Worth Reading Wednesday

Today's "Worth Reading Wednesday" is dedicated to the topic that has had our country's attention for the last week:  the Affordable Health Care Act / Obamacare.

Why Christians Should Be Ok With the Supreme Court's Health Care Call
by Julia K. Stronks at ThinkChristian
"First, Christians are clearly directed by both the Old and New Testaments to put the care of the sick and the poor at the top of their concerns. If we believe that God is sovereign over all of life we have to accept the challenge that our concern for the sick and the poor is an individual concern and it is a concern of government, churches and businesses."


What Chief Justice Roberts Did Not Say
by Valerie Elverton Dixon at Sojourners
"The chief justice’s opinion does not judge the morality of the law. Roberts does not speak of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the goals it sets for the entire human community, including universal health care. He does not speak of the concepts of liberty and justice for all, that the government has an obligation to its citizens to make health care something that is available to all."


Most Americans Support Obamacare; Christians Remain Divided
by Stoyan Zaimov at Christian Post
"Christians were mostly divided on the issue, with respondents from different denominations sharing opposite views. While 52 percent of white evangelical Protestants wanted the Supreme Court to strike down Obamacare, 46 percent of Catholics wanted it to be upheld – with 36 percent expressing their disagreement with the health care bill. Another 60 percent of Christians from other denominations supported the president's bill as well."


Render Unto Caesar:  On Paying Taxes After Obamacare
by Albert Mohler at Christianity.com
So, should Christians defy the government and refuse to pay taxes if some involvement in abortion is almost certain? The answer to that question reaches far beyond the issue of abortion — and far beyond the question of taxation. The answer to that question must be "no."


What the Obamacare Decision Means for Christians
by John Stonestreet at Religiontoday.com
"The first thing we can agree we are for is that the health care and insurance situation in this country is just not acceptable.  Millions in our country do not have adequate or any health insurance, and while some avoid this by choice, many, including many with children, simply cannot afford it. The current system is broken, and Christians need to care about those who suffer. The Affordable Care Act is not the best answer for the problem, but it’s a problem that Christians shouldn’t, in good conscience, ignore. Morally, the status quo is unacceptable."


A Lawyer Evaluates Supreme Court Decision
by David Opderbeck at Jesus Creed
"I will offer some thoughts about how I think Christians should think about it. But first, and perhaps most importantly, I’d like to suggest that there is no single position that can be called the Christian view on this particular case.  It’s a complex issue in terms of economics, social policy, history, and the law.  Let’s try to give each other the freedom to express nuanced opinions on these difficult questions."


Obamacare and Why Churches Don't Need to Be Political Mono-Cultures
by Nadia Bolz-Weber at Sojourners
"I whole-heartedly support more access to affordable health care for all Americans and hope that the ACA will accomplish this. But it is unfair to assume that people who disagree with the ACA do so because they want the opposite of what I want – that they oppose it because they want to keep poor people from having access to quality medical care. It is unfair for those who oppose the ACA to assume that I support it because I hate freedom and liberty."


Making Your Own Healthcare Reform
by Michael Joseph at Relevant Magazine
"Yet, in my work, I continue day-after-day, hour-by-hour, to meet with people who come to me for small time, garden variety health needs that would, more than likely, be cured by nothing more than a good night’s sleep. And I get to charge an arm and a leg to tell people that. There’s no denying the current health care system is broken, but adding more people to the rolls of the insured won’t solve the problem."


Edited to add the following that I read after compiling links for this post.
Obamacare:  What They Don't Want You to Know and a Viable Solution to the Healthcare Problem  (An interview with Tony Dale)
by Frank Viola at Beyond Evangelical
"Because health insurance is so closely tied to employment, most employed people have virtually no choice and no control over what is happening to 20% of their potential income. By exploring the quality alternatives now available to Christians outside of the health insurance environment, we regain control in these vital areas."