Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Free Speech Theology

The recent demonstrations staged at town hall meetings on health care reform have received a lot of press, lately. I hope that one result will be a review of the nature and importance of free speech as a moral value. The time has come when we need to speak freely about the ethics of free speech. There are simply too many abuses happening just now, and the consequences for our society, and for our understanding of ourselves as human beings, are huge.

Free speech, as it turns out, is not only about civics but also theology. The Bible is full of accounts describing the importance of all voices being heard. A few examples include:

1. the Exodus account depicting God’s response to the cries of the Israelites in bondage to Egypt,
2. the Wisdom Literature and Prophets accounts depicting the response of God through prophets and (eventually) foreign kings to the cries of a defeated Israel in exile,
3. the Gospel description of Christ extending God’s grace to the outcast and foreigner, including the blessing of Bartimaeus, of a Canaanite woman and of others, who refused to be silenced.

We are in a time, however, where people are misappropriating the concepts behind free speech to actually silence other voices. Contrast, for instance, the difference between the Christian-led civil disobedience of America’s civil rights movement with last week’s civil disobedience at town hall meetings on health care reform. The 1960s civil rights effort invoked the rights of free speech to insist that long-silenced voices (the voices of African Americans) be heard. Last week’s civil disobedience at public gatherings was invoked to silence open and frank discussion on a burning issue of our day: health care reform. For Christians, this represents a serious ethical abuse of free speech, because it turns the theological basis of free speech (i.e., hearing all voices that we might respond with justice) on its head.

Of course, free speech is not just about civil disobedience. Talk radio and a number of other venues could use this discussion, too. The point is for us to value the ability to listen to all voices with respect, with the goal of then discerning ways of living into justice and right relationships.

With this in mind, Christians must insist that respectful free speech is an important Christian value. After all, we Presbyterians understand the church to be the provisional demonstration of what God intends for all humanity (PCUSA Book of Order G-3.0200). As with all values, we must acknowledge that we are sinful and fail to achieve perfection in pursuing it even within the church. But we don’t give up, and neither should our civic society. The pursuit of respectful listening and respectful talking is important, because God’s justice is important.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Judged by Health Care

In August our legislators will be holding town meetings across the country regarding the upcoming Health Care Reform vote. It seems that the debate is boiling down to three major issues: 1) making sure that the vast majority of Americans are covered, 2) controlling costs, and 3) assuring that medical innovation continues. The prevailing political wisdom is that these issues compete against one another. Doing a good job in one area will weaken our ability in one or more of the others.

The Bible consistently shows God's preferential concern for the poor and outcast. As an American Christian, I find it embarrassing that our nation ranks 37th in the world in providing health care. I find myself meditating on the voices of various Christian ethicists, telling us that in the end we will be judged by how well we care for the least and the lost in our society.

As a result, I find myself echoing the same concern repeatedly voiced by The Presbyterian Church (USA) that we enact reform that focuses more on concerns 1) and 2) than 3) . Besides, given the nature of the American spirit, I can't help but believe that ways to encourage innovation will be found, even if it means finding a future moment to reform whatever initial reform might pass this fall.

Right now it is my main hope that the competing political interests don't succeed in totally blocking any possibility of reform now. It seems to me that such resolute inaction would indicate an ongoing disdain of the poor, rather than a preferential concern for them.

I want to encourage your prayers on this issue, and I want to invite your comments.