Church leaders weigh in on health reform
Jeff Diamant/Religion News Service
Issue date: 9/27/09 Section: Divine Intervention
"God of grace and God of glory," prayed the Rev. Cynthia Hale during a national conference call Aug. 19 on health care reform, "We believe that it is your will that every man, woman, boy and girl receive quality health care in America."
On that point, no religious leader would contest Hale, pastor at Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Ga., who prayed at the kickoff of an effort by the faith community to mobilize religious support for President Obama's health care reform plan. When it comes to specifics, however, there is little broad-based agreement.
From the pulpits and through public statements, religious leaders have been weighing in on various elements of what they say is a crucial moral issue. Catholic bishops have lobbied against possible inclusion of abortion coverage in any federal health care plan, a possibility President Obama dismissed in his prime-time speech earlier this month.
Episcopalians passed a resolution in July favoring a single-payer system, while some Catholic bishops in the Midwest have publicly opposed any massive government effort. Some rabbis are considering the subject for sermons during the Jewish High Holy Days, which began last week.
It should surprise no one that clerical attempts to influence health care reform reflect the nation's political divide, said Abigail Rian Evans, a former professor of practical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary.
"Politics and religion have been mixing since the founding of our country, despite attempts to keep them separate," Evans said.
About 15 percent of the American population-more than 45 million people-lack health insurance, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Obama, in his primetime address to Congress, quoted a letter from the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) in which the senator said health care reform "concerns more than material things. What we face is above all a moral issue."
Religious leaders typically agree with that assessment. Still, most of them, underneath their rhetoric about universal coverage, have not said exactly what type of new arrangement they favor.
On that point, no religious leader would contest Hale, pastor at Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Ga., who prayed at the kickoff of an effort by the faith community to mobilize religious support for President Obama's health care reform plan. When it comes to specifics, however, there is little broad-based agreement.
From the pulpits and through public statements, religious leaders have been weighing in on various elements of what they say is a crucial moral issue. Catholic bishops have lobbied against possible inclusion of abortion coverage in any federal health care plan, a possibility President Obama dismissed in his prime-time speech earlier this month.
Episcopalians passed a resolution in July favoring a single-payer system, while some Catholic bishops in the Midwest have publicly opposed any massive government effort. Some rabbis are considering the subject for sermons during the Jewish High Holy Days, which began last week.
It should surprise no one that clerical attempts to influence health care reform reflect the nation's political divide, said Abigail Rian Evans, a former professor of practical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary.
"Politics and religion have been mixing since the founding of our country, despite attempts to keep them separate," Evans said.
About 15 percent of the American population-more than 45 million people-lack health insurance, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Obama, in his primetime address to Congress, quoted a letter from the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) in which the senator said health care reform "concerns more than material things. What we face is above all a moral issue."
Religious leaders typically agree with that assessment. Still, most of them, underneath their rhetoric about universal coverage, have not said exactly what type of new arrangement they favor.
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