007.^[15] However, during the 2007 Christmas season, she took the time to train Skillet’s next drummer, Jen Ledger.^[15]

On October 21, 2008, Comatose Comes Alive was released; a CD/DVD combo featuring live recordings of the band’s May 9, 2008 concert in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was shown on the Gospel Music Channel on December 5, 2008. Skillet’s Comatose Comes Alive CD also had a B-side with “Live Free or Let Me Die” as a single, also with five acoustic tracks which purchasers could download by inserting the CD in their computer.^[16]

The Comatose album was certified Gold in sales by the RIAA on November 3, 2009.^[17]

[edit] Awake (2009–11)

Skillet announced that they went into the studio January 12 to finalize the new record with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson. They added two songs (“Hero” and “Monster“) from the new record to their setlist on April 2, 2009 in Evansville, Indiana as part of their Comatose Tour 2009.^{[citation needed]}

Skillet’s most recent studio album is Awake.^[18] The album contains twelve songs and was released on August 25, 2009.^[19] It charted at No. 2 on the Billboard top 200 selling around 68,000 units in its first week.^[20] “Monster” was released as a single on July 14, 2009. Contrary to popular belief, John Cooper stated that “Hero” was not the album’s lead single. It was, however, released as a single in March 2010.^[21] They also released a deluxe version with the extra songs “Dead Inside” and “Would It Matter”, along with the original, radio edit of “Monster” that does not have the distorted growl as in the single and in the CD. A remix on “Monster” was featured on one of their popular podcasts.The song “Hero” was used in the publicizing of the first football game of the 2009 NFL season between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans, and the song “Monster” was used in the episode “Jason: The Pretty-Boy Bully” on MTV’s Bully Beatdown. “Monster” was the theme song for the WWE event WWE Hell in a Cell while the song “Hero” was the theme song for WWE Tribute to the Troops and Royal Rumble 2010, as well as both songs being included on the official soundtrack for the WWE video game WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010. It is also the opening theme song for the AHL team the Lake Erie Monsters in Cleveland, Ohio and serves as the opening theme of the Fresno Monsters of Fresno, California. “Monster” was aired at the beginning of several ACC football games on Raycom Sports during the 2009 season. In the first week of April 2010, it was released for the Rock band music store in Rock Band 2^[22] It also tied the record for highest-charting Christian album on the Billboard 200 with Underoath‘s 2006 release Define the Great Line and Casting Crowns‘ 2007 release The Altar and the Door, as all three albums debuted at No. 2.^[23]

Skillet was nominated for six Dove Awards for the 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards.^[24][25] Awake was certified gold July 2, 2010.^[26][27] Also in 2010, Ardent released The Early Years, a collection of their songs from 1996 to 2001. On November 12, Skillet released an iTunes sessions EP consisting of songs from Comatose and Awake.^[28] “Monster” was certified gold a day later.^[29]

On February 14, 2011, Skillet officially announced that longtime lead guitarist Ben Kasica would be leaving the band. Kasica was with the band for 10 years, contributing to the albums Alien Youth, Collide, Comatose, and Awake as well as the live album Comatose Comes Alive. He played what was planned to be his last concert with the band on March 20.^[30] The band announced that they had chosen solo artist Jonathan Salas as their new guitarist, but Salas confirmed he had left the band on April 9 via Twitter.^{[citation needed]} Kasica returned and continued touring until a new guitarist was trained.^[31] On April 16, Seth Morrison replaced Kasica as the lead guitarist, and now tours full-time with Skillet.^{[32][unreliable source?]}

Skillet announced the release of Awake and Remixed EP in early March 2011. The remixes were mainly done by Korey Cooper and Ben Kasica. On March 2, 2011, Skillet unveiled the album artwork for the album. John Cooper says the idea was conceived when Korey Cooper and Ben Kasica remixed the song Monster for their popular podcast. The four-song EP was released on March 22.^[33]

“Awake” was nominated for and won the “Top Christian Album” Award at the Billboard Music Awards 2011, and the song “Awake and Alive” was announced to be on the Transformers: Dark of the Moon Soundtrack in May 2011.^[34]

[edit] Rise (2011–present)

