Americans across the country are standing up for our health care for many different reasons—whether they’re concerned about a friend or family member’s access to treatment, worried about job losses associated with the repeal, or anxious about paying the bills when premiums skyrocket. The Southern Christian Coalition has joined the effort to save our health care for a reason that we all have in common: commitment to taking care of each other in this country.
Listen to Reverend Sherry Cothran of St. John’s West United Methodist Church in Nashville explain this point of view in her own voice:
“Our concerns are neither political nor ideological,” Reverend Cothran says. “Our concerns are based on Christian values and moral responsibility and vision of health care that offers health, wholeness and human dignity for all.”
In the Christian faith, along with so many religions around the world, the most important pillar to uphold is care and compassion for all—especially those who are less fortunate than yourself.
“If you’re a Christian it’s a priority you turn toward those God has turned toward,” explains Pastor Matt Steinhauer of the Faith Lutheran Church in Lebanon, Tennessee. “And those are the sick, poor, the widow, orphan, and the refugee.”
But as Congress continues planning to repeal the Affordable Care Act, this crucial Christian belief has been threatened.
Reverend Jim Sessions of Knoxville explains: “Let’s be clear, a vote for the bill that repeals the Affordable Care Act is a vote to…cut off federal funds for preventive care to millions,” he says. “Supporting actions that bring so much harm…couldn’t be further from the Christian values we are all called to stand for.”
Leaders and members of the Christian community alike know that a repeal is not only counter to the tenets of their faith, but would halt the progress that churches across America have accomplished.
Reverend Sherry Cothran often works with the poor and homeless residents of Nashville. And while her faith calls on her to provide resources to the underserved, the religious community is dependent on government programs like the Affordable Care Act to make this possible.
“When we disregard the full spectrum of needs of people who live at poverty level, we’re turning our backs on our highest calling, which is to love one another,” she says.
Ultimately, the Southern Christian Coalition asks our government representatives to reflect on how a repeal decision aligns with not their political beliefs, but instead their moral ones.
Stand with the Southern Christian Coalition and hold our nation’s leaders accountable. Make your voice heard and share how health care has impacted you: Call your senator today.
The Southern Christian Coalition is a volunteer grassroots effort based in Tennessee.
