No Mention

What's Missing From Modern Obituaries

I've been reading obituaries lately. Not because I'm morbid, but because I find them fascinating. They're a kind of compressed biography — a final summary of a life, written in the days immediately after death, when the people who loved someone most are trying to capture who that person was.

And I've noticed something. Something that used to be common in obituaries that is increasingly absent. Something that, to me, speaks volumes about where we are as a culture.

There's no mention of faith.

What Obituaries Used to Say

For most of American history, obituaries routinely mentioned the deceased's faith. They noted church membership, denominational affiliation, years of service in ministry or lay leadership. They spoke of a person's hope in Christ, their confidence in the resurrection, their trust in God's promises.

These weren't just formalities. They were genuine expressions of how people understood their lives and their deaths. Faith was central to identity. It shaped how people lived and how they died.

What Obituaries Say Now

Today, obituaries are more likely to mention hobbies, career achievements, and favorite sports teams than faith. The language of resurrection has been replaced by the language of "passing" and "moving on." References to heaven are vague and non-committal — "he's in a better place" — without any theological content.

I'm not saying this to judge anyone. I understand that families write obituaries in grief, and they write what feels true to them. If faith wasn't central to a person's life, it would feel dishonest to make it central to their obituary.

But that's exactly the point. For many people today, faith isn't central to their lives. And the obituaries reflect that.

A Gentle Call

I want to gently call us back. Back to Jesus. Back to community. Back to the things that will matter most when we reach the end of our lives.

When your obituary is written, what will it say? What will be mentioned? What will be missing?

I hope that when my time comes, the people who knew me best will have plenty to say about my faith. Not because I was perfect, but because Jesus was central — to my life, my ministry, my marriage, my family, and my hope.