What’s your theology of caring for the dead? You haven’t thought much about it, have you? Neither did I until I sat down with the authors of Corpse Care: Ethics for Tending the Dead, Mikeal Parsons and Cody Sanders.

“What we do in relation to this stage of bodily becoming, the inevitability of our incarnation into death presents us with a number of theological questions. But these are questions which very few Christians theologians, ministers, or faith communities have given any careful attention in the last century,” noted Sanders and Parsons

Christianity has a fascinating history with the treatment of the dead. First, of course, they viewed the pagan practice of burning the body as sacrilege, even using it as eternal punishment to heretics long after they were dead and buried. Who can forget that harrowing exhumation of John Wycliffe’s remains, only for them to be burned and scattered?

Mikeal Parsons is Professor and Macon Chair in Religion at Baylor University. Cody Sanders is the pastor of Old Cambridge Baptist Church and the American Baptist chaplain at Harvard University.

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There are five levels of listener support, starting at $5 per month…learn more and become a supporter today at www.cbf.net/podcastsupport.Andy Hale is the creator and host of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Podcast. Hale is the Associate Executive Coordinator of CBF North Carolina. He’s also served as CBF’s Church Start Specialist, the founding pastor of Mosaic Church of Clayton, and the senior pastor of University Baptist Church of Baton Rouge. Follow on Twitter @haleandy.