On June 21, 2011 John posted to his Twitter account that the band rehearsed new music for the first time and that they are getting ready for a new album.^[35] At a question and answer session before a concert, John Cooper said that they would be recording a new record in January/February 2012. However, the band was then scheduled to headline the WinterJam Tour. In January 2012, Skillet announced that they will not be touring for most of the summer so that they can record the new album.^{[citation needed]} They plan to enter the studio at the conclusion of the Winter Jam eastern tour, approximately in May, for a release in late 2012.^[36]

During a July 18, 2012 interview with RadioU, John Cooper stated the band currently had 61 songs written and would be heading into the studio in October to record the album with Howard Benson for an early 2013 release.^{[citation needed]}

In an interview with CCM Magazine, John Cooper described the new album as “a roller coaster ride”. He states: “We have aggressive tracks, artsy and musical tracks, which is new territory for Skillet. A couple songs are classic American heartland anthems, and a couple songs are signature symphonic-classical rock Skillet. Guitars are dirty and edgier, with absolute shredding solos by Seth.” One of the songs mentioned in the interview was titled “Salvation”.^[37]

In a Interview on January 26, 2013 In Beaumont TX, John Cooper announced that the new album will be titled Rise and will be coming out in May 2013.^[38]

[edit] Touring

Skillet performing live on April 12, 2008 at Anderson University, Anderson, Indiana.

In the middle of 2006, Korey Cooper took a break from performing, due to her pregnancy with their second child. Her rhythm guitar and keyboard roles were temporarily filled by two people: Andrea Winchell (who would later become the Coopers’ nanny) on keys and Chris Marvin (lead singer/guitar of The Spark) on guitar.

Skillet toured with Ron Luce and Teen Mania Ministries on their Acquire The Fire Tour across the United States and Canada in 2007. When they returned, Skillet had plans to co-headline the Justice & Mercy Tour with Flyleaf, but the tour was postponed and ultimately canceled after a number of shows due to Flyleaf lead vocalist Lacey Mosley‘s vocal problems. They then toured with Luce’s Global Expeditions program on a summer missions trip with teenagers to Mexico. In 2008 they joined Teen Mania Ministries and toured with Acquire the Fire.

Skillet joined Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, and Seether on the first half of their tour in fall 2007.^[39] Then Skillet headlined their own Comatose Tour alongside Thousand Foot Krutch and traveled to approximately 30 cities. The tour started on March 28 and ran through May 11, 2008.^[40] Skillet toured again from April 2009 through June 2009 with Decyfer Down and Disciple. This tour was called Comatose Tour 2009 (essentially a second branch of the 2008 Comatose Tour). In fall of 2009, Skillet began touring with Hawk Nelson, Decyfer Down, and The Letter Black to promote Skillet’s album Awake. The Awake & Alive Tour encompassed 52 cities from October through January.

Skillet performing live on July 1, 2010 at Cornerstone Festival (Illinois).

Skillet appeared at the 2009 Night of Joy Christian Rock festival at Disney Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World.^[41] This marked the band’s first absence from Universal Studios Orlando‘s Rock the Universe in five years due to conflicting schedules. However, they were able to perform the following year, in 2010. On September 26, 2009, Skillet appeared at Awakening Music Festival in Leesburg, Virginia, alongside Jeremy Camp, Kutless, Hawk Nelson, Disciple, Decyfer Down, and others. Skillet also played at the Super Dome in New Orleans for the ELCA National Youth Gathering in 2009.

Skillet headlined two separate Rock the River tours, run by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and hosted by Franklin Graham. Those tours were Rock the River: Midwest in the summer of 2009 and Rock the River: West in the summer of 2010.

In January 2010 they toured with Puddle of Mudd and Shinedown through the East Coast of the United States.^[42][43] They also announced on their live chat with fans on December 5, 2009 that they would be touring with TobyMac in March and April 2010. This was later expanded upon as the “Awake Tonight Tour” named after both artists’ new albums.^[44] House of Heroes joined them on the tour as the opening act.

