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Dennis Sullivan, a physician and bioethicist, is director of the Center for Bioethics at Cedarville University in Ohio. He comments on bioethical news at BioEthics.com.

Brian Green had been the pastor of a small Baptist church for 12 years. He and his wife, Judy, were looking forward to their first grandchild. Then came the sudden news: Judy had stage four ovarian cancer. The prognosis was poor, but exploratory surgery and chemotherapy might extend her life by a year or more.

Judy was not interested. She rejected surgery or chemo, saying, "God is in control; I'm going to heaven."

Distraught over her decision, Brian came to me for advice. How should he respond?

From an ethics perspective, the answer was simple. Make sure that Judy did not have a treatable depression and that her decision-making capacity was intact. Ultimately, competent patients have the right to make their own decisions, including refusing treatment.

However, from a spiritual perspective, things are a bit more complex. First Corinthians 3:16-17 tells us that our bodies are God's temples and that God's Spirit dwells in us. We may not destroy God's temple, for it is sacred. The epistle later reminds us, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price" (6:19-20).

It is easy to say, "God is in control." But how does that guide us at the end of life? Paul gives a hint in his letter to the Philippians: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain …. I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith" (1:21-25).

So what is the key question?

Based on Paul's example, it is not, "How can I suffer as little as possible?" A better question would be, "How can I best minister to others in my final days on this earth?" And that ministry is surely relational.

Our relational ministry at the end of life may involve addressing unfinished business with friends and loved ones. Many who are suffering from a terminal illness worry about being a "burden" to their family. For most, family members would gladly bear this burden. In fact, they may feel hurt if deprived of that right. In the last days of life, our final ministry should be one of humility—practicing vulnerability and allowing others to care for us. Ultimately, we are preparing for heaven, and we become more and more like children as we prepare to meet our heavenly Father.

I was never able to share this perspective with Brian, and I'm not sure it would have made a difference; Judy passed away just four months after her diagnosis. But his dilemma gave me new insight into the deep meaning of the phrase, "God is in control."

Rob Moll is the author of The Art of Dying: Living Fully Into the Life to Come (InterVarsity).

Several years ago, I visited Chestnut Street Baptist Church in Camden, Maine. The small congregation gathered on a Sunday evening, heard the sermon of a dual vocation pastor, and then prayed.

The church is located in a former fishing village turned vacation spot for Bostonians, and these members were local Mainers who kept it alive. The congregation's prayer requests—in addition to travel mercies and health concerns—witnessed to Christ in a largely secular community. One of those prayer requests continues to ring in my ears. It was for a man who was suffering from cancer. His decision not to pursue curative treatment had shocked his family and his friends. He, however, sought to show them where his hope lay: not in his health or his longevity but in Jesus Christ, who has defeated death.

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July 2011, Vol. 55, No. 7, Page 64

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