The Art of Dying: Living Fully into the Life to Come [Paperback]

Rob Moll (Author), Lauren Winner (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 14, 2010

How now shall we die?

Death will come to us all, but most of us live our lives as if death does not exist. People are living longer than ever, and medicine has made dying more complicated, more drawn out and more removed from the experience of most people. Death is partitioned off to hospital rooms, separated from our daily lives. Most of us find ourselves at a loss when death approaches. We don't know how to die well.

Rob Moll recovers the deeply Christian practice of dying well. For centuries Christians have prepared for the "good death" with particular rituals and spiritual disciplines that have directed the actions of both the living and the dying. In this well-researched and pastorally sensitive book, Moll provides insight into death and dying issues with in-person reporting and interviews with hospice workers, doctors, nurses, bioethicists, family members and spiritual caregivers. He weighs in on bioethical and medical issues and gives guidance for those who care for the dying as well as for those who grieve.

This book is a gentle companion for all who face death, whether one's own or that of a loved one. Christians can have confidence that because death is not the end, preparing to die helps us truly live.

Editorial Reviews

Review

I hope people will read this book. I hope we will let Rob Moll´s insights help us become communities where people can reckon with, rather than dodge, death." --Lauren Winner, author, professor Duke Divinity School, from foreword

"It has often been said that medicine is both science and art. So much of a physician's training, however, is devoted to the science part, leaving precious little time for the art. As both a bioethicist and a physician, I fall prey to the same imbalance, teaching the technical and philosophical approaches to end-of-life ethics, but never teaching my patients or my students how to die. Rob Moll's book wonderfully accomplishes this task, with clarity, compassion and hope. This volume should be on the shelf of every pastor, nursing-home volunteer, layleader, and anyone caring for a dying friend or relative. It is all about living with eternity in mind." (Dennis M. Sullivan, M.D., M.A., director, Center for Bioethics, Cedarville University)

"The Art of Dying takes the fear out of dying and replaces it with rich models of dying well. Drawn from a broad spectrum of historical, theological, bioethical, social and practical resources, interlaced with captivating narrative, The Art of Dying paints a vision of what dying and grieving with the Christian community has looked like--and once again should look like. While it is particularly relevant for every Christian who will die, other mortals will benefit from reading over our shoulders." (Paige Comstock Cunningham, J.D., executive director, The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity)

"We, the church, need to recover the art of dying. . . . I hope that people will read this book--and talk about it, and take inspiration from it. I hope we will let Rob Moll's insights help us become communities where people can reckon with, rather than dodge, death." (from the foreword by Lauren Winner, assistant professor of Christian spirituality, Duke Divinity School, author, Girl Meets God)

"Dying has for many today, like sex in the nineteenth century, become the great unmentionable. But this brave, realistic, well-researched and well-digested book restores the 'good death,' as the climax of faithful discipleship, to the Christian radar screen. On going home to God, and helping others on the same journey, what is said here is excellent from every point of view." (J. I. Packer, professor of theology, Regent College, author, Knowing God)

"This book is urgently needed by many churches and individuals who don't help their members or loved ones to die well. Rob Moll reminds Christians not to be afraid of their own deaths. His numerous ideas also teach us how to accompany other people to their deaths. I pray this book will enable many congregations to develop new practices and programs for the elderly and their caretakers." (Marva J. Dawn, author of Being Well When We're Ill, My Soul Waits and In the Beginning, GOD)

"Every seminarian and parish minister should read this book. Rob Moll recovers the Christian tradition's lost teaching on preparing for death. He then offers theologically sound guidance for families and clergy as they serve the dying and then honor their legacy. Indispensable." (David Neff, editor-in-chief and vice president, Christianity Today Media Group)

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books (May 14, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830837361
• ISBN-13: 978-0830837366
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #238,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rob Moll is an award-winning journalist and editor-at-large with Christianity Today. He has written extensively on health and health-care issues, investing and personal finance, religion and rural America. His work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Profitable Investing, Books & Culture and Leadership. He has also served as a hospice volunteer.
Connect with Rob on his website, robmoll.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A VITAL Book - A MUST Read June 29, 2010

By A. Morgan

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

As someone who reads a lot (and I mean a lot), in the midst of the bad and average books there are some good ones. The rarity is a GREAT book. This is a GREAT book. By GREAT I mean a book which is so well written, on a topic which is important that people just have to read it. Because of the subjective nature of reading it is somewhat perilous for a reviewer to declare a book to be a future classic. However I do feel that this will be a classic.

