An interview with the Nashville City Paper -- Oct. 2005

Q: --Which passage from Ecclesiastes keeps
drawing you near? Why?

RW: “God is in heaven and you are on earth;
therefore let your words be few.” (Eccl 5:2) God
is God, we are not. So we shouldn’t act like it.
Yet the 21st century is already synonyous with
every sort of cruel or self-serving act because
people think they know God’s will, the divine
mind. But that’s taking God’s name in vain.
Ecclesiastes says better to shut up than
filibuster on God’s behalf. Admittedly I didn’t
heed him: My words weren’t few. I wrote a book.

Q: --If most churches "ignore" Ecclesiastes, what
does that avoidance tell us?

RW: Ecclesiastes is the Bible’s most contrarian
voice -- he questions, he doesn’t hide his
weariness. He makes official religion uneasy
because he is alien to present-day spiritual
marketing and uplift. He has a reputation for
pessimism, but I think he’s a poet of spiritual
realism and emotional honesty. He says revere
God, keep the commandments and enjoy the
world. We have a duty to enjoy the world
because God created it. No pessimism there.
Yet I’ve never heard a sermon on it.

Q: --Does Ecclesiastes actually challenge us to
change our expectations of the
world and ourselves?

RW: Ecclesiastes’ wisdom is for the long haul.
He cares about the dignity of God and people.
Injustices worry him. He has a strong sense of
the divine mystery hovering near and far. He is
impatient with wordy piety. He prefers action and
ethics. Religion can be a matter of action, not
talking points.


Q: --The "voice" in these readings is so human
and accessible, unvarnished,
clean and "modern." Why aren't more Biblical
authors as straightforward as
Ecclesiastes?

RW: The Bible contans many different stories,
moods, announcements of urgent news. It’s
miraculous, and greatly reassuring, that
Ecclesiastes made the cut. It deepens my
appreciation for the Bible-makers that they held
a spot for this renegade. They decided his
perspective on the mystery of God was a
legitimate truth, and they trusted us to get it and
not freak out.


Q: --You write that "Ecclesiastes serves as a
place of refuge for a particular
moment in the spiritual life" -- how would you
define this moment, right
now?

RW: Ecclesiastes gives permission to feel
frustration at not grasping all the answers but
also gratitude for the delights of this created
world. The conventional wisdom at the moment
says religion should be loud, dazzling and
“successful,” admitting no unresolved emotions
or conflict. But that’s not in the Bible.
Ecclesiastes is.