Accompany Them With Singing--The Christian Funeral

by Long, Thomas G.

• ISBN13: 9780664233198
• ISBN10: 0664233198
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-10-02
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Pr

Summary

Thomas Long begins this fascinating volume by describing how the Christian funeral developed historically, theologically, and liturgically, and then discusses recent cultural trends in funeral practices, including the rise in both cremations and memorial services. He describes the basic pattern for a funeral service, details options in funeral planning, identifies characteristics of a "good funeral," and provides thoughtful guidance for preaching at a funeral.Long also notes a disturbing trend toward funeral services that seem theologically right and pastorally caring, but actually depart from the primary aims of the Christian funeral. He argues that a new, less-theological and less-satisfying service that focuses on the mourner has begun to erode the Christian view. He contrasts the ancient grand community drama with today's trend toward body-less memorial services that focus primarily on the living and grief management. This is a loss for the church, he argues, and he calls for the church to reclaim the classic metaphor.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction	p. xi
Background
Marking Death: Human Rituals, Christian Practices	p. 3
On Bodies Shunned and Bodies Raised	p. 21
The Future of the Dead in Christ	p. 37
Whatever Happened to the Christian Funeral?	p. 57
The Funeral as Worshipful Drama	p. 77
The Church's Ministry in Death
In the Hour of Our Death	p. 107
The Marks of a Good Funeral	p. 121
Planning the Funeral: Practical Matters	p. 141
Telling the Truth about Life and Death: Preaching at Funerals	p. 183
Appendix: Difficult Funerals	p. 197
Notes	p. 203
Index	p. 215
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