Monday, November 9, 2026

It is the 9th of November 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

A very happy Monday to you- we had a mailbag show this weekend, but I had one question in particular I didn’t get to, and it seemed kind of relevant. It comes from Mik in Ojai, California- the Shangri-La of Ventura County- it’s where the Bionic Woman and the Six Million Dollar Man met in high school.

Mik was wondering about Cremation- wondering where it fit into Christian tradition. Some condemn it, others don’t… This has been a question that has come up A LOT lately- a number of deaths at my church- people wondering about it. And it makes sense. Get this stat: In the U.S. in 1975, 7 percent of the people who died were cremated. In ’85 it was 15 percent. Then in 1998, 21%, and today… about 64%.

Cremation has a long history- it’s what the ancients did on the Indian Subcontinent. It’s what the Greeks and Romans did. But we have early evidence in the Christian church that it was discouraged- after all, the euphemism of “falling asleep” in the Lord was used as we would one day “awaken” to new life. In fact, the very word “Cemetery” comes from the word for “sleeping places,” and we’re told someone was “laid to rest.” This, of course, is an affirmation of the goodness of the body and the bodily resurrection.

The official Roman Catholic position- for what it’s worth- is “The Church earnestly recommends that the pious custom of burying the bodies of the deceased be observed; nevertheless, the Church does not prohibit cremation unless it was chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine.

The Eastern Orthodox Church teaches, according to Byzantine Canon Law, that cremation is not permitted. You cannot have a funeral service with ashes in an urn.

Amongst Protestants, as you might expect, there is a range of answers. The general counsel that I read was to ask the person “why?” In Japan, 98% of people are cremated because it's a land and resources issue. It’s increasingly the same in America. It’s also a cost issue- should you go into debt to give a burial? It can be argued that the cremation process only speeds up the natural process of “returning to dust”. In a transient society, it allows the remains of the deceased to travel with a family instead of being located in one specific location.

As I’m a church history guy- let me take you to Augustine, who I think has some pretty wise counsel here. In his City of God, chapter 12, he discusses what happens when Rome is falling, the Barbarians are raging, and the dead are not properly buried. He ties this to the issue of those great martyrs who were burned alive, torn to pieces, and strewn in many places. Augustine says that we are not to fear those who can only destroy the body. He gives comfort to those in distress, saying that God will resurrect in heavenly bodies all of these children.

But then in chapter 13 he goes on to commend burial when possible- he writes:

“Nevertheless the bodies of the dead are not on this account to be despised and left unburied; least of all the bodies of the righteous and faithful, which have been used by the Holy Spirit as His organs and instruments for all good works. For if the dress of a father, or his ring, or anything he wore, be precious to his children, in proportion to the love they bore him, with how much more reason ought we to care for the bodies of those we love, which they wore far more closely and intimately than any clothing! For the body is not an extraneous ornament or aid, but a part of man’s very nature.”

I really think this is an issue of Christian freedom. I, for one, have decided to let those who survive me do what they think best- so long as they have the real hope that I will be raised whole and in a human body.

As for Mik’s question about any stories of resurrected cremated zombies (like those in the gospel of Matthew and later church legends… I looked and looked… only found them in stories about Hindus, where it has long been common… if I find any, I’ll wait till Halloween time and tell the story.

Thanks for the question, Mik (I do hope I’m pronouncing it right)- you can send me your questions- or, like Ron in Alaska- deviled egg recipes to Danv@1517.org.

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and 1 Corinthians 14:

20 Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. 21 In the Law it is written:

“With other tongues
 and through the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people,
 but even then they will not listen to me,
says the Lord.”

22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 9th of November 2026 brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who knows that when it comes to cremation- you need to Urn it… he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who still thinks Paul Bearer- the urn-holding wrestling manager for the Undertaker was peak WWF. I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.