The early Christians lived countercultural lives that got the attention of the Roman Empire. Aristides argued in 125 AD in his apology to the emperor Hadrian that Christians were the empire’s best citizens. But they didn’t just live better . . . they also died better. They died well and their deaths were powerful apologies for their faith. But what does it mean to “die well”? Barring the return of Christ, death comes for all of us. Your death will in fact be your final apology for your faith, for either good or bad, to a lost, darkening and dying world. You are not in control of the day of your death; God is (Psalm 139:16). But you can control how well you die. Unfortunately, our culture, and much of the church, has forgotten how to die well. Timothy Paul Jones, the  apologetics professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wisely said, “For 19 centuries after the church was born, sex was private and death was public. In the mid-20 century, we flipped it with sex becoming public and death becoming private.” A study by the National Institute of Health shows that those with religious beliefs are 4 times more likely to die alone in an ICU. Dr. John Wyatt, MD writes, “It seems sadly ironic that the effect of Christian convictions about miraculous healing can lead unintentionally to death in an intensive care unit, sedated or anaesthetized, surrounded by machinery and cared for by anonymous professionals–above all, tragically isolated from loved ones and all the possible sources of human and spiritual consolation.”

What are the keys for a Christian to die well? For those in the local Huntsville area, I will be offering an 8-week class, Mar 25 – May 13 2026, entitled “The Art Of Dying Well”. The class will meet every Wed from 6:15-7:15 PM, for 8 weeks, at Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville. There is no cost. In Jan, I will post a link where interested people can sign up for the class. Join us as we relearn the lost art of dying well.