In April and May the band continued on a second branch of their Awake and Alive tour with The Letter Black and Red.^[45][46] In April it was also announced that the band would be touring with Creed and Theft in August and September 2010.^[47][48] In October the band will be co-headlining the “Monsters of Annihilation Tour” with Papa Roach. Trapt and My Darkest Days will be supporting acts.^[49] They toured again with TobyMac in November and December as the 2010 version of the Winter Wonder Slam tour.^[50] On July 4, Skillet played at Creation Festival East and John Cooper called it the best show of Skillet’s career.^[51]

In January 2011, Skillet confirmed that they would be touring with Stone Sour and Theory of a Deadman on the Avalanche Tour. The tour began at the end of March 2011 and concluded on May 8 in Jacksonville, FL. Other supporting acts include Halestorm and Art of Dying.^{[citation needed]} The band had a small international tour in January and February 2011 visiting Australia,^[52] New Zealand’s Parachute Music Festival,^[53] and Japan.^{[citation needed]}

In October 2011, the band continued their Awake and Alive tour with Disciple, We As Human, and Manafest.^{[citation needed]}

Announced in October 2011, Skillet are headlining the 2012 Winter Jam tour for the central and eastern parts of the United States.^[54][55]

[edit] Band members

Current

• John Cooper – lead vocals, bass, acoustic guitar (1996–present)
• Korey Cooper – vocals, backing vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, synthesizer (1999–present)
• Jen Ledger – vocals, backing vocals, drums, percussion (2008–present)
• Seth Morrison – lead guitar (2011–present)

Former

• Kevin Haaland – lead guitar (1999–2001)
• Ben Kasica – lead guitar (2001–2011, 2011)
• Trey McClurkin – drums, backing vocals (1996–2000)
• Lori Peters – drums (2000–2007)
• Jonathan Salas – lead guitar (2011)
• Ken Steorts – lead guitar (1996–1999)

Touring^[56]

• Billy Dawson – rhythm guitar (2000)
• Faith Stern – keyboards, vocals (2002–2003)
• Chris Marvin – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2002–2003, 2005–2006)
• Andrea Winchell – keyboards (2005–2006)
• Jonathan Chu – violin (2008–present)
• Tate Olsen – cello (2008–present)
• Scotty Rock – bass (2009–2011)

[edit] Timeline

[edit] Discography

Main article: Skillet discography

Studio albums

• Skillet (1996)
• Hey You, I Love Your Soul (1998)
• Invincible (2000)
• Alien Youth (2001)
• Collide (2003)
• Comatose (2006)
• Awake (2009)
• Rise (2013)

This is a list of major releases only. Additional releases including EPs, live albums, singles, compilation albums and videos may be found at the full discography article.

[edit] Awards and recognition

Grammy Award nominations

• 2005 nominee, Best Rock Gospel Album: Collide^[57]
• 2007 nominee, Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album: Comatose^[8]

GMA Dove Awards

• 2008 Rock Recorded Song of the Year: “Comatose” at the 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards on April 23, 2008.

Billboard Music Awards

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Ecclesiastes 8-10 | Still Searching After All These Years

Published on Oct 9, 2012

Ecclesiastes 11-12 | Solomon Finds His Way

Published on Oct 30, 2012

I have enjoyed going back and forth with the Arkansas Times Bloggers on many subjects over the years. Now I have discussed the subject of “The Meaning of Life” with them recently and I wanted to share some of this with you.

I have written on the Book of Ecclesiastes and the subject of the meaning of our lives on several occasions on this blog. In this series on Ecclesiastes I hope to show how secular humanist man can not hope to find a lasting meaning to his life in a closed system without bringing God back into the picture. This is the same exact case with Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes. Three thousand years ago, Solomon took a look at life “under the sun” in his book of Ecclesiastes. Christian scholar Ravi Zacharias has noted, “The key to understanding the Book of Ecclesiastes is the term ‘under the sun.’ What that literally means is you lock God out of a closed system, and you are left with only this world of time plus chance plus matter.”

On May 28, 2013 on the Arkansas Times Blog I posted the following:

Chris Martin of Coldplay revealed in his interview with Howard Stern that he was raised an evangelical Christian but he has left the church. I believe that many words that he puts in his songs today are generated from the deep seated Christian beliefs from his childhood that find their way out in his songs. The fact Coldplay’s songs deal so much with death and the search for meaning and purpose of life (similar to Solomon’s search in Ecclesiastes), and that our actions are being watched, and Chris describes different ways God tries to reveal himself to us, and many songs deal with trying to find a way to an afterlife and heaven, and he stills uses Christian terms like being “blessed” and “grateful.”

