The dying wife of a faculty member came to my classroom. She was in obvious pain. Ovarian cancer had ravaged her body, so it was not a question of if, but when. She told my students, “Do not pray for me to be cured. I am beyond that point now. Pray for me that I would have the grace and strength to die well in Christ.” That is death with dignity. She suffered to the end. She is not suffering now. I told my wife that I wanted to die like that–with grace, strength and courage.

Here is a Solomonesque riddle for you: when does death not die? Answer–when it is the Iowa “death with dignity” bill.

Technically, the bill did flatline during the past Iowa legislative session (it actually never made it out of subcommittee), but, and thanks in part to The Des Moines Register, statewide water coolers have been preoccupied with folks talking about death–the conversation is anything, but dead.

I had testified back on February 10, during a senate subcommittee meeting headed by Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City. He is the lead author of a bill titled, “Iowa Death with Dignity Act,” which has many of the bells and whistles of the mortiferous Oregon law enacted in 1997.

I had not come to the Capitol Building that Wednesday with the intention of addressing this particular subcommittee. I came as guest of The Family Leader, an organization that seeks to strengthen families, by inspiring Christ-like leadership in the home, the church, and the government. My task was simple: pray with and for our lawmakers and encourage them to be responsible civil magistrates as those appointed by God.

In listening to Senator Bolkcom introduce the bill and then invite response, I wondered if this was a hill to die on (no pun intended). This was a controversial bill that brought out passionate responses from a nurse, a former cancer patient, lobbyists (for and against), and others. I did not have a prepared statement in hand, but I spoke as one appointed by God to serve as a pastor.

Senator Bolkcom was gracious in allowing me the floor twice, and in the end he thanked me, but reminded the packed room that while he respects Iowans with strong religious convictions, all must keep in mind that such religious convictions are personal and not universally agreed upon.

He is absolutely right. My convictions are personal and they are religious. In fact, properly understood, all convictions are religious because all convictions arise out of some belief-system. What makes my convictions true is not because they are upheld by all (because they are not), but because they originate from God’s Word. These are not my fabricated opinions that are “true” just to me and perhaps to my colleagues at The Family Leader.

So, what is the connection with the “Iowa Death with Dignity Act” that died this session, but will no doubt be resurrected and presented in next year’s session?

First, as a pastor, I believe from God’s Word that until the Lord Jesus Christ ceases to tarry and come again, we will die. Some of us will die peacefully, and others will die violently. Some will give up their last breath while asleep, and others will battle the painful suffering of age and disease.

Folks can debate with me (however foolishly) about the existence of the one-only, living and true God, but they can never refute that all will age and all will die. The question that I pose is not will we face that last enemy death, but how do we die well?

Is it even possible to die well? The answer is, yes, and it is all about preparation. As the Apostle Paul states throughout his epistles, life is about living in and for Christ, and it is about preparing to meet Christ. You cannot do one without the other.

Second, I believe from God’s Word that the human person is a complete person with body and soul (Gen. 2:7; Num. 23:10; Deut. 6:5; 1 Thes. 5:23). This unity is severed only by death and then only temporarily until the natural, intended union is restored at the resurrection (2 Cor. 5:8; 1 Thes. 4:13-17).

Chuck Muether is a minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) and is Pastor of Hope Reformed Presbyterian Church in Pella, Iowa

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