Resources on Death and Dying
More and more Christians choose cremation instead of burial. The reasons vary. For some it is a matter of hygiene, for others it is the only option available; still others choose cremation for financial reasons. Many Christians believe the Bible is silent on the matter. Since I am frequently asked whether cremation is a viable Christian alternative to burial, let me share with you some thoughts on both cremation and burial. I believe the Bible has more to say about the matter than many suppose.[1] At the outset let me make clear that while I believe a good scriptural case can be made for traditional Christian burial, I do not intend for a moment to cast doubt upon the faith of…
Read MoreLouis Berkhof points out that death is not necessary for sanctification, for Enoch and Elijah were made perfect without experiencing death. Nor is it absolutely essential for delivering us from this present evil age, for God may do this without the instrumentality of death, as he most certainly will for those who remain alive at Christ’s Second Coming (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). Rather “[t]he very thought of death, bereavements through death, the feeling that sickness and sufferings are harbingers of death, and the consciousness of the approach of death, – all have a very beneficial effect on the people of God. They serve to humble the proud, to mortify carnality, to check worldliness and to foster spiritual-mindedness. In the mystical union…
Read MoreIn the later Middle Ages and through the first centuries after the Reformation, both Protestant and Roman Catholic writers produces literature on the ars moriendi, the art of dying. Recognizing that death is an event of great weight and everlasting consequence, these writers taught that dying well does not come naturally but is a practice that must be learned. Furthermore, they saw dying as a practice that must be learned throughout the whole of life if it is to be executed well . . . Many people today express the sentiment that the best death is a sudden death that involves no extended period of pain or suffering. While such a perspective is eminently understandable, we should appreciate why so…
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