May 7, 2017 Newsletter
Quotable
“They may say they are ‘pro-life.’ but the way they vote and who they support informs me that they are hypocrites comfortable with stripping away healthcare from people ravished by illness while they turn a blind eye to the way the police take Black life with little more than a slap on the wrist as punishment.” Lawrence Ware writing at Very Smart Brothers on why he believes Whiteness Matters More Than Jesus to Evangelicals
Healthcare 411
Hello, Friends. Welcome to another edition of the Faithfully Magazine newsletter.
I’m guessing you’re a little concerned about the revamped Affordable Care Act/American Health Care Act (Obamacare/Trumpcare) being passed (217-213) in the Republican-dominated House and now headed for a vote in the Senate.
Here are some links that might help make sense of our healthcare situation:
Take a look at this brief, but startling side-by-side comparison of the “winners and losers” should Trumpcare become law, from NPR
It’s helpful to know how the folks we helped elect voted. This article fromThe New York Times lays it all out.
You’ve probably seen a lot of claims in your social feeds about denial of coverage for certain pre-existing conditions. This article from BuzzFeedtries to sort the rumors out.
The changes Republican lawmakers came up with for Obamacare seem to benefit the wealthy and those in excellent health, which makes their mindsetakin to prosperity gospel proponents – an interesting take in The Atlantic.
The full text of the American Health Care Act is super long, but maybe some of your church peeps can organize a time for a group of you to read through it together. Here is the .pdf from gpo.gov.
A sidenote: President Trump signed an executive order on religious liberty, which many observers–including conservative Christians–say is mostly quite meaningless.
So much happens in one week! If we’ve missed any stories you think we need to know about for the next newsletter, leave your comments, story ideas and other suggestions in the comments section or send us a note at faithfullymagazine @ gmail.com.
Peace.
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What We’re Reading and Writing
By now, you’ve heard about Jordan Edwards, the 15-year-old Texas student who was killed when a police officer fired his rifle into the teen’s moving vehicle. The tragedy sparked a discussion about the choice among some observers to note that Edwards was a great student and athlete, as if those merits make a case for why he should be alive today.
“This is a family matter and the death of Jordan Edwards is yet another reminder that an honest family meeting to discuss matters of race, ethnicity, and justice is long past due,” states one essay titled Jordan Edwards, Racism And The Church: This Is A Family Matter.
What happens when Christians want to join secular activists to inspire change with law enforcement, legislation and in their communities but get pushback for their faith? “When Christians are confronted by nonbelievers skeptical of our commitment to fighting systemic racism we have to listen to their critiques and take them seriously,” according to Rejecting Christians As Allies In The Fight For Social Justice.
It might also help if Christians would stop being so fake. The World Doesn’t Need More Perfect Christians, Just Authentic Ones. “This isn’t a criticism of the church from the outside, this is coming from someone who can turn to a song in the hymnal faster than you can locate it on Pandora.”
Finally, and on an unrelated note, megachurch pastor and best-selling author Joel Osteen will be a keynote speaker at the Church of God in Christ’s upcoming Holy Convocation. That’s interesting because COGIC is a predominantly-Black Pentecostal denomination. But no worries, Osteen grew up in a Pentecostal household so perhaps it will be an opportunity for him to reconnect with those roots.
Headlines
Police Officer Who Fatally Shot 15-Year-Old Texas Boy Is Charged With Murder
African Americans don’t sleep as well as whites, an inequality stretching back to slavery
Many Americans Own A Bible And Like The Bible But Barely Read It
Racism may be making our kids unhealthy, according to a new study
‘Black branding’ — how a D.C. neighborhood was marketed to white millennials
The Next Steve Jobs – A Black Woman – Only Gets Funding Crumbs
When Passover Is About American Slavery
Photo by john m flores
