The Reconstruction of Christian Death Education for Well-Dying in Later Life: Focusing on Death Preparation and Christian Hope

ABSTRACT

[Objective] This study reexamines well-dying in later life from the perspective of Christian education, and proposes directions for Christian death education for older adults grounded in a Christian understanding of the person and in the hope of resurrection. [Contents] The study reviews psychological and social discussions of well-dying, examines the Christian understanding of death through ars moriendi and eschatological hope, and derives educational principles and practices for the local church. [Conclusions] First, well-dying in later life is not confined to preparing for the moment of dying; it is a task of Christian education that helps older adults interpret life and death within faith and internalize hope beyond death. Second, Christian death education should integrate four principles: from avoiding death to recognizing it, from life review to reconstructing meaning in faith, from relational rupture to reconciliation and community, and from death anxiety to the hope of resurrection. Third, education for older adults should be structured along five axes: death education programs, life review and faith narratives, intergenerational death preparation, integration with worship and biblical instruction, and cooperation among pastors, Christian educators, and counselors.