CTS 'Forum' Focus: Death and Dying

A firstperson account of a seminary professor's brush with death, what happens after we die, and a look at bereavement and grieving by a couple who lost their spouses in the 1990s are among the topics addressed in the latest issue of Calvin Theological Seminary's quarterly magazine "The Forum."

Titled "Death and Dying," the Spring 2010 issue of the publication has the striking image of a cemetery cross and a tombstone banked by flowers on the front.

"The Bible teaches us many things about death. One of them is that death is an enemy. It's why we don’t want to do it," writes Rev. Cornelius Plantinga, president of CTS in an introductory letter in the issue. "But the Bible also teaches us that death is a conquered enemy…We will die, but not as those who have no hope."

Rev. Ron Nydam, professor of pastoral care, writes of his own experience with a form of leukemia – the shock of the diagnosis, the agony of the treatments, the fear of what could happen and the support he experienced from students and others. He writes, in part: “Facing the challenge of dying includes facing the biggest questions of living… Services of worship are one of the things that simply mean more.”

In this issue, Rev. John Cooper, professor of philosophical theology, addresses a small boy’s question: What happens when we die? In his essay, he writes: "The Bible does not reveal what dying is like, or what the blessed dead experience in heaven with Christ … But it tells us all we need to know. It assures us that we have nothing to fear and everything to anticipate with joy."

Rev. Robert DeVries, professor emeritus of Church Education at CTS, and Susan J. Zonnebelt-Smeenge, a clinical psychologist, have written books on the topic of grief and bereavement. Both experienced the death of their first spouse in the 1990s and have been married to each other for 12 years. They discuss "Growing through Grief" in their article, which is arranged in a question and answer format.

In one answer, Robert DeVries says that they often "suggest that pastors and other caregivers help the dying person and family talk about what they think and feel about dying and tell each other what they've valued and appreciated in their relationship."

Also in this issue, Rev. Calvin Van Reken, professor of moral theology at CTS, takes on the topic of euthanasia and how many people in society today lack a solid moral perspective when looking at and dealing with the death and dying of a loved one.

Rev. Scott Hoezee, director of the Center for Excellence in Preaching, offers reflections on a "theology of death." Hoezee uses the text from 1 Corinthians to address "why death is not a wall, but a door, and what God’s plan is for getting us through it."

In his article, he says that the modern mortician has the job of making the dead look "reasonably OK." But, he says, "it’s not make-up or rose-colored lights that give us hope for this loved one's future. .. as Christians we proclaim the reality of that future."

To read, the latest issue of "The Forum" visit: www.calvinseminary.edu/pubs/forum/?pNav=current.