Ryan BurnsEver thought about cremation? Dr. Richard Mouw, president of Fuller, has an interesting post on his blog about “Towards a Theology of Cremation.”
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Didaktikos
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Ryan Burns
Tavis Bohlinger
Insightful article. I am a CPA and financial planner that specializes in helping families save money when making funeral arrangements. The combination of a slowing economy and escalating funeral prices have made it much harder for many families to pay for the funeral arrangements they need to make. As a result, more people are turning to cremation for practical reasons such as:
1. perceived as a more affordable option (may or may not be true)
2. better mobility of cremains (i.e. “ashes”)
3. considered a more environmentally friendly option.
Well that’s all well and good from a practical stand point; I think it’s a valid option from a Christian theological standpoint too.
If you choose cremation, your body ends up as “ashes”. If you choose embalming and body burial—your body STILL ends up as ashes. It just takes longer.
Think about this—by the time people die their “body” has given out in some manner. It doesn’t make sense to think that God has the power to heal and restore health to the diseased and mutilated—but not to the cremated.
Let’s say your best friend was badly burned in a house fire and dies from the injuries. Does this mean that God is unable to restore his body in heaven? I don’t think so.
Arguing against cremation on theological grounds subtly implies that God’s power over life and death and resurrection is somehow limited. I don’t believe this.
You can learn more about cremation here: http://www.funeral-tips.com.