Are evangelical messages common in funerals for fundamentalist Christians?

Question

I want to the funeral for my sister-in-laws father yesterday. I have to admit that I was a little taken aback. Ninety-eight percent of the service was devoted to a; get saved or end up in hell message. He heard next to nothing about the deceased. It seemed strange that there was nothing geared towards celebrating the man’s life. Is this common?

I went to a funeral.... Not I want a funeral.

Oh bother!!!!

Answer 1

It's a new trend. Imho, it should be kept very short and low-key. People come to honor and remember the deceased, not to get preached at. Still, the salvation of the loved ones is probably very dear to the deceased.

The deceased or his family probably asked for it, and I think their requests should be honored. However, I find a lengthy salvation message to be inappropriate.

I want a short message stating that they know I am in heaven, not because I was good, but because I believed in Jesus. Two minutes max; preferably one. Maybe a short sentence or two that i hope to meet all the attendees there, too, and they can be saved the same way. I want it there, and I think a SHORT message is appropriate, as it is about me.

Then on to other things. This current trend way overdoes it and, imho, is offensive, inappropriate, and takes advantage of others' care for the deceased. I hope Christians will tone it down.

As Jesus said: He who has an ear to hear, let him hear. Those who have an ear to hear will hear the short message; those who don't will just be offended by the lengthy message.

Answer 2

It really depends on what the family wants. The wife or children get a minister that they know or sometimes out of the phone book. The minister asks questions of the family about what the person was like and what type of service they would like. Some only was God mentioned very little while others want Him talked about allot.
If the person that died was a Christian then the minister will talk about that and hope that those who are not Christians will come to accept Christ at the funeral.

Answer 3

if that's the kind of minister that's giving the funeral service, i guess. the funerals i've been to, (which weren't given by a fundamentalist) usually included some kind of scripture or hopeful message about death or life that was for the attendees. it's for the people that survived the deceased. after all, the one in the coffin (or urn or whatever, my aunt is in a sun dial) is in a better place. (hopefully) it's the rest of us here that need hope.

Answer 4

Since funerals are for those left behind (the living), if the deceased was a Christian, and his family and friends want to see him or her again, the message is come to heaven, and here is the way to get there.

Answer 5

There are usually people in that service that will never come to any other service. They are thinking about death and what happens afterward.

There have been many times that I didn't dare talk about the person who had passed away; they were reprobates and lived and died in rebellion. I didn't point that out; I just told people to use this as an opportunity to prepare for their own passing.

Answer 6

The deceased probably requested it. If he was a Christian, he went to heaven, and he wanted as many of his family and friends as possible to go too. He probably wanted people to think about Christ more than himself.

Answer 7

Yes! The hope that lies beyond the grave is Christ. Otherwise, a funeral is just a solemn ritual.

Answer 8

I want mine to be, it was probably her choice.