This collection of essays is for all people involved in Christian ministry to dying, dead or bereaved people.

Many modern studies of death fail to address the contemporary context of funerals and ignore the scholarly and professional studies which would enhance their practical value.

Within the Christian Churches and beyond, public attitudes to death and to funeral practice have changed significantly; academic studies on human mortality and the disposal of the dead have mushroomed; and several ethical issues concerning human mortality have both dominated headlines and engaged Government and legal attention.

Given this context, it is time for an entirely new book of essays that assesses developments over the last ten years and presents them in a way that will engage, inform and equip Christians for facing dying, death, bereavement, funerals and memorialization.

The sections in the book include: the context of funeral ministry today, modern dying and modern bereavement, the theology of death, modern practices of cremation and burial, liturgical developments and regional perspectives on funeral practice.