Thriving in the Face of Mortality

“Drawing on the wellsprings of Orthodox Christianity and a lifetime of self-emptying service in the medical profession, Daniel Hinshaw marshals a dizzying array of sources to guide us through the puzzle of life’s meaning in the face of our common mortality. He speaks to us gently, yet with the authority of profound experience, about how the involuntary kenosis confronting us can, by the gift of grace, be rendered voluntary and life-giving. A tour de force.”


—Alexis Torrance, University of Notre Dame





“Rare indeed are those in the academy who are both distinguished physicians and sophisticated theologians; rarer still are those who could have written Thriving in the Face of Mortality. We don’t have a choice about whether we will die, but the Christian notion of kenotic self-emptying offers a gracious freedom in how we face our deaths. Dan Hinshaw’s book will be a gift to all its readers.”


—Brad Gregory, University of Notre Dame





“Daniel Hinshaw unwraps the quintessential secret of the gospel: that life is attained in and through—not beyond or by cheating—death, that sharing is achieved in and through—not without or by avoiding—restraint, that fullness is acquired in and through—not despite or by denying—impoverishment. This is the way of spirituality, salvation, and sustainability alike.”


—John Chryssavgis, archdeacon, Ecumenical Patriarchate