As momentum grows for a National Day of Prayer amid the Covid pandemic, controversial religious commentator Dr John Coulter maintains the real topic of prayer should be for the Christian Churches to work together in an increasingly secular society.
‘Take it to the Lord in prayer’ is a line from the famous Christian hymn, ‘What A Friend We Have in Jesus’. That line accurately sums up the mood of many Christians calling for a National Day of Prayer against the pandemic which has claimed so many lives across the globe. Similarly, many Christians could also point out that since the virus struck these islands a year ago in 2020, they have already been praying against Covid 19 in online prayer meetings and even in those hosted under strict restrictions. Christians point to the outcome during World War Two when the then monarch, King George VI, called for the United Kingdom to pray on Sunday 26th May 1940 as Hitler’s Nazi war machine raged across Europe and threatened the very existence of the UK. Christians point to the miracles of Dunkirk, victory in the Battle of Britain, and the eventual defeat of Hitler in 1945 as miraculous results of this National Day of Prayer. While prayer – whether in public or in private devotions – is an essential part of the Christian journey, and certainly a National Day of Prayer is urgently required, but perhaps the Churches should consider the main topic of that agenda; perhaps they should have Christian unity above Covid 19? What is actually needed is for the Churches – and there are many all claiming to be the One True Church! – to consider Christ’s advice during His Sermon on the Mount as outlined in the New Testament. In St Matthew’s Gospel chapter 7, verse 5 we have: “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” This is commonly known as the Mote and the Beam parable. Put bluntly, before we Christians start the process of praying for healing from the pandemic, surely the time has come for us to pray for healing with each other. I recall in the late 1980s when I entered weekly newspaper management, in the region I was appointed a deputy editor, I counted more than 20 different Christian denominations – not places of worship. Ironically, one of the challenges which the broad Christian Church has faced as a result of the pandemic restrictions and lockdowns was the need to fully embrace digital evangelism and retain as many of the online congregations as possible once those restrictions are lifted and worship can begin again inside church buildings. Even before the pandemic struck, the Christian Church was facing the challenges posed by an increasingly secular society, with many mainstream denominations having to cope with falling numbers in the pews. Just as we have seen the broad community across this island rally round each other during the pandemic, so too, do the Churches need to address the fundamental issue of Christian unity. How can they demand a National Day of Prayer when our denominations are so bitterly divided theologically? In Ireland, there could be such bitterness about Protestants and Catholics marrying each other – the so-called mixed marriages – that even support groups were formed to help people cope with the challenges. Even within the board theology of Protestantism, there could be bitterness over a person from one Protestant denomination marrying a person from another Protestant denomination. In many cases, the finger of suspicion for such behaviour was always traditionally pointed at the Exclusive Brethren denomination. Likewise, in some Protestant denominations, there would be spiritual interviews for people wanting to join a specific church. Representatives of the leadership of that particular church would interview you, usually in your own home, to see if you were ‘spiritually suitable’ to be allowed to join their place of worship. It often led to the quip that it was harder to gain membership of some churches than it was to enter heaven! The bottom line is, that Churches will have to consider more what unites them theologically – and Biblically – than what divides them. Unfortunately, many denominations and individual places of worship have got themselves bogged down in arguments over whether women should wear hats when in church, the submissive role of women in the church, should the Church allow women preachers, dress codes for young people (what is too casual for the House of the Lord?), what hymns, psalms, and songs should be sung, what musical instruments should be used, what songs should only be sung during the mid week prayer meeting, should members of the Protestant Loyal Orders be allowed to wear their regalia during annual divine services, should Freemasons be allowed to have communion, the type of behaviour which street evangelists should indulge in, should there be religious ceremonies for divorced couples, same-sex couples, or indeed anyone from the LGBTQ+ community … and so the lists and rows continue! Given how petty squabbles within the Christians Churches can easily develop into full-scale rows, is it any wonder many people are ‘put off’ getting involved with the Christian Faith. I know from my own Christian journey the mental health nightmare I was put through as a Presbyterian minister’s son in the late 1970s simply because I got awarded the President’s Badge, which was then the second highest award in the Boys’ Brigade. Perhaps when we take the behaviour of the Christian Churches into consideration, Karl Marx, the founder of communism, had a point when he stated: “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.” Can we Christians get so wound up on petty issues that we totally miss the big picture of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and especially the message of Salvation as stated in St John Chapter 3 verse 16? Ironically, too, there’s a strong ring of truth to the observation by the famous Hindu nationalist leader in India, Mahatma Gandhi, when he stated: “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” The conclusion? Yes, we certainly need a National Day of Prayer for healing, and not just from Covid 19. We Christians need to heal ourselves spiritually before we start tackling the problems in other people’s lives. And before any Christian liberals, evangelicals, fundamentalists, Puritans and Hyper Calvinists start pointing the finger at me as a theological heretic, just remember the words of Christ Himself in St John Chapter 8 and verse 7: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”Follow Dr John Coulter on Twitter @JohnAHCoulterListen to commentator Dr John Coulter’s programme, Call In Coulter, every Saturday morning after 9.15 am on Belfast’s Christian radio station, Sunshine 1049 FM. Listen online at www.thisissunshine.com
Headline: Cremation or burial? The burning issue digging deep into Christian theology!