This book tackles the most difficult and avoided of subjects - death and dying. But this is a vital book to read. Moll challenges us to think about the art of dying - an art which has been lost of the last century and a half. For Christians, we must be preparing for death in the midst of our life. Running the race, glorifying God, deep spirituality is a LIFE LONG process - not just in terms of every part of our lives, but in terms of length. Scripture says we need to persevere to the end; finish the race. Dying well is a part of our Christian walk and spiritual journey.

Too many people do not die well. They pursue anything which will give them more life, even if that is a few weeks more. Medical intervention and medical science has created a culture by which there can ALWAYS be something more to be done, another machine, another tube to keep you alive. However Moll challenges us to think about when we should say "No - no more intervention - no more drastic treatment, it's time to go home, speak with my family and prepare for death."

Death and dying is one of the most intense spiritual experiences. We must learn to prepare for it. This book is filled with wonderful pastoral insight and wisdom as well as stories and illustrations from the medical and hospice worlds.

Who should read this book? Firstly ALL Christians should read this book and, regardless of age - 20, 30, 50, 60 - we should begin to prepare for dying - for we never know when we may encounter death. Secondly all pastors should have copies on hand. I have already given two copies away. Moll challenges pastors to be far more proactive in speaking and helping those who are dying. Too often we can enter a room of a parishioner who is terminally ill and not know what to say or how to act. We pastors need to begin to discern when it is right challenge people to stop the striving for more treatments which will, at most, squeeze out a few extra weeks or months of life, and encourage them to begin to prepare spiritually and mentally to meet the living God of the Universe. Thirdly, family members of people dying must read this book. It will give them a (spiritual) hope as well as the confidence to begin to face the death of their dearest loved one in a way which will help them after their loved one has died.

This is a GREAT book. An important book. Highly Recommended.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Dying as a Spiritual Journey September 10, 2010

By James Kang

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

In "The Art of Dying," Rob Moll gently invites us to come face to face with the reality of death, both of our own and that of our loved ones. With increasing life expectancy and the availability of aggressive medical intervention, we are conditioned to think that death can be postponed, and we no longer understand what it means to die well. This book is a gentle invitation to face what is inevitable so that we might live more fully as humans bearing the image of God.

Moll takes what could have been a morbid subject and transforms it into a deeply spiritual journey. Death is a "spiritual event" that requires preparation, and as Christians, we are to prepare for death in ways that witness to the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether we are struggling with our own mortality, or caring for a sick or an elderly person, this book will help us to be better prepared for the journey ahead.

The first part of the book opens with a brief sketch of history about how we've lost the ancient spiritual discipline of ars moriendi (the art of dying) and how we no longer understand what it means to die as believers. This historical perspective helps us see how vital it is to recover the lost discipline of ars moriendi.

The middle part of the book is filled with practical wisdom on various aspects of dying, such as caring for the dying, having conversations with caregivers, planning for the funeral, and the process of grieving and mourning. Moll weaves stories from his personal experiences and interviews with the dying and those caring for the dying, always pointing us to the transcendent light that never goes out. There is so much wisdom to be gleaned here.

One of the strengths of this book is the pervasive presence of the community and the church throughout the discussion. Dying is not meant to be solitary confinement, but a spiritual journey together with the community of faith. The loss of a person wounds the community deeply, but it also has transforming power on the community. On numerous occasions, Moll testifies how witnessing a person dying well can be a life changing experience for those in the community.

Toward the end of the book, Moll focuses on living in light of the resurrection. It is ultimately a hopeful book. By preparing to die well, we live well in the present. In the end, it is really about living--"living fully into the life to come," the subtitle of the book. Moll challenges the elderly to live out their faith to the fullest and rethink their vision of retirement. The church should also reach out to the elderly and incorporate them into the life of the congregation even as they approach the entrance to the eternal light.

I find this book to be a beautiful integration of theology and praxis. The study guide at the end of the book encourages the reader to move from mere reading to personal reflection and action. The questions in the study guide are also very useful for group discussions.

The book is organized well, written clearly, and is easy to follow. The topic certainly is not something easy to write about, but Moll writes with grace and humility of a person for whom death is not merely someone else's dilemma but his own. This book is a compassionate, yet prophetic voice to the Church. I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone facing their own mortality, whether young or old, anyone caring for dying family members, relatives, and friends, and anyone in the vocation of healthcare.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read July 13, 2010

By Patti Chadwick VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

et's face it, no one likes to talk about dying. It is a sensitive subject that we broach only when forced to. Author Rob Moll does a wonderful job discussing how to face death: our own and that of those we love. It is well-written and very relevant to today's culture. Being written from the Christian perspective it radiates hope that brings comfort while encouraging us to learn how to prepare for this inevitable event. The book is peppered with stories and illustrations as well, which help to make this a must read, even though the subject may be difficult to face.