If you’re going to tweet blanket statements advocating for the ACA or greater government control of health care, may I suggest you provide detailed arguments for why it works best and equals Christian compassion and charity. Christian compassion does not equal government control.

Recently longtime Evangelical Left activist Jim Wallis, approaching age 70, warned of dire consequences if the American Health Care Act, or “Trumpcare,” passes the Senate and is signed by President Donald Trump.

“This bill is the definition of putting the interests of the wealthy ahead of the most vulnerable members of society,” wrote Wallis. “Trumpcare would strip away health insurance from the poor, the sick, the elderly, and the disabled via $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid, in order to finance a tax cut north of a trillion dollars for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.”

Indeed, I can’t help but get the impression Wallis isn’t open to disagreement. Even so, there are good, non-rich Christian women and men with varying approaches to this debate who want to see the most vulnerable access health care.

There’s no specific formula for a Christian health care system. You wouldn’t know that if you listened to Wallis tell sexual assault victims and pregnant women (of which, I am one) that under the new health care bill their “insurance companies may be able to charge you more for health insurance.” [Emphasis added]

No devout Jesus follower wants to take away health care from the sick, poor, and the vulnerable. But unlike Wallis, we don’t all place assurance in The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), or “Obamacare” as many have taken to calling it. Especially when we saw the ACA’s Health and Human Services’ contraception mandate try to force Catholic nuns to violate their conscience. Nuns, by the way, who take a vow of poverty and commit their lives to serving the elderly poor.

Not all conservative Christians argue for the merits of the Republican health care bill either. Some are simply unsure of the best method. After all, health care legislation is notoriously complex. Other solid Christian voices out there want less government control of health care. And they too seek care for the needy, making Progressive Evangelicals’ shaming of anyone in favor of repealing the ACA over the top.

Wallis isn’t alone. Other members of the Religious Left hurl similar accusations of power grabs and uncompassionate conservatives.

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