Yesterday, I considered the frequent abuse of Christian truth in times of death. What can a pastor do to counter this abuse within the church and within the wider culture? Here are some thoughts. Again, follow-up with yours.
1. Prepare your church. We must prepare our people for suffering, for their own sake and for the sake of a watching world. If we wait until tragedy strikes, people will not have the theological and practical reserves to endure it faithfully. As a result, they will search for comfort elsewhere, in alcohol or fantasies or atheism. Preach and teach about suffering and death, heaven and hell. Teach salvation history, which culminates in Christ glorified. Sing about the River Jordan.
Two resources: John Piper and CCEF. John Piper seems to have made it his mission to esteem suffering these past years. Desiring God has an incredible amount of powerful resources relating to suffering, including a helpful compendium of talks, Suffering and the Sovereignty of God. As well, CCEF (David Powlison, Paul Tripp, Ed Welch, et al.) helps to give a gospel vision of the everyday, tragic and mundane. By practicing trusting God daily, the Lord is preparing us to face the promised affliction.
2. Watch and listen critically (ahead of time). Not only must we provide positive instruction, we must listen for times when correction is needed. The funeral of the anorexic mother of three or the fallen American soldier is not the ideal time for theological correction. Listen critically to your flock's thoughts and expressions during casual times. When a pet dies and parents comfort their children with All Dogs Go to Heaven, make it a priority to find an appropriate time to engage them on eternity.
3. Be willing to correct even in the hard times. Again, deaths and funerals are not the ideal time to correct someone, but consider that we taught them this error. They are responding poorly partly because the church has failed to speak clearly on eternity. It's not as if they are appealing to Buddha for comfort -- they are using Christian truth to anesthetize. At some point, the church needs to own up to our failings and speak against error. I should own it if given the chance.
4. Preach funerals. I have not had the privilege of preaching a funeral. The thought of officiating an unbeliever's funeral frightens me. I think I'd do it in a heartbeat, though, because of the opportunity to teach people to interpret death in a way that is faithful to Scripture and to the gospel, to provide hurting loved ones the chance to own their hurt fully and unashamedly, but without either total despair or religious dishonesty.
5. Respond to tragedy. As a pastor, be the first to respond to tragedy. Model Christian suffering by owning your own heartache, both in personal affairs and public, in a self-controlled, biblically-comforted, gospel-centered, sovereignty-trusting, God-glorifying way. This requires that we also be prepared.
A wonderful example is an NPR interview with John Piper responding to the 2004 Tsunami which killed more than 225,000 people. It is phenomenal. Piper, fully aware that he is speaking to a non-believer, talks with a boldness matched only by his compassion. I am struck most by her interest in the Christian theodicy -- it's clear Piper is providing an answer she has never heard from anywhere else.
May the Lord provide more such opportunities to take back heaven and more faithful ministers to take them.
1 comment:
Yeah. This is good. I'll second Piper resources on suffering. It's always different reading about it than it is actually being in it, but it is vital that there is a foundation already laid before suffering visits us.
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