People are looking for a purpose for their lives even if they have millions in the bank and have the world at their finger tips.

https://thedailyhatch.org/2013/05/28/the-mo…

My usual opponent who I do respect goes by the username “Olphart” and he or her responded on May 28, 2013:

Olphart claims that I have the message of Ecclesiastes wrong and he quotes Wikipedia:
Wikipedia notes:

“The title is a Latin transliteration of the Greek translation of the Hebrew Koheleth, meaning “Gatherer”, but traditionally translated as “Teacher” or “Preacher”.[1]

Koheleth introduces himself as “son of David, king in Jerusalem,” PERHAPS IMPLYING that he is Solomon, but the work is IN FACT ANONYMOUS and was most probably composed in the LAST PART OF THE THIRD CENTURY BC.[2] The book is in the form of an autobiography telling of his investigation of the meaning of life and the best way of life. He proclaims all the actions of man to be inherently hevel, a word meaning “vain”, “futile”, “empty”, “meaningless”, “temporary”, “transitory”, “fleeting,” or “mere breath,” as the lives of both wise and foolish men end in death. While Koheleth clearly endorses wisdom as a means for a well-lived earthly life, he is UNABLE TO ASCRIBE ETERNAL MEANING TO IT. IN LIGHT OF THIS PERCEIVED SENSELESSNESS, HE SUGGESTS THAT ONE SHOULD ENJOY THE SIMPLE PLEASURES OF DAILY LIFE, SUCH AS EATING, DRINKING, AND TAKING ENJOYMENT IN ONE’S WORK WHICH ARE GIFTS FROM THE HANDS OF GOD. THE BOOK CONCLUDES WITH WORDS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN ADDED BY A LATER EDITOR DISTURBED BY KOHELETH’S FAILURE TO MENTION GOD’S LAWS: “FEAR GOD, AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS; FOR THAT IS THE WHOLE DUTY OF EVERYONE” (12:13).[3]”

I have capitalized the parts that directly contradict how you and Dr. Peter May characterize the book of Ecclesiastes. You got the author wrong, you got the date of composition wrong and, most likely, have gotten the central message totally backwards.

Other than that, you are accurate, it seems.
_____________________

On May 29, 2013 on the Arkansas Times Blog I responded with the following:

Here is my answer:

There are many who hold that Solomon wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes and there are many that believe Solomon is talking about examining life “under the sun” as life apart from God. You will notice that in Solomon’s final conclusion he brings God back into the picture. Here are some other people and their perspectives agree with my view on Solomon’s use of this phrase “under the sun.”

________________

Here is a  good comment:

The viewpoint espoused by the author is a virtual summary of the biblical worldview: life lived by purely human and earthly standards is empty, while life with God at the center is fulfilling.

_________________

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (Ecclesiastes 1:1-11)

Study By: Keith Krell

Solomon follows up his theme with a rhetorical question that demands a negative answer. In 1:3 he asks, “What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun?” The answer is there is no advantage. Work seems pointless because it is quickly passing. Furthermore, it is monotonous. The key phrase in Ecclesiastes, “under the sun,” is used twenty-nine times.²¹ This phrase is the key to understanding the book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon is writing from his viewpoint—ground level, horizontal, limited, and human. In these words we have a description of what life is like if the heavens are shut off from man. If a bowl were placed over the earth, masking the heavens (i.e., the spiritual world from which God speaks and acts), what would life be like? Given this perspective, what would be the view from earth? This is the experiment which is in focus in the book of Ecclesiastes.²²

___________________

Tuesday, 13 September 2011

Philosophical Atheist, Before you Commit Suicide Read Ecclesiastes

Meaninglessness and Materialism

There is a wealth of insight in the book of Ecclesiastes, but you can break down the main philosophical aspects into three main points:

1. The Emptiness of Worldly Pre-occupations – Eccl. 2:1-11

2. The Brevity of Life – Eccl. 12:1-8

3. The Only Logical Purpose in Life – Eccl. 12:13-14[9]

Solomon begins Ecclesiastes 1.2-3 announcing “‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’ What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?” How discouraging can you get? The key to understanding the book of Ecclesiastes is to understand that he makes many false statements based upon a materialist perspective, in viewing everything “under the sun” as meaningless. Solomon addresses common materialist idols in society and shows why these are meaningless and empty pursuits. Solomon tries learning, laughter an liquor in an attempt to find satisfaction, but he’s left empty.

______________

Question: “What is the meaning of life?”

In our humanistic culture, people pursue many things, thinking that in them they will find meaning. Some of these pursuits include business success, wealth, good relationships, sex, entertainment, and doing good to others. People have testified that while they achieved their goals of wealth, relationships, and pleasure, there was still a deep void inside, a feeling of emptiness that nothing seemed to fill.

