On a February day in 2008, Forrest Church sent a letter to the members of his congregation, informing them that he had terminal cancer; his life would now be measured in months, not years. In that remarkable letter, he wrote: "In more than one respect, I feel very lucky." He went on to promise that he would sum up his thoughts on the topics that had been so pervasive in his work-love and death-in a final book. Church has been justly celebrated as a writer of American history, but his works of spiritual guidance have been especially valued for their insight and inspiration. As a minister, Church defined religion as "our human response to the dual reality of being alive and having to die." The goal of life, he tells us "is to live in such a way that our lives will prove worth dying for." This last book in his impressive oeuvre is imbued with ideas and exemplars for achieving that goal. The stories he offers-drawn from his own experiences and from the lives of his friends, family, and parishioners-are both engrossing and enlightening. Forrest Church's final work may be his most lasting gift to his readers.
Author(s): Forrest Church
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 160
Love & Death......Page 4
Contents
......Page 8
Introit......Page 10
Part I: The Journey......Page 14
1. A Life That Did Know Death......Page 16
2. The Death of a Friend......Page 20
3. Father and Son......Page 25
4. My Teachers......Page 34
5. Lifelines and Lifecraft......Page 45
6. Trapdoors......Page 55
7. Attending Our Own Funerals......Page 63
8. Bringing God Home......Page 70
9. September 11 and the Sacrament of Grief......Page 73
10. Love, Death, and Easter......Page 82
Part II: The Destination......Page 88
11. The Diagnosis......Page 90
12. Bedside Manners......Page 98
13. Unfinished Business......Page 102
14. Beating the Odds......Page 111
15. Words to Live By......Page 119
16. The Death Sentence......Page 127
17. Where Is God?......Page 131
18. Life after Death......Page 139
19. Saying Goodbye......Page 144
20. Love after Death......Page 149
A Closing Prayer......Page 154
Acknowledgments......Page 157
