Health Care and our Christian Witness

So I think I have a case of the blog-writer’s block. In efforts to cure it, how about Health Care?

I’ve got seriously mixed feelings. The problem is we have several fundamental tensions involved, centering around the question of the role of the government and so-called rights of Americans. Namely, do we have some sort of right to health care?

History does not help us much. We cannot go back even 100 years and see how much government provided, controlled, or denied health care to its citizens because there simply wasn’t that much that physicians actually did to cure people. We’ve come a long way, baby.

Theologically speaking, God established the governments to protect and defend its citizens, allowing us to live a “quiet and peaceable life.” How this is carried out is not a biblical matter, nor does tradition help us. The pagan Roman Empire was established by God, just as the Byzantine Empire, ruled by Christian Emperors, the Holy Roman Empire likewise ruled, Czarist Russia the same. Some make the argument that a hierarchical rule is somehow more reflective of Christian theology than a democracy, but I won’t argue for or against that here.

Then we have the issue of socialism versus capitalism. As dedicated as we are to capitalism in America, it is an economic theory and practice versus a constitutional theory. America does not have to be capitalistic in its monetary policy and government. Indeed, it probably hasn’t been since FDR.

Is capitalism or socialism more biblical? You can find elements of both, frankly. Jesus’ policy was to give to those in need and wealth was given to some in order to share with those in need. The early Christians combined their estates and property to share alike and give aid to the poor. Yet you also find exhortations to work, that God will prosper the works of our hands, and so forth.

As Christians, we also have the tension between doctrines such as the sanctity of life and the hope for the resurrection. We are to preserve life and foster it as much as we can, at the same time remembering that it is not for this life that we have hope. If we are somehow barred from medical treatment, all is not lost. Christ is our life.

Where does this leave us? Nowhere, I’m afraid. I would love to see a functioning health care system where lack of money does not prevent a sick person from being treated to the fullest moral extent possible. I would love to see a health care system that is not driven by quarterly profit statements. I would love to see this happen without the outrageous taxes, waiting lists and potentially compromised care that we sometimes see in European health care systems.

Is it possible? I’m not sure. Will the sky fall and everything come to ruin if it doesn’t? Yes…but it will eventually anyway. All things come to an end, even this present evil age.

That is where our hope should be–not in getting treated to prolong this life, not in avoiding giving Caesar his own, but in pointing to Christ and the day that there will be no sorrow, no sickness, no tears. Ultimately, this is the Christian vocation.

Possibly Related posts:

1. Death and Capitalism
2. Perfect Love and Fear
3. Is "Liberty" Christian?
5. Excellent Quote

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 | Tags: news, politics, resurrection, Theology | Category: The World, Theology | Leave a comment