To my knowledge, Jesus’ act of commending himself to God on the cross, a rejection of a “preservation of biological life at all costs" mentality has not been used as a foundational hermeneutic for an accessible theological resource on end of life care. Scripture clearly states that of the three persons being crucified on Golgatha, Jesus did not hold on to his life at all costs; he commended his life to God and let go. He was the first to die. Christians need to claim this Christological resource as a means of faithfully refusing aggressive treatment, in order to undertake the practices of prayer, commendation, and caring for family, and being cared for by others. Caring for the sick and vulnerable has been one of Christianity's central concerns since the ministry of Jesus. However, neither Christians or Christian physicians seem to now see "letting go" as a faithful option. In fact, quantitative studies of religiously active Christian physicians shows that the deeper their religious commitments, the more likely they are to recommend more aggressive end of life treatment.

Pastors need a theological resource that will help them and the communities they serve to engage in sophisticated, theologically grounded engagement with the medical system, especially when facing end of life decisions. This project will carefully engage the passion narrative, and further stories about faithful dying passed on in Church history. Using those texts, and in both critical and appreciative conversation with secular bioethics, I will develop an accessible resource that will argue that in some cases, forgoing aggressive end of life care, is not a rejection of God's power to work miracles but a faithful trust in God's promise of resurrection. It will explore practices that Christian congregations and clergy can undertake to help individuals faithfully prepare life's end, and ways they might be able help the dying individuals find and name the grace of letting go.