For the celebrity, John Kennedy, Jr., his wife, and her sister, the funeral ceremonies in several Catholic Churches were well attended and received world coverage. People lined the streets outside the Churches, and along the curb near the residence of the young Kennedys. Even some reporters (Dan Rather and Barbara Walters were the best known) permitted their own public tears and addressed the dead John Kennedy in heaven – united there with his mother especially). They seemed to believe he could hear what they had to say. Their words were gracious and assuring for the memory of young Kennedy, and for family members preceding him. Those persons were declared to be somewhere on the Elysian Fields. If we were to review the death of Princess Diana, and the claims made for her, our story would reflect another tale for what the public does in the deaths of popular celebrities in entertainment and public service.
In all, God is made remote to the greater part of the population. Not much is said of any consequence about God, except in Church or religious institutions. God makes a special meaning for mankind. Implication seems to be that either he was playing golf (as one person put it) or something is wrong about God’s interest in mankind. Perhaps folks are religious at this point simply because there is nothing else to do or say that is comforting in the face of death – for friends and family. Not much is said about any serious spiritual devotion of the deceased. God is nevertheless somewhat invoked by those who may give little attention to God in real life. Man adjusts for a few days to some spiritual idealism. The genuine spiritual ceremony is dying out for masses of families, in favor of a celebration of the life of a loved one. Increasingly funerals are separated from spiritual orthodoxy. We may begin to feel that religious jags will be over soon and the bereaved will be will be thinking about income taxes, and political candidates cranking up for the elections. (Currently they are already active, especially in the money raising phase of campaigning.)
There have been great spiritual movements in history that caused significant Christian revival. Some historians believe the history of England was changed by the Wesleyan revivals. They saved England from the kind of blood bath found in France, when both countries moved toward more democratic procedures. The Great Awakening in the United States led by Jonathan Edwards as its remarkable spokesman is reported in some history books as entirely genuine, and the Finney revivals in the century following, led to extensive improvements in society, including the move toward freedom born in the Revolutionary War. The Finney revivals helped change the face of America impacting lives leading to women’s rights, to alcohol control, to anti-slavery, and several other social improvements. During the Civil War, a revival arose among the Confederate Soldiers that helped end the civil strife. Hymns were sung around campfires by soldiers who would kill and be killed the next day. The central theme of the revivals was Jesus Christ and the story of redemption, and the practical fallout from that preaching was social improvement. The standards of repentance, personal life-change and the identity of the Savior were clear. Church, and church institutions, like colleges and hospitals, were enlarged and supported.
There are fewer of the ingredients and results of these past revivals in the current religious movements. Currently, general media religious observations sound more like the ways to repair the Y2K problems than to meet the Lord of men’s souls; more like finding tranquility in a world of troubled human beings who are marginalized or do not have anything to do with spiritual hope. The people cannot understand why there is so little peace and joy in natural wealth. Violence, sex, drugs from alcohol to crack, grossness and self-interest seem not to have been moderated currently by any religious emphasis. Genuineness in revival may be expected to show in growth of faith and prayer, in improvement of personal lives, in the greater concern for others, especially for those who can do little for themselves. Considerable literature has emerged about helping needy persons in the world, but it is only marginally related to the Christian concept as service to God, so the effort may be temporary. Addressed in one area, a greater need arises in another. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020