What Do I Think About The New Health Care Legislation?

I have been asked more than a few times over the last several months about the health care debate, which has now resulted in new health care legislation in America.  I wish I knew all of the ins and outs of the current legislation, but frankly it is 2,000 pages long and I do not have a law degree.  I do not have the time to read it nor the education to understand it.  So I will comment based on what I do understand:

1.      Christians have always been concerned with health and healing.  The gospel has ever called us to exercise compassion for the sick and to care for our bodies as the Temple of the Holy Spirit.  Christians have historically been at the forefront of medical care and medical missions.  Historically Christians have also practiced self-control, abstinence from alcohol, the belief that gluttony is sin, as is sex outside of marriage.  These ideas and practices are a proven recipe for better social health.  That being said I am concerned at the absence of the Christian voice in the current debate.  It seems we have exchanged our Christian voice for merely a conservative one.  Conservatism is not the salt that Christianity promises to be.  Being politically conservative and Biblical may often intersect, but they are not the same.  No matter the policy of congress, Christians must return to their emphasis on medical missions, care for the sick, and the practice of a moral lifestyle that exhibits the truth that life lived in obedience to the Creator is the best preventative medicine.  The new health care legislation does not change our mission.  Christians throughout history have expressed the gospel in environments far more godless than our current state.  Yet, sadly gluttony and prosperity has become our mission.  As long as the Christian church is gluttonous, lazy, concerned with prosperity, and biblically illiterate I am not sure we will regain our voice in the culture.  Many of the nation’s current hospitals were founded by the church.  Sadly, most of them no longer have anything to do with the church for various reasons.  Yet, I am inclined to believe that if Christians tithed and churches exercised better stewardship and lived with less debt, most American cities would still have a hospital that is based on the gospel ministry.  If this were so, Christian based hospitals would certainly salt the health care debate.  Yet we have seemingly left our mission and our morals and as a result have been tossed out and trodden under the foot of men (Matthew 5:13).

 

2.      Christians are unapologetically, uncompromisingly, and unmistakably pro-life.  I know that President Obama included an executive order that assures the health care system will not use federal dollars to fund abortion.  Given his beliefs and platform I have no confidence this executive order will endure.  If protecting life were important to our current administration I believe decidedly pro-life measures would have been included in the initial legislation and would not have required an executive order.
 

3.      Exchanging corruption for corruption only leads to more corruption.  The government’s argument for taking over the health care system was to demonize the rich and the insurance companies.  In the government taking over health care I see one demon handing the baton to another demon.  The business of government is to create laws that will protect peace and life.  It is not the business of government to issue welfare, assure its citizens of social security, or to legislate its health.  I have no reason but to believe that the current laws that govern the new health care legislation will result in the collapse of the private sector, result in government run health care, and in turn result in all sorts of atrocities toward human life and morality that will greatly conflict with Biblical truth.
    

4.      I am not as disheartened with this new legislation as I am with the current moral state of our legislators.  I find most of them vile, godless, careless, greedy, self-serving, hypocritical, and evil.  I think Vice President Biden’s f-bomb during what was supposed to be a very stately moment is only evidence of what is in our current leadership’s heart.  Why would a man think of such a word at such a moment?  I can only imagine.  Comedians and talk show hosts thought it was funny.  I thought it was vile and offensive.  I loathe the disrespect I am seeing in our current government for the office of the American President, for fellow senators, and for fellow representatives.  Both sides of the aisle prey on fear and in doing so have yet to demonstrate to me that they can produce one piece of intelligent legislation for the good of the American people.  I found the whole process appalling, the disregard for the voice of the American people alarming, and the intentional disregard of the constitution astounding.

 

5.       My hope is not in our current King, or the next King, but in the risen, returning King.  My hope is not in human government, but in the righteous rule of Jesus Christ.  This does not mean that I will position myself to be useless while waiting for Jesus to return.  As followers of Christ we cannot help but be perceived as radical simply because the proper expression of the gospel is so counter-cultural.  I will vote, debate, and participate in our government.  I love America.  I will also be careful to be more than simply conservative.  I will follow Christ, participate in His mission, and submit to His Lordship over my life and family.