Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary: Breakpoint

Episode: Dying with Dignity vs. "Death with Dignity"
Host: John Stonestreet (Colson Center)
Date: May 11, 2026

Overview

In this episode, John Stonestreet explores the distinction between "dying with dignity" and so-called "death with dignity" as presented in public conversations about euthanasia and assisted suicide. Prompted by the recent 60 Minutes interview with former US Senator Ben Sasse—diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer—Stonestreet reflects on what true dignity at the end of life means from a Christian worldview, challenging prevailing cultural assumptions and highlighting the hope and meaning to be found even in suffering.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ben Sasse’s Witness: Dying Well in the Public Eye

Opening Reflection (00:01):
- Scott Pelley interviews Ben Sasse on 60 Minutes after his terminal cancer diagnosis. Sasse responds to questions about his time by joking, “Well, you invited me, so I assume you needed to fill some time.”
Significance:
- Sasse’s life and terminal struggle are teaching the nation about “dying with dignity,” not by being stoic or denying pain, but by honestly mourning his own losses and enduring suffering with grace.
- Stonestreet emphasizes, “He is, without quite saying so, making an argument for life, for its dignity, its giftedness, its meaning, even at the last.” (Quote of Dr. James Wood, 02:14)

2. Cultural Attitudes Toward Death

Normalization of Euthanasia (03:10):
- Across Europe, Canada, and parts of the US, euthanasia and medical assistance in dying are increasingly accepted under the promise of "death with dignity."
- Stonestreet criticizes this language, arguing it assumes dying with dignity is impossible without assisted death.

3. The Christian Worldview on Suffering and Death

Meaning in Endurance (04:00):
- In naturalistic, secular worldviews, life may seem “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” (Shakespeare, Macbeth). Given this, escaping suffering via death is seen as preferable.
- The Christian perspective, rooted in Christ’s death and resurrection, holds that both suffering and death are redeemable and meaningful.
- “Because death is transformed, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, there is dying with dignity, there is meaning and significance and the courage to face life’s end and even the pain that so often accompanies it.” (04:50)

4. The Power of Testimony and Legacy

Living and Dying Well (06:10):
- Stonestreet recalls President Clinton’s response to Mother Teresa’s critique at the National Prayer Breakfast: “It’s difficult to argue with a life so well lived.”
- Similarly, Sasse’s witness in dying well is a powerful argument for the value and dignity of life, even at its end.
- Impact on families: “Our children will remember all sorts of things about us, but the way in which we die, that’s what they’ll most remember about our faith.” (Wise pastor, quoted at 06:50)

5. Final Challenge: Rejecting the “Death with Dignity” Narrative

Closing Statement (07:05):
- Stonestreet strongly denounces the notion of “death with dignity” as a cultural conception:
  - “Death with dignity? That’s a farce. It’s a damnable idea that dehumanizes us both individually and collectively.”
  - He contrasts this with the profound gift of dying with dignity, witnessed in Sasse’s public journey.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Ben Sasse, on 60 Minutes:
- “Well, you invited me, so I assume you needed to fill some time.” (00:20)
Dr. James Wood (as quoted by John Stonestreet):
- “In a culture that kills to avoid hardship and hides death to avoid reckoning, a man dying well on high profile platforms is a subtly radical act. He is, without quite saying so, making an argument for life, for its dignity, its giftedness, its meaning, even at the last.” (02:14)
John Stonestreet:
- “In the Christian worldview, death and all of its pain and suffering is redeemable in the life of Christ because he defeated death. And that sort of courage is undeniable whenever it’s witnessed in real life.” (05:12)
- “Our children will remember all sorts of things about us, but the way in which we die, that’s what they’ll most remember about our faith.” (Quote attributed to a wise pastor, 06:50)
- “Death with dignity? That’s a farce. It’s a damnable idea that dehumanizes us both individually and collectively. But dying with dignity… that’s a profound gift God is giving all of us right now through Ben Sasse.” (07:05)

