Combatants in denial

Every time a reporter or news reader opens his or her mouth, my hackles get up. When they decide to take on some issues I just stand there slack-jawed in wide-eyed wonder.

Gnosticism sucks–resurrection rocks

Planning the funeral of an almost-four-year-old is among the most difficult things I have ever done. But the comfort of Holy Baptism is beyond words, and that has really sustained the family through all this.

A while back the Lutheran blogsphere was abuzz with what I’ll term here as the cremation controversy. There were those who were vociferously opposed to the practice, citing pagan roots and claiming that it denigrates the body and the hope of the resurrection. There were others who did not take such a hard line.

This is not to dredge up old arguments, but to put a different spin on things that I’d not considered. In the course of conversation with the family it came out that they were going to have their little son’s body cremated and kept with them.

One response from a well-meaning comforter ran along the lines of, “That’s so great. I mean, that body contained his soul for four years.”

Yeah. Hence the post title.

Yet cremation need not be viewed as tantamount to gnosticism. The family’s actual take on the whole thing was that the little guy is with Jesus, but those cremanes are him, too. And God will raise that body, in whatever state it is preserved, on the Last Day.

At least in this case, the choice to cremate unequivocally confessed God’s promised resurrection of all flesh and life forever in the body with Christ.