In Defense of Funerals

I’ve wanted to write a defense of funerals for a while now.

I notice a trend to call services “celebrations of life” instead of funerals. I understand why. We like to focus on the positive, and many of us — all of us, actually — are uncomfortable with grief.

To be sure, Scripture doesn’t prescribe whether we should call a service a funeral or a celebration of life or anything else, nor does it prescribe exactly what we should do during the service. And I don’t want to make anyone feel bad who...