David Cross on Healthcare

David Cross and Healthcare David Cross wants to ask a simple question. On his latest comedy CD, Bigger and Blackerer, the comic (perhaps most widely known, for better or worse, as “Tobias” from Arrested Development) he hits on topics ranging from eco-friendly saran wrap, to Mormonism, the Tea Party movement, to the healthcare debates, or excuse me, the healthcare “yelling’s,” as he calls them. While vehemently ranting against the ignorance of those in the Tea Party movement, he pauses: “Here’s a simple a simple question. Where are the Christians? Where are the @*#$%@ Christians!” He goes on to say that isn’t taking care of other people when they can’t do it themselves a basic Christian belief? “You take care of people who are suffering,” Cross recounts with regards to his knowledge of the Bible. He continues by saying that he finds it hard to believe that after Jesus got done with the Sermon on the Mount he allowed equal time to the CEO from Blue Cross Blue Shield. While it could be easy for some to write Cross off as a crass comic only interested in tearing “religion” down, could he have a point? The fact that Christians today are as political and active as ever when it comes to things like abortion, Hollywood, Homosexuality, the “secular” culture of the left, etc., why have we remained largely silent on healthcare reform debates? If anything, the remarks I hear about healthcare reform from Christians have everything to do with their idea of “government” rather than say, the Sermon on the Mount. It is almost exclusively about “big government” and “taxes” rather than Christian charity or virtue. It seems the major issue has become taking care of ourselves, rather than helping the poor amongst us. “Why is healthcare reform bad?” Because it will raise taxes, increase government, etc., people will say. But if you ask say, “Why is abortion wrong?” you will get, “Because it is a morally wrong action.” If you ask what’s wrong about an illegal immigration policy that favors immigrants, many Christians will tell you, “Taxes, the economy, jobs, etc.” Very little of it has to do with what, let’s say Leviticus, says about welcoming the foreigner and stranger among you. The debate for Christians has turned almost entirely political, rather than Biblical. For some Christians, it seems legislating morality is fine as long as it agrees with their Christian Agenda, but as soon as the government starts legislating things we don’t agree with (i.e. healthcare reform), it’s not the laws we are morally opposed to, but “big government.” Is it about morality or government? Or both somehow? It seems some Christian’s are fine with “Big government” as long as it legislates those things they agree with. In this case it’s a moral issue. But often times as soon as the government enacts legislation with regards to those things we don’t agree with, the issue often becomes about “government” rather than morality. So I would ask the question, for Christians is healthcare reform a moral or political debate? I would argue that healthcare reform is a moral debate and therefore, an issue we need to look towards the scriptures on, rather than joining whatever political side it is we’re on. The moral argument against this reform is that we are individually responsible for ourselves and if you don’t have healthcare it’s your own damn fault. I guess the question is, is this true? Or does David Cross have a point when even a secular atheist like him can look at the Sermon on the Mount and remark that Jesus wants us to take care of others, regardless of whether or not they deserve it? Now the Christians for healthcare can be in just as much danger of overindulging politically. If the government legislates what one might call “a biblical virtue,” this doesn’t mean our responsibility is “off” and finished. As Christians we should always “love one another” regardless of what any government might legislate or not, so whether or not healthcare is universal, we are biblically mandated to take care of the needs of other, much like the Acts 2 church. As Christians we can’t simply let the government decide what the “right” action is. We are to live the way of Jesus, at all times. If abortion were suddenly deemed “morally wrong” by the Supreme Court, the fact of whether it is right or wrong, doesn’t change by the decision of a government. If this were the case, Christian morality and absolute truth would be completely subjective to the current government or culture’s morality. Our first priority is to Christ and his church. If Christians are really going to stand against “big government” than why are they also the ones who want the strictest and stringent laws against crass movies, music, etc., along with harsh laws against immigration, abortion, euthanasia etc. What is it? Is it Christian virtues we are championing in regards to healthcare? Or is it the fact that we don’t want to pay taxes? Are we concerned about morality or our wallets? True Kingdom living or political issues? It’s true that many people, including myself, are paying a considerable amount of taxes to the government that we may never see back in any way, shape, or form. And so though I am opposed to the systems of government that abuse money and power, there are also times when it matches up with Christian beliefs. But whether it does or doesn’t isn’t the point. The point is not politics. The point is Jesus, and how he taught us to take care of one another. It seems that the Christian has the unique opportunity of functioning both under and in the government. We can support what systems of government support Kingdom values and resist those that do not. Why does the idea of “justice” never seem to come up? Such as “What does justice look like in American society for those who can’t afford healthcare?” Opponents will argue that in order for “me,” (me, who works hard, me who pays the bills,) to pay someone else’s hospital bills would be to encourage laziness and this goes against Paul’s teaching that “the person who doesn’t work, doesn’t eat.” But what is the opposite? The opposite is a Darwinian, survival of the fittest model, and is this the model that Christ taught? Regardless, if Christians are going to be anti-government with regards to healthcare reform, they shouldn’t do so under the guise of biblical morality, when the concern is really about taxes. If Christians are going to be for healthcare reform, it doesn’t get us off the hook of taking care of the poor and needy. In either case in this debate, our political and American allegiances seem to trump the Kingdom of Heaven. Maybe not. Maybe some people honestly believe that Universal healthcare is morally anti-Christian. But for the rest of us, when a person like David Cross can look at Christians (a largely political group these days,) with regards to an issue like healthcare and say “Where the fuck are you?” Something seems off.