As a healthcare worker and more importantly as part of humanity, I was struck by Glen E. Miller MD’s very personal and powerful book entitled Living Thoughtfully, Dying Well: A Doctor Explains How To Make Death A Natural Part Of Life. A book that is written particularly for the elderly or chronically ill and their families, it is full of helpful advice and practical steps to prepare for a “good death”.[1] In an age where “70 % of patients say they want to die at home, yet only 40% do so”,[2] the author places a lot of emphasis on the importance of intentionality in preparing for a successful transition to the next life.[3] Within the book the author includes thought provoking exercises for reflection, links to on line resources, and other helpful charts and checklists; including the one he himself created and used in order to be well prepared for his own good death.
As the book begins, the author describes his qualifications for writing such a book:
(1) As a physician, I cared for dying patients. (2) As a hospital administrator and author of a book on the subject, I understand the workings of the healthcare system. (3) As a patient, I experienced the need to make far-reaching and urgent medical decisions under the stress of uncertainty and time limitations. (4) With a degree in theology, I recognize dying as a spiritual event- more so than a physical, emotional, social or psychological one.[4]
This book addresses practical concerns, such as creating Advanced Directives and appointing a Power of Attorney for Health Care Decisions, without neglecting the essentials of being spiritually and relationally prepared for a good death. Personal reflections of the author, who himself is anticipating the end of his life due to his failing cardiac health, as well as numerous stories and conversations that he relays throughout the book, make it a honest and intimate reading experience. It is a resource which is equally as useful for personal reflection as it would be for group teaching and discussion. I highly recommend this book as essential reading for all who have come to an awareness of their own mortality.[5]
(As full disclosure, I was given this review copy of Living Thoughtfully, Dying Well with the purpose of having it reviewed publicly on my blog. I am not receiving any funds and there is no expectation of necessarily receiving a positive review. These are the honest thoughts of the reviewer.)
[1] Miller, Living Thoughtfully, Dying Well, 135.
[2] Ibid., 57.
[3] Ibid., 137.
[4] Ibid., 14.
[5] Ibid., 19.
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Published by Drew G. I. Hart, PhD
Drew G. I. Hart is a theology professor in the Biblical & Religious Studies department at Messiah College with ten years of pastoral experience. Hart majored in Biblical Studies at Messiah College as an undergraduate student, he attained his M.Div. with an urban concentration from Missio Seminary in Philadelphia, and he received his Ph.D. in theology and ethics from Lutheran Theological Seminary-Philadelphia. Drew was born and raised in Norristown, Pa and has lived extensively in Philadelphia and Harrisburg, PA as well.
Dr. Hart’s dissertation research explored how Christian discipleship, as framed by Black theologies and contemporary Anabaptist theologies, gesture the Church towards untangling the forces of white supremacy and the inertia of western Christendom which have plagued its witness in society for too long. As two traditions that emerged from the underside of violent and oppressive western Christian societies, he found Black theology and Anabaptism each repeatedly turning to the particularity of Jesus in the gospel narratives. From that arises an ethic of solidarity with the oppressed and pursuing liberation in Black theology and an ethic of radical peacemaking and ecclesial nonconformity in the Anabaptist tradition. Each challenge the violent and oppressive logics of mainstream western Christianity and salvage the call to follow the way of Christ. Together in dialogue they deepen our analysis of the churches failures and the need for Jesus-shaped repentance.
His work beyond teaching and writing has included pastoring in Harrisburg and Philadelphia, working for an inner-city afterschool program for black and brown middle school boys, delivering lectures and leading anti-racism workshops, collaborating with local faith-based organizers and activists in his city, and doing a broad range of public theology. He is also a co-leader for a local Harrisburg faith-based relational network called FREE Together which has collaborated with POWER Interfaith, MILPA, the Shut Down Berks Detention Center movement, and a little with the Poor People’s Campaign.
Trouble I’ve Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism by Drew Hart, has received great reviews by Publisher’s Weekly and Englewood Review of Books. Endorsing this resource, Shane Claiborne said, “This book is a gift from the heart of one of the sharpest young theologians in the United States. Hold it carefully, and allow it to transform you--and our blood-stained streets.” As a text, Trouble I’ve Seen utilizes personal and everyday stories, Jesus-shaped theological ethics, and anti-racism frameworks to transform the church’s understanding and social witness. Trouble I’ve Seen focuses on white supremacy as an overarching framework for understanding racism, with careful attention to its systemic and socializing dimensions. However, unlike sociology textbooks on the subject Dr. Hart also considers the subversive vocation of Jesus and the nonviolent yet revolutionary implications his life ought to have for his followers today.
His newest book project is entitled Who Will Be a Witness?: Igniting Activism for God’s Justice, Love, and Deliverance and will be published September 1, 2020. Who Will Be A Witness? invites the church to liberate its centuries long captivity to supremacist practices, and to expand its restricted political imagination in view of Jesus’ messianic reign. The book guides disciples of Jesus into joining God’s delivering presence through scriptural reasoning, historical reflection, practical theology for congregational life, social change theory, and the Christian call to love our neighbor. It is written for congregations, leaders, and students that understand that pursuing God’s justice goes way beyond waiting around for electoral seasons to come around. It is about the ongoing vocation of the Church right now, at the grassroots level, seeking after the wellbeing of their neighbors through faithful, strategic, and concrete action.
Drew recently joined the Inverse Podcast team serving as a cohost along with Australian peace activist Jarrod Mckenna. Together they interview interesting people and explore how scripture can turn our ethical imagination and the violent and unjust systems of our world upside-down, which contrasts with interpreting the Bible as a tool for the status quo.
Dr. Drew Hart was the recipient of bcmPEACE’s 2017 Peacemaker Award, a 2019 W.E.B. Dubois Award from a Disciples of Christ congregation, and in October 2019, Dr. Hart was chosen as Elizabethtown College’s 2019 Peace Fellow. Each award recognized him for his local and national justice work and public theology. You can find Drew Hart on Twitter and Facebook, or you can catch him as he travels and speaks regularly across the country to colleges, conferences, and churches. Drew and Renee, and their three boys (Micah, Dietrich, and Vincent) live in Harrisburg, PA and attend Harrisburg First Church of the Brethren.
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