Tag: Euthanasia

We live in a complex world. One area of complexity involves medical decisions at end-of-life.

In March 2009, Washington State implemented the so-called “Death With Dignity Act.” For the first time, a U.S. state allowed terminally ill patients to request that medical personnel administer lethal doses of medication as part of “end-of-life care” (from Washington State Department of Health website). As of August 2026, the number of U.S. states allowing for what is now called “MAID – Medical Aid in Dying” has grown to 13 (plus the District of Columbia), with New York State being the latest to change the law, allowing for this possibility. Pew Research estimates that 6 out of 10 Americans now view MAID as morally permissible, with bills at various stages of consideration by 16 other states.

This growing movement places the Church of the Nazarene – among many other Christian churches – at-odds with growing public opinion.

Let’s take a look at what the 2023 Nazarene Manual has to say:

30.5. Euthanasia (Including Physician Assisted Suicide)

We believe that euthanasia (intentionally ending the life of a terminally ill person, or one who has a debilitating and incurable disease that is not immediately life threatening, for the purpose of ending suffering) is incompatible with the Christian faith. This applies when euthanasia is requested or consented to by the terminally ill person (voluntary euthanasia) and when the terminally ill person is not mentally competent to give consent (involuntary euthanasia). We believe that the historic rejection of euthanasia by the Christian church is confirmed by Christian convictions that derive from the Bible and that are central to the Church’s confession of Jesus Christ as Lord. Euthanasia violates Christian confidence in God as the sovereign Lord of life by claiming sovereignty for oneself; it violates our role as stewards before God; it contributes to an erosion of the value the Bible places on human life and community; it attaches too much importance to the cessation of suffering; and it reflects a human arrogance before a graciously sovereign God. We urge our people to oppose all efforts to legalize euthanasia.

The purpose of this essay is not to provide an exhaustive argument against MAID. Rather, it is to re-acquaint Nazarenes with the stand that our worldwide denomination has taken on an important moral issue.

For those who would like to dig deeper, I recommend an article in Psychiatric Times by Joshua Briscoe, M.D. He concludes with a perceptive question: “Instead of figuring out ways to help people die, what if we devoted our energy to helping them live, even and especially if they are dying?”

Let’s raise our voices in favor of life at all stages of the journey, from conception to natural death.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Since 2019, Greg Crofford (Ph.D.) has served as a health care chaplain, including a hospital chaplain residency and subsequent service with hospice providers in three states. He resides in Alexandria, Virginia.

Image credit: Ian Furst, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons