Baptizing the Dead or Burying the Baptized: The Need to Recover the Link Between Baptism and the Funeral
by Rebecca Spellacy,B.A, M.A, ThD, ABD. Trinity College.
The Episcopal Church’s funeral liturgy wants to locate the funeral in the context of Easter, of the Paschal Mystery. While much can and has been made of that link, there is another, equally as important link that is made in the liturgy, that is the link between the baptism of a Christian and their funeral. This is based on the claim that the body of the departed has worth because of baptism. This presentation will argue that the way to address this situation is to highlight the liturgical link between baptism, the Paschal Mystery, and the funeral and to view them as a liturgical triplet.
