Waski_the_Squirrel
Resident of the least visited state in the nation.
We recently had a funeral at my church and a colleague chewed me out over it this week.
The man who died was widely believed to be a drug user and a drug pusher in the little town about 15 miles south of my church. He was never arrested or charged, this was more a matter of gossip. It didn't help he was on the scuzzy side and lived across the street from that little town's school (which closed 6 years ago). He had dubious employment and seemed to always be surrounded by transient ne'er-do-wells.
He died at age 59 in a way that was likely related to the miscellaneous chemicals he used in life. He never married and alienated his family, but his family has taken on the obligation to bury him.
Several area churches refused to host the funeral, so the family approached us. We agreed to host the funeral. Our feeling was that we don't know what was in his heart at the time of his death. Also, we felt that the funeral is held for the family, not necessarily to "honor" or "endorse" the man's behavior in life.
The woman who chewed me out is from that little town. She was angry that we agreed to host the funeral.
My own opinion is that we did the right thing, as long was we did not honor his deeds or gloss over them. If the man repented of his sins at the end and asked Christ to be his savior, he will be in Heaven, just the same as one who spent a lifetime as a believer. As a church, we don't get to judge who goes to Heaven and who does not. Of course, I wasn't going to get into this conversation in a public place, so I simply told my colleague that I was sorry she felt that way and, when she persisted, that I would be happy to talk to her in my classroom after school. Since she enjoys public scenes, especially when she can play outraged, that discussion has not occurred.
I'm mostly curious: what do your churches do about burial of an objectionable person? Do they refuse? Or do they hold the funeral as my church did? Or have they avoided the situation?
The man who died was widely believed to be a drug user and a drug pusher in the little town about 15 miles south of my church. He was never arrested or charged, this was more a matter of gossip. It didn't help he was on the scuzzy side and lived across the street from that little town's school (which closed 6 years ago). He had dubious employment and seemed to always be surrounded by transient ne'er-do-wells.
He died at age 59 in a way that was likely related to the miscellaneous chemicals he used in life. He never married and alienated his family, but his family has taken on the obligation to bury him.
Several area churches refused to host the funeral, so the family approached us. We agreed to host the funeral. Our feeling was that we don't know what was in his heart at the time of his death. Also, we felt that the funeral is held for the family, not necessarily to "honor" or "endorse" the man's behavior in life.
The woman who chewed me out is from that little town. She was angry that we agreed to host the funeral.
My own opinion is that we did the right thing, as long was we did not honor his deeds or gloss over them. If the man repented of his sins at the end and asked Christ to be his savior, he will be in Heaven, just the same as one who spent a lifetime as a believer. As a church, we don't get to judge who goes to Heaven and who does not. Of course, I wasn't going to get into this conversation in a public place, so I simply told my colleague that I was sorry she felt that way and, when she persisted, that I would be happy to talk to her in my classroom after school. Since she enjoys public scenes, especially when she can play outraged, that discussion has not occurred.
I'm mostly curious: what do your churches do about burial of an objectionable person? Do they refuse? Or do they hold the funeral as my church did? Or have they avoided the situation?
