Dying Well

Educating the Church at the Edges of Life

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

In 2015, while serving as President of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS), I took the opportunity in the annual presidential address to raise what I think are some of the most pressing issues facing the church today in medicine, particularly at the edges of life. What follows are thoughts adapted from my presentation.[1] In my experience, churches are undereducated when it comes to ethical issues raised by advances in medicine and technology, a neglect that is critical because these issues are not just academic ones but touch people’s lives in very tangible and deep ways.

Death and the Church, Part I

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

We live in a Western culture in which we find ourselves caught between two opposing secular medical responses to the reality of suffering and death: 1) Suffering and death are the ultimate human foes and must be fought—and conquered—at all costs (often resulting in the over-treatment of patients); or 2) Suffering produces a diminished “quality of life,” so death should be hastened (often resulting in the under-treatment of patients).

The Hope and Hype of Medicine and Technology

Monday, November 28, 2016

[T]he progress that has been made, combined with this hype of decontextualized and often exaggerated claims by the media, continue to fuel the hope of medicine and technology: “If we could only accomplish a little more . . . .” But more is never enough. And hope, commingled with the fear of death (Heb 2:15), can fuel an attitude of “taking and keeping” (the “agency”), one that grasps at and clings to the technological hope of immortality. From here one can easily (and subtly) fall prey to worshipping technology and progress as gods.

Dying with Dignity

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Bills to change the law to allow euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide continue to be presented to parliaments throughout the western world, on a wave of overwhelming public support for “the right to choose and have a dignified death.” While it is unlikely the debate will go away, we can still hope for a more honest one.

Death and the Church, Part II

Friday, February 10, 2017

Given our secular culture’s confusing responses to suffering and death—death is either the ultimate human foe to be conquered at any cost, or is preferable to a “diminished quality of life”—many believers are co-opting a worldview that runs contrary to historic Christianity. While we are most appreciative of the fine and informative work of ministries such as The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity, the “think tank” cannot replace the local parish as the center of Christian education. In other words, bioethics (especially issues of death and dying) must be mainstreamed from the academy to the pulpit and pew. This will obviously require a fair bit of intentionality.

A Biblical View on the Sanctity of Life, Part 2

Friday, February 24, 2017

In the 23 years since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), I have watched its most celebrated ideals erode and crumble under a double standard. I had the honor of serving on the National Council on Disability when the ADA became law, and ideally, it was intended to guarantee the basic rights of Americans with disabilities. Many saw the ADA as a law which would help move society beyond the premise that one is “better off dead than disabled.” I am amazed, however, at how much people’s fears of disability have eroded the most basic of human rights, especially now that so many more people are surviving disabling conditions. And when society’s fundamental fear of disability provides the framework to legislate policy, the outcome can only result in a double standard.

Death and the Church, Part III

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

I have intentionally titled this series, “Death and the Church.” Given the highly individualistic character of Western culture, many complex human issues are viewed as personal concerns to be dealt with in a manner that keeps friends, neighbors, and even family at a distance. The well-known expression “It is none of your business,” epitomizes an isolationism that has become a core value of American culture.

Dying Well—Jonathan Edwards

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

In Edwards’ early modern world, people usually died at home, spending their final days surrounded by friends and family. Evangelicals thought intently about the way that they should die. Deathbed scenes were public spectacles, remembered for posterity. They testified to the Christian faith and character of the deceased.[5] It should come as no surprise, then, that Edwards died surrounded by a group of close companions, people hanging on the words he whispered painfully to them through his contagious, swollen throat.

Death and the Church, Part IV

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

In our death-denying culture (including the evangelical church), it is very rare to hear sermons on Christ’s resurrection except at Easter. Even then, many messages tend to be apologetic in nature, namely, how the empty tomb vindicates Christ’s claims to deity. While I have heard many pastors sermonize on Paul’s “resurrection magnum opus” in 1 Corinthians 15, too little time has been spent on the extensive treatment that the Apostle gives to its implications for believers facing the reality of even untimely earthly death (cf. vv. 35–58).[3] This existential absence has, in my opinion, only exacerbated a secular-like trust in the achievements of modern medicine in the Christian community.

Thinking as Christians about Love, Compassion, and Suffering at the End of Life

Thursday, July 18, 2019

As I have reflected on those conversations, two aspects stand out: 1) their questions represent the public, secular views about death and dying popularized in American culture; and 2) they were more interested in avoiding physical pain than in thinking Christianly about the problem. I want to briefly describe the view they seem to have absorbed, and the consequences we already see from legalization of both euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS).

The Good Death in Antiquity and the Middle Ages | Part 1

Monday, January 13, 2020

In older Christian books on moral theology or ethics, the usage of the term euthanasia was common. However, these works interpret it in a fashion entirely different from how it is currently employed. The word euthanasia is a Greek composite term (eû + thánatos) meaning nothing but “good death,” “beautiful death,” or “pleasant death.” Accordingly, older Christian textbooks presented “euthanasia” as a Christian preparation for death. But what exactly was meant by that?

The Good Death during the Reformation and Modernism | Part 2

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Only four years after the publication of Staupitz’ book, Martin Luther also authored a writing on the good death: Ein Sermon von der Bereitung zum Sterben (“A sermon on the preparation for death”). Unlike Staupitz, who called for a mystical imitation of Christ’s death, Luther emphasized the connection between Christ and a Christian which is established solely through faith in the forgiveness of sins on the basis of Christ’s complete work on the cross. Christians have a living hope beyond death because of the righteousness of God which was established on Golgotha. It is from this perspective that Luther answers of what constitutes a good death.[1]

Preparing for a Good Death Today | Part 3

Friday, March 6, 2020

Preparing for a good death in a society which focuses on the temporal world is not easy for a Christian. On the contrary: it is a struggle. Professionals attempt to relieve the dying from pain, to feed him artificially, and to give him breath with a ventilator. While it is commendable that medical advances are utilized, a tension may arise between the necessary medical procedures and the need for counseling at the end of life. For instance, in order to pray with the dying Christian, to read Scripture with him, and to talk to him about the imminent journey in a confident manner, undisturbed privacy is necessary.

Talking about Death in the Midst of Pandemic

Friday, December 4, 2020

In a previous article in this forum, I wrote about how COVID-19 could serve as a jumping-off point for raising issues of bioethics in the church, issues that extend far beyond the current pandemic. Two examples I gave were of issues related to vaccines/public health and healthcare disparities. However, there is another topic that is just as easily raised and is perhaps even more pressing for the church today: facing death.

Embracing the Art of Dying in the Church Today

Friday, January 29, 2021

In this essay, I want to provide some practical ways in which Christians can approach the end of their lives both individually and as a believing community. Some of these will be relatively easy to implement; others will both require and lead to drastic changes in our thinking. Once again, these recommendations are largely drawn from Rob Moll’s excellent book The Art of Dying: Living Fully into the Life to Come.[1]

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