“It’s not injustice that every American doesn’t get the same level of health care,” says Warren. “Different areas of the country have different levels of sophistication in their medical facilities, and that’s not injustice. But barring people from the opportunity to get health care when they want it—that’s wrong.”

Williams views the issue through a philosophical lens. The modern West is suffused with the idea of egalitarianism, he says, but in truth, this never works.

“One person is always taller, prettier, richer. Health care is an element of God’s blessing, but we have to be careful not to turn that into a sense of entitlement, a sense that we deserve it because of our efforts.

“It’s clear in the Bible that God has a particular heart for the poor, the needy, the widow, the orphaned. God aligns himself with the downtrodden and oppressed—that story is there over and over and over again in the biblical narrative.”

What then, we’re called to ask, does that mean for those who bear His image?

HEALTH CARE AND THE CHURCH: WHAT HISTORY CAN TEACH US

Stories from the early church may provide instruction on modeling Christ’s heart for those in need. Covenant professor Lance Wescher recounts this story from third century Rome:

A deadly plague struck Carthage, killing upwards of 5,000 people per day. Citizens fled to the countryside to buffer themselves from the sick and dying. But Cyprian, one of the church leaders called his people together and challenged them to stay in the city, saying, “Christ gave up His well-being for others—we must also value others over ourselves.” These early Christians were the only ones who stayed in the city through the plague to care for the sick and the poor. And it was at least in part because of their remarkable actions that so many flocked to the early church. In fact, the Roman leader Julian, who tried to rid the empire of Christianity, attributed the success of the early church to their willingness to care for the suffering Christians and non-Christians alike. 

Some say that the early church was the first group to systematically care for the needy. “But health care back then primarily involved monks wrapping wounds,” said Wescher. “Over time, as medicine became more scientific, many in the church felt ill-equipped to respond and began to cede responsibility to those in the medical profession.”

So, whose responsibility is health care? Historically, the church has been proactive in providing care for those in need—founding many of the hospitals in operation today.

“It’s only in the last 100 years that health care has been taken over by the government and private enterprise,” said Warren. “I think that part of the church’s role is to provide health care.”

“Christians have been involved in health care for a long time,” said Crosland, “mostly to help the poor. In the 1950s, 80 percent of the hospitals were Christian. For-profit hospitals didn’t come to the U.S. until the 1970s.”

All the more a challenge to believers to stay in the health care sphere, mirroring Christ’s compassion and drawing the lost to the church.

HOW THE BODY CAN HELP

Regardless of where believers fall in the debate over health care reform, they can, reasoning together, ask throughtful questions that probe the heart of the issue.

“I think this debate is causing tension within a lot of Christians,” said Williams. “Many Reformed conservative believers don’t like socialized health care but are also turned off by the rhetoric and the ‘tough luck’ mentality that is prominent in the debate.”

Lance Wescher brings a different line of questioning into play. “Why aren’t we in the church actionably caring about the poor, the health care of the poor?”

As a professor of economics at Covenant College, he’s well aware of the limitations inherent in this debate. “Economics is about meeting unlimited wants and needs with limited resources. So, in practical reality we have to draw a line somewhere. We have to prioritize.”

The health care policy debate may rage for months to come—and the implementation of any new policies will take years to assess. As Christians living in the here and now, how can we make a difference with our current resources?

“We have a responsibility to lead others in this process,” says Wescher. “We can’t just preach the Good News, we must help people experience it as well.”

Wescher envisions a future where the church could lead a compassionate effort to provide health care to those in need. “We could be sponsoring hospitals, health clinics, encouraging Christians to train in medical fields, encouraging them to work in low-income health clinics. If the church did this we could eliminiate the need for a major policy shift in the U.S. regarding health care.

“Obviously, that would require some changes: Church members would have to give more than a tithe, and make some lifestyle changes as well. But I believe the church has the capacity to meet the needs of the 40 million Americans who do not have health care coverage right now.”

Michael Williams challenges believers to maintain an outward focus. “Let’s not take our largesse for granted. Sometimes one is given more for the purpose of distributing to more. God called Abraham not because Abraham was a great guy, but because he wanted to use Abraham in His mission.

“The people of God are to become agents of redemption, helping in the mission of reclaiming, restoring, and renewing all things. Our salvation is not the endpoint, but the beginning point, to bring the world back to God’s healthy rule.”

 Melissa Morgan Kelley is associate editor of byFaith.

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ONE DOCTOR'S PASSION

Physician Bill Warren has dreamed of running an inner-city medical clinic ever since his days in medical school.

“I wanted to provide the same level of care to the poor that middle-class people receive,” said the trim pediatrician, speaking in his immaculate office. He links his emphasis on excellence to his faith: "If you’re a Christian it doesn’t matter where you serve—you can have an impact for the kingdom.”

In 1999, Warren realized his dream by founding the Good Samaritan Health Center in downtown Atlanta, with a mission of “spreading Christ’s love through quality health care to those in need.” The facility employs 30 staff and hundreds of volunteers who provide medical and dental care to more than 8,000 patients each year.

“We’re a stopgap to help people who are without health care coverage,” said Warren.

Good Samaritan’s office space is modern, spotless, and supremely orderly, reflecting the values of its founder. Today, the waiting room holds an eclectic mix of people: a disheveled man in scruffy sweatshirt, a stylishly dressed black woman, a subdued Hispanic family, an elderly woman in a wheelchair.

“We’re a sliding-fee scale clinic, which means that people pay for care depending on their income,” said Warren. Roughly a quarter of the clinic’s budget comes from patient revenue, while 70 percent comes from donations.

But in addition to medical care, Good Samaritan also focuses on practical ways to help patients find employment. “There are a couple of important things I’ve learned,” said Warren. “You’ve got to give people teeth and give them glasses. No one’s going to hire them if they don’t have a good smile, and they need to be able to see.”

Warren acknowledges that his privileged background can make it difficult to understand his patients’ needs at times.

“I grew up with privilege and education—the polar opposite of most of the people I serve at the clinic,” he said. “The disease burden is so much higher for the poor—they have less resources and less education. I need to learn to walk in their shoes and understand what their life is like, instead of wondering, ‘Why can’t you take your medicines and get here on time?”

Still, he admits that poverty medicine isn’t easy: “I see half as many people in twice as much time.”