Christian comfort
bobcr...@gmail.com
ministers should make it clear to mourners that the deceased is
suffering never-ending torment in Hell:
Universalism at funerals
J. Gerald Harris
Posted on Aug 11, 2008
DULUTH, Ga. (BP)--As a pastor for many years I discovered there were
certain things that were extremely difficult to do. It was difficult
when I had to tell young women (or men) in the churches I served that
I could not perform their wedding if they insisted on marrying an
unbeliever (2 Cor. 6:14).
I also found it particularly difficult to carry the news of a sudden
or accidental death to the spouse or family of the deceased loved one.
It was likewise painful to see promising church members wreck their
lives through wrong choices. It was difficult to see bright high
school students go off to college and have their faith shattered by
the insidious teachings of liberal and humanistic professors.
However, one of the most difficult things I ever had to do as a pastor
was conduct funeral services for those who had never professed faith
in Christ or who never lived out their once-professed faith. And I had
to do it on many occasions –- probably many more times than I even
realized.
It happens like this: a grieving widow would call and say with a
broken heart and with tears in her voice, "Pastor, my husband had a
heart attack last night and we took him to the hospital, but he was
dead on arrival. I can't believe it has happened, but we need your
help. I know he was not a church member, but we would like for you to
preach his funeral."
What does a pastor say to an understandably emotional woman who has
not even yet come to grips with the dimensions of her loss? You do the
only reasonable and respectable thing you can do and respond in the
affirmative.
A visit is typically made to the home of the deceased to console the
bereaved and get some information in order to write the funeral
message. In the process of gathering information it is obvious that
the woman's departed husband never professed faith in Christ.
In certain cases a pastor may be called upon to conduct the funeral
for an individual who may have joined a church years earlier, but
never gave any indication of being born again or that Christ was
vitally important to him.
In either case some pastors are torn between integrity and compassion
and in an effort to add comfort to the family they become
universalists -– giving the family some hope that their loved one may
have been granted eternal life by a gracious and benevolent God.
Universalism is the belief that there will be a universal
reconciliation between humanity and the divine and that God is too
good to send anyone to hell.
We have all heard eulogies ushering celebrities, politicians, athletes
and entertainers into heaven who in some cases were as far from that
celestial city as a downtown tomcat is from Home Life magazine.
Judy Garland attained international stardom, but died in 1969 in
London, England at 47 years of age. The coroner stated at the inquest
that she died from "an incautious self-overdosage" of barbiturates.
She had been married five times, lived a life of promiscuity and was
certainly not known for her Christian faith. However, at her funeral
the Rev. Peter A. Delaney, of Marylebone Church in London, gave her a
Christian eulogy in a 20-minute Episcopal service. Mourners sang "The
Battle Hymn of the Republic" and I Corinthians 13 was read.
Years later, Deborah Jeane Palfrey, known as the D.C. Madam, committed
suicide by hanging herself. Her suicide earlier this year came as she
was facing prison time for money laundering and racketeering charges
in connection to what prosecutors described as a high-end prostitution
ring whose clients included members of Washington's political and
social elite.
In a suicide note left to her sister, Palfrey stated, "Know I am at
peace, with complete certainty, I believe Dad is standing watch --
prepared to guide me into the light."
On her blog Gina de Vries wrote a eulogy for Palfrey, stating, "I
always do what Nana (Franscesa, my great-grandmother) taught me to do
when grieving –- light candles, say prayers, cook a meal for friends,
buy some flowers if I can find them fresh, set up an altar. Wish the
person well on their way home.
"Deborah, I hope you get there with ease and peace. I'm sorry your way
out of this world was so rocky, that you were not treated with the
grace and graciousness that every human being deserves," de Vries
wrote. "I'm praying that Franscesa –- or someone very like her –- is
there to greet you with a meal, some flowers, and some sweetness on
the other side."
I am not judging Judy Garland or Deborah Jeane Palfrey and hope
somehow they were redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, but Garland's
Christian funeral and Palfrey's eulogy seem to be lacking reality.
In actual fact, a funeral service is not for the deceased. It is
primarily for the family and friends; and while a Christian minister
may be called upon to conduct the service, he must not be guilty of
suggesting that the unredeemed will inherit eternal life. To do so is
to be disingenuous at best and dishonest at worst.
If a pastor is true to the Word of God, he cannot change or minimize
the Bible's warning that the consequence of unbelief is condemnation
(John 3:18).
To suggest or hint that someone who has never been saved is somehow
headed for heaven does nothing but confuse the mourners and give the
false impression that one can go to heaven without trusting in Christ
who is the only way to God (John 14:6).
The carefully-crafted remarks of a Christian minister can convey the
Gospel message of hope and certainty to those who need it most.
http://www.bpnews.net/BPFirstPerson.asp?ID=28666
h/t Gina de Vries
Is that what you expect your minister to do at the funeral of one of
the people you love?
--
Rev. Bob
Bob & Holly Wilson
> Here's some advice from a Southern Baptist about why Christian
> ministers should make it clear to mourners that the deceased is
> suffering never-ending torment in Hell:
>
> Universalism at funerals
> J. Gerald Harris
> Posted on Aug 11, 2008
>
> DULUTH, Ga. (BP)--
> . . .
>
> I am not judging Judy Garland or Deborah Jeane Palfrey and hope
> . . .
> he [a Christian minister rjw] must not be guilty of
> suggesting that the unredeemed will inherit eternal life. To do so is
> to be disingenuous at best and dishonest at worst.
>
. . .
>
> Is that what you expect your minister to do at the funeral of one of
> the people you love?
I expect nothing from a minister and this one fully meets my
expectations.
Talking about funerals, I'm glad to see you're still on this side of the
grass.
Bob Wilson
bobcr...@gmail.com
> Talking about funerals, I'm glad to see you're still on this side of the
> grass.
Thanks, I'm fine, but the craptop that had most of my life on it
joined the choir celestial. I intend to scavenge the hard drive from
it and recover a few things eventually.