originally published 3/10/2010

Thomas Long, author of Accompany Them with Singing: The Christian Funeral (Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), paints a picture of historic Christian burial practice and discusses both the meaning embodied in the formal ritual and how the practice shapes the people who participate in it. Long then describes how what is done in the Christian funeral has shifted over time to reflect a different portrait of what is going on in death and how the congregation relates to the deceased. He discusses the differences between the historic and contemporary models and argues that while the benefits and goods embodied in the newer model are there and can be learned from, the historic model captures best what is going on in death and the destiny of the dead in Christ. In so doing, the historical model brings comfort to the grief-stricken by placing death within the Gospel narrative in place and time through movement and song. This interview was originally published on Volume 101 of the Journal.

16 minutes

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