Reflections on the Kennedy Funeral
— Saturday, August 29th, 2009 —
There’s much to be admired about the funeral of the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy today. An amazing crowd gathered to honor the man’s epic life, a crowd that included four presidents, hundreds of Members of Congress, and dignitaries of business, labor, journalism, and religion.
Even so, the funeral homily and the litany offered by family members ought to sadden us, if we hear what was being said.
The homily offered spoke much about the kingdom of God, but the kingdom was defined in an impoverished, politicized way. And the kingdom just happened to line up with Sen. Kennedy’s legislative career. The words about the kingdom, frozen as they were in the partisan debates of our little blip of history, didn’t communicate the transcendence offered by the Basilica itself.
USA Today said this afternoon that my disappointment (posted on my Twitter account) was “vitriolic” compared to the “hope” offered at the funeral itself. I’m willing to be corrected, but I see neither vitriol nor hope here. Is it “vitriolic” to say that the vision of the kingdom held by the church through the ages (Catholic/Orthodox/Protestant) is more than legislation, more than politics, more than human accomplishment?
It’s as though the vision of the kingdom offered at the Basilica were written by Nicodemus, before his night-time conversation with our Lord Jesus. This isn’t unique to the Kennedy family. It’s the way almost all of us are prone to view the kingdom, the gospel, the Christian faith.
This isn’t a Catholic/Protestant divide. I’ve heard many, many Baptist preachers do the same thing at a celebrity funeral. This is true even when the “celebrity” is just the kind of small-pond “celebrity” of the furniture store owner who happens to be the wealthiest man in a tiny hamlet.
It’s not a conservative/liberal divide either. The Religious Right establishment often confuses the kingdom with a set of legislative goals just as surely as does the Left. There are many churches and ministries whose kingdom litanies would sound just like the Kennedy funerals, except on the other side of the legislative docket.
Church leaders had the opportunity to give the Kennedy family, and the rest of the onlookers, the opportunity to hear something we all need to hear: the gospel is bigger than politics, bigger than history, and bigger than one man, even this man’s, life.
They didn’t, and that’s sad. When given the chance to preach the kingdom, all we heard was Camelot. That’s not enough for hurting people anywhere, not even for the Kennedys.
Well said, Dr. Moore! Shame on the liberal media for misconstruing your words and intentions…the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only comfort we have when facing death. I admire your willingness to share the truth at the cost of public persecution - stay tough, my dear brother!
Love in Christ,
Ed Goodman
Matthew 5:11-12
Dr. Moore,
I re-tweeted your tweet in the spirit that I believe it was given - that the kingdom of God had been presented in a very half-hearted fashion that only tells half the story. You tweeted this before the individual prayers were offered by the Kennedy offspring. The prayers offered could be better described as petitions to the audience to support a particular world view, and thus supporting a political platform, rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To me, this was the most disheartening portion. That God cares for the poor is without question - that we should to is as well. But that should not have been the message of this funeral service.
I am reminded of my uncle’s funeral where the clergy man’s highlight was on what a wonderful man my uncle was and how Revelation 20 talks about the Book of Life and how my uncle wrote his own book. The clergy man stopped reading just short of where the Bible says in Rev. 20:15: “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire”, and rather went straight to the new heaven and new earth of Rev. 21. Rev. 20:15 is the part that seems to have gone missing here as well.
I do not know Ted Kennedy’s heart. I cannot and do not want to pronounce God’s judgment on his life. He was certainly a man who shaped America - whether for good or for bad needs to remain every observer’s call. But I would hope that the message of the Gospel would not be used to support anyone’s politics at a funeral, but rather it would be spoken to awaken people to where their salvation comes from - definitely not from any worldly government, but from God alone.
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
- Psalm 1:1-2
Blessings,
Elke Speliopoulos
I don’t know that USA Today was referring to you. As of 4:30pm CST, the article references “Rev. Russell Moore, a Bapist from Louisville…”
If they think he’s tough, they should meet the Baptist from Louisville.
(Here’s a screen capture to prove it - http://twitpic.com/fr3c1)
Dr. Moore,
While I don’t disagree with your statements in the least, I would have to wonder if the timing was wrong. Perhaps this is one draw back of our electronic age. We can see a wrong and comment on it before we ought. Just a thought.
Blessings,
Scottg