The author of the biblical book of Ecclesiastes describes this feeling when he says, “Meaningless! Meaningless! …Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). King Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes, had wealth beyond measure, wisdom beyond any man of his time or ours, hundreds of women, palaces and gardens that were the envy of kingdoms, the best food and wine, and every form of entertainment available. He said at one point that anything his heart wanted, he pursued. And yet he summed up “life under the sun”—life lived as though all there is to life is what we can see with our eyes and experience with our senses—is meaningless. Why is there such a void? Because God created us for something beyond what we can experience in the here-and-now. Solomon said of God, “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men…” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). In our hearts we are aware that the “here-and-now” is not all that there is.

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Ecclesiastes 1 – The Vanity Of Life

b. In which he toils under the sun: This is the first stating of an essential theme through Ecclesiastes. This phrase will be repeated more than 25 times through the book. The idea isn’t “on a sunny day” or something having to do with the weather. The idea is “in this world that we can see; the material world.” It is life considered without an eternal perspective.

i. “If our view of life goes no further than ‘under the sun’, all our endeavours will have an undertone of misery.” (Eaton)

ii. The use of the phrase under the sun “shows that the writer’s interest was universal and not limited to only his own people and land.” (Wright)

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I seem to remember that in Ecclesiastes, there is a suggestion that no afterlife exists?

There are two different viewpoints presented in the book of Ecclesiastes: The first 11 chapters primarily present the secular, humanistic, materialistic view of Solomon at a time in his life when he was not serving the Lord. The theme of the first 11 chapters could be stated as, “Man’s Wisdom Under the Sun.” This is verified in 1:13, 14 and 17. The first 11 chapters of Ecclesiastes are definitely in the Bible for a reason (although most Christians realize they are NOT for us to try and extract essential doctrine from). Rather, they are presented as a stark contrast to the final chapter, which does present a theistic (or God’s) viewpoint.

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Devotion for an Apologist/Philosopher: Ecclesiastes

There are so many verses, chapters, and books in the Bible which resonate with me as a Christian philosopher/apologist. Ecclesiastes ranks near the top, however, due to its wonderfully philosophical message and style. The underlying theme of Ecclesiastes is that without God, everything is meaningless.

“‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’
says the Teacher.
‘Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.’… What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” (1:2, 9).

The book starts with the idea that there is “nothing new under the sun.” The theme of “under the sun” is important to note. Consistently, “under the sun” is used to refer to “on earth.” It is in stark contrast to the “permanence of heaven” (TLSB). The theme contrasting life here on earth with heaven does not become apparent until very late in the book, so we too shall leave it until the end.

Solomon continues to explore the idea that that which we do “under the sun” is utterly meaningless. “For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow” (1:18). The more we know, the more we sorrow. We can see themes like this in atheists like Albert Camus or Sartre, whose exploration of a world without God lead them to question whether suicide may be the only valid option.

The theme repeats throughout the book. “Under the sun”, all is meaningless, there is nothing new, and life itself passes away. Even a constant search for pleasure can only be meaningless.

Yet the conclusion to Ecclesiastes radically re-imagines the book. Solomon’s point so far has been that “you cannot make sense of life” (Waltke). Life under the sun is meaningless, futile, and vain. Existentially, the more we know, the more despair we can find. The more we explore life “under the sun,” the more we realize that it will be extinguished, and our actions will no longer impact that life.

The story does not end there, however. “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (12:13-14). The final verses of the book turn the meaning of the entire work about. The Preacher/Teacher comes to the conclusion: without God, all is meaningless; with God, there is good and evil, there is judgment, and there is duty. Rather than striving for nothing, we should strive for God. Rather than despair and futility; there is duty and good. Without God, life is meaningless; with God, there is meaning.

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Why is Solomon so depressed in Ecclesiastes?

The key phrase
Much of book continues on in a similar vane—contemplating the negative and pointless existence our pursuits of such things as wealth, knowledge, justice, creativity, progression, and the like.  But there is another phrase in the book which I think provides the key for understanding the author and his writing.  “Under the sun” is employed 29 times by the author.  The meaningless of life is closely tied to this idea of being “under the sun.”  And I think we should also affirm the utter meaningless of everything “under the sun.”