Important Timestamps

[00:01] Introduction to the episode and setup of Sasse’s interview
[00:20] Sasse’s humorous response and context for his diagnosis
[02:14] Dr. James Wood’s observations on dying well as radical
[03:10] Discussion of the term "death with dignity" and its assumptions
[04:00] Christian vs. secular worldviews on death and meaning
[05:12] Explanation of courage in the face of death
[06:10] Reflections on legacy and what children remember
[07:05] Strong rejection of the “death with dignity” cultural narrative; closing

Summary

This episode calls listeners to rethink what dignity truly means in the face of death. Using Ben Sasse’s public example, Stonestreet points to the Christian hope that even suffering and dying can be filled with meaning, and that courage, faith, and witness in such times are lasting legacies far more profound than the pursuit of a painless end. The podcast is a critique of secular approaches to death and an exhortation to embrace the witness and dignity available in dying well.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:01]
A
Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stonestreet. On a recent episode of 60 Minutes, interviewer Scott Pelley said to his guest, you don't have much time. Why are you spending time doing this? His guest, former US Senator Ben Sasse, who received a fatal diagnosis of pancreatic cancer back in December, replied with a laugh, well, you invited me, so I assume you needed to fill some time. Well, short of a miracle, Sasse will not see his 14 year old son grow up. He won't walk his daughters down the aisle, and yet he is right now teaching a nation a stunning lesson about dying with dignity. A former senator, Sasse warns against the allure and the limits of political power while proclaiming what matters so much more. Committed to free markets, he warns against the illusion that more consumption will make you happier. He is at the same time optimistic about what technologies might provide and also concerned about what's happened to our sense of self and happiness, especially among young people. In all of this, Sass is not being stoic, as though his death is not a big deal. He mourns what the loss means to his family. He regrets all that he missed while traveling for work instead of being at home. And he talks about the pain that cancer has brought to him. But how he is dying is making right now a rare statement to the world. And it's being heard. As Dr. James Wood described in a recent World opinion piece, in a culture that kills to avoid hardship and hides death to avoid reckoning, a man dying well on high profile platforms is a subtly radical act. He is, without quite saying so, making an argument for life, for its dignity, its giftedness, its meaning, even at the last end quote. Indeed, his voice is especially powerful in a world like ours, one that continues to accept various forms of euthanasia and doctor assisted death. Across Europe, Canada and a number of American states, advocates of what's often called medical assistance in dying are made market a promise of so called death with dignity. Unspoken in that terminology is an assumption that we need death with dignity because there's no such thing as dying with dignity. As if there's no value to be found in facing suffering or enduring pain. To honor life until it's God given in so many speak today as if giving up on life is what takes courage and compassion. And within a godless and hopeless framework of a naturalistic worldview, Life is, as Shakespeare once put into the mouth of Macbeth, a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. So why suffer to preserve such a meaningless existence when no higher purpose or value is available to be found to die is to escape from such a life once pleasure or plenty are no longer available to us. There's no dignity to be found in how we die. But the Christian view is centered on Christ's death, which restored the dignity to which God created us. And because death is transformed, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, there is dying with dignity, there is meaning and significance and the courage to face life's end and even the pain that so often accompanies it. In the Christian worldview, death and all of its pain and suffering is redeemable in the life of Christ because he defeated death. And that sort of courage is undeniable whenever it's witnessed in real life. As President Clinton, after being soundly critiqued by Mother Teresa on the issue of abortion at a National Prayer breakfast, put it in it's difficult to argue with a life so well lived. And in the same way, what we're now hearing and witnessing in these final days of Ben Sasse is that it's awful difficult to argue with one dying so well. As a wise pastor once observed to me, our children will remember all sorts of things about us, but the way in which we die, that's what they'll most remember about our faith. Death with dignity? That's a farce. It's a damnable idea that dehumanizes us both individually and collectively. But dying with dignity, even as we pray for grace and peace for him and his family, that's a profound gift God is giving all of us right now through Ben Sasse. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stonestreet with Breakpoint. Today's Breakpoint was co authored with Dr. Timothy Padgett. If you're a fan of Breakpoint, leave us a review wherever you download your podcast. And for more resources or to share this commentary with others, go to breakpoint.org.