Religious commentator Dr John Coulter uses his latest Ballymena Accent column to delve deep into the hot theological topic – the fate of our earthly remains; should they be buried or cremated?
With Northern Ireland becoming increasingly pressed for burial plots, the idea of cremation among Christians is becoming increasingly popular. At the same time, it has sparked a huge theological debate with some fundamentalists convinced that cremation is unBiblical! For some reason, and for many Christians, the idea of their loved ones and themselves being burned in a crematorium and their ashes either kept in an urn at home or scattered in some place with meaning seems to totally go against Scripture. As I cannot find a Bible verse which condemns cremation (but I stand to be corrected), I can only assume the perception among fundamentalists is that cremation is akin to either burning in hell or eventually burning in the everlasting lake of fire. Scripture tells is it is our eternal soul, not our earthly remains, which are the important issue. If burial in a grave is so important to Christians, then what about those people who have no known grave? I think of my great uncle William Holmes on my mother’s side who was blown to bits by a German shell at the Battle of Cambrai in 1917 during the Great War. All I have to remember great uncle William is a memorial plaque containing his name in a church near Ballynure in County Antrim. And what about my great uncle Ricky Coulter on my dad’s side who was in the RAF and whose bomber was shot down over Norway in the Second World War and his body was never recovered. Surely the final eternal resting places of great uncles William and Ricky’s souls depends on their views on salvation; not on the whereabouts of their earthly remains? Perhaps, too, Christians are so opposed to cremation because of the heinous activities of the Nazis during the Holocaust who cremated many of the bodies of their victims in the hideous death camps. Do some Christians, therefore, associate cremation with the Nazis? Is there also the false impression that cremation is also viewed by some fundamentalist Christians as being part of a secularist society; a way of people opting out of a full-blown service of thanksgiving in a church. Likewise, given the limited number of crematoria in Northern Ireland compared to places of worship, the time devoted to a service at the crematorium is naturally much shorter than a church-based service of thanksgiving. The ceremony at a crematorium would usually last several minutes, while a church-based ceremony can last for a couple of hours if the church service and graveside oration are both taken into consideration. Could it also be that cremation in Christian circles is also viewed as being like the ancient pagan Viking ceremonies, where the dead warrior was burned so that his soul would travel to Valhalla to be with the pagan god Odin? Many Christian church cemeteries were established when cremation was not an option after death. Even in the cemetery where my parents are buried, local folklore maintains it contains the remains of a Williamite soldier who fought at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. My late dad’s church – Clough Presbyterian near Ballymena – is one of the oldest Presbyterian places of worship in Ireland and a number of years ago we had the pleasure of attending the 350th anniversary commemorations to mark the foundation of the church. Taking Clough as a benchmark, it would be reasonable to assume that when the congregation was founded, cremation was certainly not on the agenda for the respectful disposal of a person’s earthly remains. Burial was the only option, and then again in some instances, the grave would have to be guarded so that the body did not fall prey to grave robbers looking for jewellery, or body snatchers looking fresh corpses for medical research. Even in horror film narrative, one way of disposing permanently of vampires or the undead is to burn their bodies, although I’m sure killing vampires is not a reason for Christians opposing cremation! My own personal theological position is that as a born again Christian, I have no difficulty whatsoever with cremation. For me, what is important is the destination of my eternal soul, not my body after death. As someone who believes passionately in the concept of organ donation, after the Good Lord takes me from this earth, I hope the doctors can take out of me whatever they can use in transplants. Indeed, with my personal emphasis on the soul, I would prefer to donate the remainder of my earthly remains to science so that it can be used to train new doctors, surgeons and nurses. In heaven, we will all be given new bodies according to Scripture, therefore, I have no need of earthly remains. I would like a service of thanksgiving which can be used as an evangelical outreach to family, friends and colleagues. I have noticed that, in many circumstances, the graveside ceremony or cremation event is now taking place – pre-Covid 19 times – before a service of thanksgiving in a church. I have also noticed a generational attitude towards cremation among the Christian community. Christians of my vintage (now early sixties) are more open to the ethos of cremation, while Christians of my parents’ generation (both passed away in their late eighties) would prefer burial in the family plots. Perhaps we have to look at the Christian debate over cremation versus burial from a grieving point of view. Does it help the grieving process in any way if loved ones and friends can actually visit a grave? Does it help in any way to stand at the grave of a departed loved one and talk to them as if having a conversation when they were alive? The same arguments can also be true of cremation where the urn containing a loved one’s ashes can be kept at home to be talked to at any given time? Such a column on cremation versus burial may seem morbid, but perhaps what the Christian Church should focus on is supporting the friends and families of those left behind when the person is dead. Grief can affect people in so many different ways, so it is imperative the Christian Churches have workable strategies in place. In this context, the theological debate over grave versus urn pales into insignificance. Follow Dr John Coulter on Twitter @JohnAHCoulterListen to commentator Dr John Coulter’s programme, Call In Coulter, every Saturday morning after 9 am on Belfast’s Christian radio station, Sunshine 1049 FM. Listen online at www.thisissunshine.com