There is a worldview which we call Naturalism.  It is the belief that everything in existence can be reduced to natural forces or properties.  Naturalism is the denial of anything which is not contained in the natural/material world (souls, angels, God, the eternal truths of ideas such as justice, morality, beauty, etc.).  A Naturalist’s creed will be something like that of the late Carl Sagan, “The cosmos is all that is, or was, or ever will be.”  Most importantly, within Naturalism, there is no immaterial, intelligent mind (a.k.a. God) behind the universe.

For the author of Ecclesiastes to speak of life “under the sun,” I believe, is to speak of a view of the world apart from God.  “Under the sun,” then, is to evaluate all of life as a closed system; one which has nothing (or more appropriately, no One) above or beyond it.  This outlook is expressed in Chapter 9, verses 5-6, “for the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten.  Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.”  It is the thoroughly atheistic philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche who understood that once God is removed from the equation of life human pursuits loose their transcendent meaning.  In The Gay Science, Nietzsche describes the advent of atheism like this: “What did we do when we unchained this earth from its sun?  Whither is it moving now?  Whither are we moving now?  Away from all suns?  Are we not plunging continually?  Backward, sideward, forward in all directions?  Is there any up or down lift?  Are we not straying as through an infinite nothing?  Do we not feel the breath of empty space?  Has it not become colder?  Is not night and more night coming on all the while?”

In a similar fashion, the author of Ecclesiastes explores the meaning in the pursuits of life detached not from the center of the universe—the Sun—but from the center of life—God.  The world, in and of itself (“under the sun”), is without meaning, purpose, and significance.  All of its promises to fulfill never really deliver.  So, is there an answer to the question of meaning?

The answer to the question of meaning
After the author’s final refrain of, ‘“Meaningless!  Meaningless!’ says the teacher.  ‘Everything is meaningless,’” (12:8) he offers a solution to the hollow nature of a world without the transcendent personal God.  “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (12:13-14).  The author turns the corner from seeing life as merely “under the sun” (where even ultimate justice is frustrated, Ch 9), to gaining an eternal perspective.  By adding the transcendent personal God to the equation, the author sees the pursuits of life for what they are—gifts from God, which, while never intended to satisfy us, were meant to arouse in us the desire for the One who stands as the source of all pursuits.

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Robert Leroe

“Vanity” Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 & 2:1-11 Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts

He calls himself “the Teacher” and conveys the logical and tragic outcome of regarding life as a cosmic accident. Solomon offers his class only two options–a life of hopelessness, or trust in God.

The quote we’re most familiar with comes from verse 2, “All is vanity”. This word has been translated many ways. Your Bible might read “futile”, “empty”, “pointless”, “momentary”, or “meaningless”. The word literally means “breath” or “vapor”. The only other place this word appears is (appropriately) in Job. The Message translates vs 2, “There’s nothing to anything—it’s all smoke.” In the NT, James picks up on this when he asks a rhetorical question, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (4:14). James and Solomon weren’t existentialists, denying any purpose or meaning in human life; they were rather saying that life is empty, fleeting, transitory, and nothing matters–without God. Solomon exposes the insignificance and absurdity of life IF life were nothing more than what is seen “under the sun”.

While participating in a REFORGER, major field exercise in Germany, my Chaplain Assistant and I spent a lot of time on the road in our CUC-V, visiting various units comprising the 3rd Armored Division Support Command/DISCOM. At one location we arrived too late; our grid coordinates were correct, but all that remained was some evidence of maneuver damage. The battalion stayed at the site only 2 days, then left. That is how life appears without God—here briefly, and little remains when life is over.

In verse 3 Solomon ponders, “What do people gain for all their hard work under the sun?” I’ve heard many soldiers ask, “What’s the point of all we’re doing?” In a life lived without God, there’s no gain, no advantage, no meaning. Verse 11 of chapter 2 states, “there is no profit under the sun”; in other words, during one’s lifetime. Imagine reaching the end of your days, only to conclude that you accomplished nothing of value! Solomon could afford anything he desired, but discovered to his frustration how nothing he could buy brought happiness.

Absurdity and the Cross – Ravi Zacharias Ministry

February 21, 2013 · by broboinhawaii

Qoheleth shows us the futility of life without God. He makes us feel what life is like from an honest look at how things truly are. He gives us a severe picture of reality and suggests that God is still worth seeking somewhere in the midst of it. Even prior to the coming of the Messiah, Qoheleth paints our stark need for the God who is there.

