LIBERTY UNIVERSITY JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY Promoting Health Literacy to Aging Christians: To Combat the Scourge of Euthanasia through the Church A Thesis Project Submitted to the Faculty of Liberty University School of Divinity in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry by Willie M. Corley Lynchburg, Virginia May 2021 Copyright © 2021 by Willie M. Corley All Rights ReserveD ii Liberty University John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Thesis Project Approval Sheet ______________________________ Jeff Brawner, PhD Adjunct Professor ____________________________ Kenneth W. Bush, DMin Instructor iii THE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY THESIS PROJECT ABSTRACT Willie M. Corley Liberty University John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, 2021 Mentor: Dr. Jeff Brawner The many dilemmas that occur in the medical care of chronically ill seniors raise the question of whether senior populations have become the new black. The research seeks to provide an evidence-based review of limited health literacy among elderly African American Christians regarding diagnoses and medical treatments, which has resulted in unethical Christian practices becoming a norm. The researcher adapted the health literacy framework of PaascheOrlow and Wolf’s view of three distinct causes that influence health literacy: the access and utilization of health care, the patient-provider relationship, and self-care. The problem is that Victory Church members may not understand the chaplain’s role in addressing the need for health literacy for aging members to combat the rise of euthanasia through the church. The purpose of this thesis is to bring awareness to chaplains that clinical training can benefit pastors and ministers in their capacity as caretakers by shaping end-of-life choices consistent with Christian ethics. The study aims to research the positive benefits that health literacy may produce in elderly African Americans’ decision-making and ability to implement advance directives in the event of a health crisis. The form of the survey will be the Likert scale. The specific tools used to measure and analyze the intervention processes are focus group discussions, interviews, and action research. Through interviews and surveys of participants and literature reviews by scholars in medicine and issues associated with death and dying, a conceptual framework underscores what is learned and promising areas of future interventions. Keywords: health literacy, Christian ethics, spiritual care, chaplains, end-of-life decision-making iv Contents Chapter 1: Introduction..............................................................................................................10 Introduction......................................................................................................................10 Ministry Context..............................................................................................................11 Background / Call to Ministry...............................................................................11 Call to Service........................................................................................................12 Vision of Vocation.................................................................................................12 Problem Presented...........................................................................................................15 Purpose Statement...........................................................................................................17 Basic Assumptions ..........................................................................................................19 Definitions.........................................................................................................................21 Limitations........................................................................................................................25 Delimitations ....................................................................................................................26 Thesis Statement..............................................................................................................27 Chapter 2: Conceptual Framework...........................................................................................30 Literature Review............................................................................................................31 Christian Ethics......................................................................................................31 The Protestant Church....................................................................................................32 Early Beginnings ...................................................................................................32 The Black Church............................................................................................................33 African American Pastors...............................................................................................35 Pastoral Care..........................................................................................................35 Chaplains..........................................................................................................................38 Chaplaincy.............................................................................................................38 Euthanasia........................................................................................................................41 Assisted Suicide.....................................................................................................41 Quality of Life .................................................................................................................44 Aging .....................................................................................................................44 Autonomy .............................................................................................................49 Theological Foundations ................................................................................................50 Redemptive History...............................................................................................50 Christian Worldview..............................................................................................51 Thinking Biblically................................................................................................53 Whose House Is It?................................................................................................57 Theoretical Foundations .................................................................................................61 The Kingdom of God.............................................................................................61 The Providence of God..........................................................................................62 The Word of God...................................................................................................64 v “Forsake Not the Fellowship” ...............................................................................67 Chapter 3: Methodology .............................................................................................................69 Brief Overview ................................................................................................................69 The Black Church..................................................................................................69 Action Plan ............................................................................................................71 Intervention Design .........................................................................................................75 Implementation of the Intervention Design ..................................................................79 Chapter 4: Results .......................................................................................................................85 Objectives .........................................................................................................................85 The Positive Shift toward Euthanasia............................................................................85 Life Prolonging versus Life Preservation......................................................................86 Overview of Study Results..............................................................................................87 Developmental Changes........................................................................................89 Transitional Changes ............................................................................................90 Securing a Strong Support Team...........................................................................93 Case 1: Palliative Care...........................................................................................95 Case 2: Quality of Life ..........................................................................................96 Case 3: Active Euthanasia ....................................................................................97 Case 4: Voluntary Euthanasia................................................................................98 Chapter 5: Conclusion...............................................................................................................108 Purpose of Study............................................................................................................108