Dust, Bones, & Sacred Stories

A debate that is raising global interest in the United Kingdom this month spurs an important question for us as followers of Christ: How do we honor the sacredness of human life, even in death?

Lawmakers and community leaders in the UK are calling for an end to the display and sale of human remains in museums. Among the remains are Egyptian mummies, Indigenous ancestral bones, and even tattooed heads, many taken during colonial rule and commonly treated as artifacts or curiosities. These displays have long caused distress to descendant communities, reducing once-living people to museum pieces and entertainment.

Genesis 1 reminds us that every human being is created in the image of God, and this sacred truth does not change with time, distance, or death. The way we treat human remains speaks to how seriously we take the dignity and worth of all people, especially those from marginalized communities whose ancestors were often taken without consent.

One museum leader described their decision to remove these remains from public view as part of a journey toward "rehumanizing" their collection. This idea of "rehumanizing" is an excellent reminder that our call as Christians is to see every person, past and present, through God’s eyes: with compassion and humility.

The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 2:3, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves." What might it look like to apply this wisdom not just to our neighbors today but to those who came before us as well? How might this impact many of the museums we have visited over the years?

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Afrikan-Reparations (APPG-AR) is a group made up of parliamentarians, campaigners, and community members that released a report last week calling for a ban on the sale and display of all ancestral remains. UK laws currently call for consent for the storage and use of human remains under 100 years old, and the APPG-AR report, titled "Laying Ancestors to Rest," outlines the distress caused in marginalized communities by British institutions that hold onto ancient ancestral remains, including Egyptian mummies. 
As this global conversation unfolds, may it stir us to humility -- acknowledging that we are but dust and breath, part of God’s grand creation. And may it renew our commitment to honoring all people and fully respecting the humanity God gifted to each of us.