Stuart McAllister is vice president of training and special projects at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

Here is an interesting perspective below:

— In apologetics@yahoogroups.com, “yusefii” <yusefii@…> wrote:

I’m surprised. Ecclesiastes is a scathing and self-deprecating attack on
hedonism and secular humanism by a man who had obviously deeply considered if
not tried both as a way of life. The constant refrain “under the sun” expresses
the context and prespective from which the writer wishes his words to be
understood. In other words “if one takes the view that nothing exists beyond the
world we experience through our five senses” then all is meaningless, or vanity
or a chasing after the wind. Meaning, as opposed to value, only arises in a
wider and eternal context.

If all we had was this brief life, and if we had a true grasp of that fact, then
every second would be exquisitly, painfully, horrendously valuable to us, each
one gone never to return; but if we are born only to die, indeed if the universe
was born in a Big Bang only to die in a Big Crunch or the whimpering stillness
of an ever-expanding, dark, cold, void then, ultimately, everything in between
is completely meaningless.

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Related posts:

The most popular posts in the last 30 days about the spiritual quest of Chris Martin of Coldplay that can be found on www.thedailyhatch.org

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Tagged coldplay, chris martin, book of ecclesiastes, meaning of life | Edit | Comments (0)

Ecclesiastes 8-10 | Still Searching After All These Years

Published on Oct 9, 2012

Ecclesiastes 11-12 | Solomon Finds His Way

Published on Oct 30, 2012

I have enjoyed going back and forth with the Arkansas Times Bloggers on many subjects over the years. Now I have discussed the subject of “The Meaning of Life” with them recently and I wanted to share some of this with you.

I have written on the Book of Ecclesiastes and the subject of the meaning of our lives on several occasions on this blog. In this series on Ecclesiastes I hope to show how secular humanist man can not hope to find a lasting meaning to his life in a closed system without bringing God back into the picture. This is the same exact case with Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes. Three thousand years ago, Solomon took a look at life “under the sun” in his book of Ecclesiastes. Christian scholar Ravi Zacharias has noted, “The key to understanding the Book of Ecclesiastes is the term ‘under the sun.’ What that literally means is you lock God out of a closed system, and you are left with only this world of time plus chance plus matter.”

On May 28, 2013 on the Arkansas Times Blog I posted the following:

Chris Martin of Coldplay revealed in his interview with Howard Stern that he was raised an evangelical Christian but he has left the church. I believe that many words that he puts in his songs today are generated from the deep seated Christian beliefs from his childhood that find their way out in his songs. The fact Coldplay’s songs deal so much with death and the search for meaning and purpose of life (similar to Solomon’s search in Ecclesiastes), and that our actions are being watched, and Chris describes different ways God tries to reveal himself to us, and many songs deal with trying to find a way to an afterlife and heaven, and he stills uses Christian terms like being “blessed” and “grateful.”

People are looking for a purpose for their lives even if they have millions in the bank and have the world at their finger tips.

https://thedailyhatch.org/2013/05/28/the-mo…

My usual opponent who I do respect goes by the username “NeverVoteRepublican” and he or her responded on May 28, 2013:

Saline–I don’t know what the heck Chris Martin’s religious beliefs have to do with anything but you sure know how to copy and paste. Do you even know who Chris Martin is or  anything about his music?

On June 3, 2013 on the Arkansas Times Blog I responded with the following:

Here is my answer:

Chris Martin was raised as an evangelical but he left the faith in his teenage years and he writes all of the songs for the rock band Coldplay and he does write a bunch of lyrics dealing with various subjects that suggest that he is searching for a lasting meaing to his life. It is my belief that he just can’t get away from his deep-seated childhood religious beliefs that he keeps coming back to. Over and over in Coldplay’s music you see Chris Martin putting in Biblical words such as Daniel in the Lions Den, Till Kingdom Come, Head on a silver plate, I know Saint Peter won’t call my name, and even the phrase “Under the Sun” from the Book of Ecclesiastes.” That brings me to the Coldplay song “World Turned Upside Down” when uses the phrase “And everything under the sun” six times. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 1:14, “I have seen everything that is done under the sun. Look at it! It’s all pointless. [It’s like] trying to catch the wind.” Will Martin come to this same conclusion?

