I’m not sure there could be a more sensitive subject in the church than the subject of cremation (a word derived from the Latin word cremo which means “to burn”). There has been in the last fifty years an unprecedented increase in the practice of cremation in the United States. Arizona is the fifth most cremating state in the union (57% of deaths cremated). Why the increase? Why the shift from burial and does it matter? To answer this question fairly we need to look into three areas: the Bible, history and theology.
There are no teachings in the Bible that condemns or endorses any specific practice of disposing of the deceased. Burial was however, the predominant practice in the Bible (seen in such prominent figures as Jesus, Abraham, Sarah, Joseph etc.). In addition, the burning of bodies in the Bible were clear exceptions to the burial practice and were mostly for negative reasons (punishment, Joshua 7:15; protection against an enemy, 1 Samuel 31:11-13; to stop a plague, Amos 6:9-10, etc. ).
Without debate, the history of the church reveals burial as the accepted practice of both Jewish and Christian cultures. Just as clear, history shows the accepted practice of pagan cultures to be cremation. The significant movement in America to cremation began in 1870 with an influence of the first cremation apparatus by an Italian professor. Until that time, cremation was almost never practiced by Christians. Even with such dramatic increase over the last fifty years, orthodox Christians (including the Catholic Church) remain staunchly opposed to the practice of cremation.
A more definitive answer to cremation lies in theology (or worldview). It is important to note that the burial practices of the past (biblically and historically), were based in a philosophical world view. Just as in the case of our own lives, we do things, spend money, marry/ divorce all out of a belief system. Even pagan societies (although primitive and in many cases undeveloped) had a philosophical view of death and dying, and their burial practices reflected it. For instance, in many pagan cultures the belief is that the body is bad and cremation is a significant step to freeing a spirit from the body for eternity.
The Christian on the other hand, believes that a body is buried because the body is good and created and given by God (1 Corinthians 6:19). The Christian hope lies in the resurrection of the same body that is buried, to be glorified. The Christian dresses, attempts to preserve the best way possible a deceased persons remains to await the resurrection of the body, which will occur when Christ returns and our bodies will be resurrected in their new glorified state (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).
Alistar Begg, in a sermon on death and dying, asked this question: “How can we bring everything that we know about the doctrine of man in creation and preservation and the details of God’s creative order in line with this issue?” Begg suggests that burial fits the biblical picture that Jesus uses of sleep, it shows respect for the physical frame, and is in agreement with biblical examples. How we deal with a body after death is a direct result of our philosophy of life. If our lives are ruled by the economy of the dollar, so will our death. If our lives are consumed with the blessed hope of Christ’s coming, so will our death. As Begg put it, “Cremation is at best sub-Christian, not necessary unchristian.” While there are circumstances that would lead us to cremation, we also must agree that in principle, burial is the more fitting end to the Christian life.
Pastor Robb Williams
21 Guinn Drive, Washington, PA 15301 United States
Copyright © 2024 Pastor Robb Williams - All Rights Reserved.
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