Much Obliged: Resurrection Hope and Christian Ministry to the Dying and Bereaved
Loading...
Authors
Hays, Joshua
Issue Date
2024-05
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
School of Theology Thesis 2024 , University of the South , School of Theology , Christianity Ministry , Death , The Book of Common Prayer
Alternative Title
Abstract
Ministry around death and dying is already a robust proportion of pastoral care and will only grow in prevalence over the next generation with the aging of the Baby Boomers. Rather than responding reactively to this reality on a case-by-case basis, this project proposes a proactive discipleship model to prepare congregants and families to walk through the dying process and into the fullness of resurrection hope. The biblical witness, subsequent theological reflection by the church, and the liturgical resource of The Book of Common Prayer lend shape and structure to this discipleship proclaiming the resurrection of the body. With a robust faith in bodily resurrection with Christ, disciples may more readily and peacefully surrender their present bodies in confident hope of the life to come.
The initial chapter will survey Scripture for resources to equip those charged with pastoral ministry to the dying and bereaved. Subsequent theological reflection by and for the church will comprise the second chapter, Three principal sources will direct the discussion, including the early creeds, medieval ars moriendi texts, and alternatives proposed by the Protestant Reformers. Chapter three considers contemporary liturgies for burial with particular attention to burial rites from The Episcopal Church. Practical implications of bodily resurrection for ministry to those planning funeral services torm the fourth and final chapter. Within my own Baptist tradition, discerning and deploying a template for funeral worship borrowing from The Book of Common Prayer offers a congregational starting point for discipleship formation that emphasizes the resurrection of the body.
Description
Citation
Publisher
University of the South