The song starts off with these words, “The land, sea, rivers, trees, the stars, the sky, That and this, We’re part of a bigger plan, Don’t know what it is, Don’t know what it is.” That reminds me of these words of Solomon from Ecclesiastes 3:11 says in the Amplified version:

“He (God) also has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”

Solomon opens the Book of Ecclesiastes with the same frustration that Chris Martin expresses in this song. Solomon notes:

One generation goes its way, the next one arrives,
    but nothing changes—it’s business as usual for old
        planet earth.
The sun comes up and the sun goes down,
    then does it again, and again—the same old round.
The wind blows south, the wind blows north.
    Around and around and around it blows,
    blowing this way, then that—the whirling, erratic wind.
All the rivers flow into the sea,
    but the sea never fills up.
The rivers keep flowing to the same old place,
    and then start all over and do it again.
Everything’s boring, utterly boring—
    no one can find any meaning in it.

Chris Martin also feels this same tension in his lyrics in the song “World Turned Upside Down” as he continues:

What is this feeling that I can't explain? 
And why am I never gonna sleep again? 
What is this thing I've never seen before? 
A little boy lost in a breaking storm, 
Pilots, up and away they fly 
To write your name in the summer sky 
Life has really only just begun, 
Life that comes 
And everything under the sun
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Rick Warden in his excellent article, "Philosophical Atheist, Before you Commit Suicide Read Ecclesiastes" observed:

The Jewish physicist Alan Sandage was an atheist most of his life but simply could not dispel all the evidence he had seen in the cosmos pointing to God’s necessary existence. He became a Christian at age 60, explaining, ”I could not live a life full of cynicism. I chose to believe, and a peace of mind came over me.” (The Telegraph, Allan Sandage (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/science-obituaries/8150004/Allan-Sandage.html). One of the reasons Sandage believed was the complexity of the universe: ”The world is too complicated in all its parts and interconnections to be due to chance alone.”( Leadership U, A Scientist Reflects on Religious Belief (http://www.leaderu.com/truth/1truth15.html)

It doesn’t take a great mind to understand what Solomon and Sandage knew, it only takes an open mind. Three decades ago, Stephen Hawking declared humanity was on the verge of discovering the “theory of everything”with a 50 per cent chance of knowing it by 2000. But by 2010 Hawking had given up hope. ( New Scientist, Stephen Hawking says there’s no theory of everything,  September 2, 2010)

If only Hawking had read the book of Ecclesiastes, he could have saved a lot of wasted time: “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”( Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV) Hawking is a good example showing that intelligence and wisdom are two very distinct things.

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Solomon does bring God back into the picture in the last chapter after looking at “life under the sun” without God in the picture in the first 11 chapters. Michael Gowens comments:

Ecclesiastes does not end on this pessimistic note, however. After analyzing the futility of life without God, the Preacher affirms that life lived with a conscious awareness of God is supremely meaningful: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth” the Preacher counsels (12:1).

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I am hoping that both Stephen Hawking and Chris Martin also bring God back in the picture as they continue their searches for a lasting meaning to life.

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Coldplay – World Turned Upside Down

Published on Aug 26, 2012

The World Turned Upside Down

X & Y
The land, sea, rivers, trees, the stars, the sky 
That and this 
We're part of a bigger plan 
Don't know what it is 
Don't know what it is 

You and me 
The land, sun, trees, the sky, the stars, the sea 
365 degrees 
I am a puzzle you're the missing piece 
Hang on a minute just a minute please 
I'll come 
And everything under the sun 
And everything under the sun 

What is this feeling that I can't explain? 
And why am I never gonna sleep again? 
What is this thing I've never seen before? 
A little boy lost in a breaking storm 
Pilots, up and away they fly 
To write your name in the summer sky 
Life has really only just begun 
Life that comes 
And everything under the sun 

X is Y 
The land, sea, rivers, trees, the stars, the sky 
365 degrees 
All of the surface and the underneath 

ah 
And everything under the sun 
And everything under the sun 

What is this feeling that I can't explain? 
And why am I never gonna sleep again? 
What is this thing I've never seen before? 
A little boy lost in a breaking storm 
Pilots up and away they fly 
To write your name in the summer sky 
Life has really only just begun 
Life that comes 
And everything under the sun 

And you don't know that you've been born 
Can't see the calm until the storm 
Can't tell your right side from your wrong 
Can't see the wave you're riding on

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Related posts:

The most popular posts in the last 30 days about the spiritual quest of Chris Martin of Coldplay that can be found on www.thedailyhatch.org

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Tagged coldplay, chris martin, book of ecclesiastes, meaning of life | Edit | Comments (0)