Musings on Health Care
Is there a Christian position on health care reform? Among those I have heard express opinions about the recent bill passed in Congress, the reaction has ranged from guarded enthusiasm to complete outrage.
It is important to distinguish between a political opinion and a theological opinion. We may have strong opinions about politics and economics, but we need to be careful of implying that our political opinions are identical with God’s revealed truth. We always form our political convictions in light of our theological convictions, but we always stop short of equating God’s will with a partisan political or economic agenda.
When it comes to health care, our convictions as Christians must be formed not simply by what will be good for us and our own families. As followers of Jesus, we will always be motivated by love and compassion for other people, and especially the poor. I find it difficult to imagine a Christian believing that only people with a lot of money should have access to adequate medical care.
But here is where things get complicated. While there are those who believe that this love and compassion are best exercised in some sort of nationalized health care system, there are others who believe that ultimately such a system will fail the very people whom it is designed to protect. If, for example, one is convinced that nationalized health care will bankrupt the economy and create a situation in which everyone (including the poor!) will be worse off than they were before, then the compassionate thing would be to oppose it, not just because it is distasteful to you, but because it is bad for society as a whole. If, on the other hand, you’re convinced that the only way to keep health care from becoming the prerogative of the rich is to have more government involvement, then, as a Christian, you may feel that you have to support the present reforms.
One can easily see why there are Christians on both sides of this particular question. What’s important, as always, is not just the position we end up taking, but the process by which we get there. How are your political and economic opinions really formed - by the partisan politicians, or by the values and priorities of God’s Kingdom?