The good funeral : death, grief, and the community of care / Thomas G. Long, Thomas Lynch.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-245) and index.

Why we do this. How we come to be the ones we are / Thomas Lynch -- Falling into ministry, learning about death / Thomas G. Long -- Caring for the dead. Humanity 101 / Thomas Lynch -- Habeas corpus ... not / Thomas G. Long -- Funeral directors and clergy. Our own worst enemies / Thomas Lynch -- Funeral directors : who needs them? / Thomas G. Long -- The funeral. The theory and practice of cremation / Thomas Lynch -- A sense of movement, a sense of meaning, a sense of hope : the good funeral / Thomas G. Long -- The grieving. Grief and the search for meaning / Thomas G. Long -- All saints, all souls : a coda / Thomas Lynch.

Two of the most authoritative voices on the funeral industry come together here in one volume to discuss the current state of the funeral. Through their different lenses -- one as a preacher and one as a funeral director -- Thomas G. Long and Thomas Lynch alternately discuss several challenges facing "the good funeral," including the commercial aspects that have led many to be suspicious of funeral directors, the sometimes tense relationship between pastors and funeral directors, the tendency of modern funerals to exclude the body from the service, and the rapid growth in cremation. The book features forewords from Patrick Lynch, President of the National Funeral Directors Association, and Barbara Brown Taylor, highly praised author and preacher. It is an essential resource for funeral directors, morticians, and pastors, and anyone else interested in current funeral practices. -- Publisher

Electronic resource.

English.

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