Cremation Over Christ? – The Problem With Jumping to Conclusions

Last week Mr. Mallo wrote a heartfelt criticism of Dr. Rayburn for his decision to speak to us in chapel about cremation. As he began with a discussion of “defining oneself by an issue” he satirically noted the importance of finding a “unique and obscure” issue to latch onto that people “themselves haven’t thought of,” so that one may obtain affirmation from the poor, impressionable souls upon which he or she has foisted the trivial.

Did Mr. Mallow take the time (probably thirty seconds would have been necessary) to ask Dr. Rayburn if he feels “affirmed  and deemed valuable” when people tell him they think his “issue” has merit? I would venture a no. Does he have evidence that Covenant College was merely the next stop on a nation-wide speaking tour about the “single issue” of cremation? Has Mr. Mallow listened to Dr. Rayburn’s sermons? Has he read his position paper on paedo-communion or listened to him preach about covenant children or federal vision? Has he heard Dr. Rayburn’s passion for the gospel exude through faithful exegesis of the gospel of John, or does Mr. Mallow assume that, since Dr. Rayburn’s thirty-five minute talk wasn’t expressly about “the good news,” his topic did not stem from a desire to see Christians live their lives Biblically?

Most importantly, are we ready to agree with Mr. Mallow that the death and resurrection of Christ is not the “issue” that defines Dr. Rayburn simply because he decided to speak for thirty-five minutes on cremation? I am sure the same critique would not have been leveled had Dr. Rayburn chosen to speak about the issue of abortion or of equality.
You see my point. Though Mr. Mallow finds it “amazing” how quickly and subtly various issues can turn us into “single issue” Christians, I find it equally amazing how quickly some are willing to jump to a conclusion about the spiritual passion of another.

Cremation is a “single issue” for Dr. Rayburn like the sale of indulgences was a “single issue” to Martin Luther. Would any of us have accused Luther for not making Christ his main focus after he exhorted a room full of impressionable students not to purchase indulgences? Would any have been ready to tell Luther that the sale of indulgences was a non-issue simply because it did not seem as problematic as the prohibition of translating the Bible into the vernacular or the practice of putting heretics to death? Would we not have acknowledged instead that Dr. Luther”s passion for this issue stemmed directly from his desire to glorify the Father and serve Christ as he made the faithful, Biblically-informed decision to condemn the practice of purchasing a piece of paper claiming to grant remission of sin?

In other words, would we have criticized Luther for “getting caught up in the issues,” or would we have acknowledged that his concern for un-Biblical practices condoned by the church stemmed from a passion for Biblical truth and Christ-like living? If we do not agree with Dr. Rayburn on this issue, let it be because we have searched the Scriptures and afterward decided that the Bible indeed supports cremation as a sacred, Biblical way of burying the dead that shows we as Christians indeed view the body and life differently than the secular culture around us.

Moreover, cremation should not be considered an “obscure issue.” Obscure is a term generally reserved for things seldom practiced or little known. In 2003 nearly 700,000 deceased were cremated in America alone- meaning that cremation was conducted for nearly thirty percent of all recorded deaths that year. Projections are such that, in 2010, the statistics will have risen to over thirty-six percent. I give these statistics not to argue that the issue of cremation should dominate our conversation, but to point out that Christians are actively partaking in a practice whose popularity is high and growing, and which may be another example of how little our culture considers eternity and the treatment of human life (which I hope we all agree does not end at death on this earth). The early church certainly deemed it so.

As we acknowledge that certain “issues” do indeed need to be discussed amongst Christians because of our duty to serve Christ by living life Biblically, let us think before asserting that Dr. Rayburn—or anyone for that matter—may not consider Christ’s death and resurrection to be matters of pre-eminent importance. The fact that Dr. Rayburn discussed cremation in the time he was given does not mean that cremation is the “issue” that defines him. I am not going to assume Mr. Mallow thinks it his singular mission to expose “single-issue” Christians simply because he chose to write about it in a brief article. And may I caution you Mr. Mallow, as I caution all of us, to reserve the tendency to label an issue as “unique” (read: trivial) or “obscure” (read: not worth our time) simply because it may not be something you have considered. May none of us brush off a contemplation of the Biblical soundness of the practice of cremation simply because the church may not currently consider it a pressing issue. The church did not consider the sale of indulgences a pressing issue either.