wfn.org | Lutherans Ask for Christian Study of Health Care

[Brenda Williams <BRENDAW@elca.org>]

Reply-To: ElcaNews <ELCANEWS@ELCASCO.ELCA.ORG>
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 4, 1998

LUTHERANS ASK FOR CHRISTIAN STUDY OF HEALTH CARE
98-28-159-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Bible has a number of things to say about
health, healing, illness and suffering.  The Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) may conduct a study of those things as part of the
development of  a social statement on health care in the United States.
The ELCA Division for Church in Society assembled an array of church,
academic and health care professionals here July 11 for a day-long
consultation on what direction that social statement should take.
     Eighteen people -- physicians, medical scholars and ethicists,
college professors, executives of health care facilities, a parish pastor
and a bishop, a state public policy advocate, and staff of Lutheran
Services in America (LSA) and the ELCA Division for Church in Society --
took the day to address four questions:
     + How do significant issues of access to health care and equity in
     providing health care manifest themselves in your work or medical
     practice?
     + What should the church be teaching and doing about health?
     + What emerging or unresolved bioethical issues are most important
     for people who might benefit from health care and for society as a
     whole?
     + What should be the most critical issues for the church to address,
     and on which issues should the ELCA focus its efforts?
     "They recommended that we first deal with some very basic theological
questions about health and health care, illness and suffering," said the
Rev. Ronald W. Duty, ELCA assistant director for studies.  "Then, from that
theological perspective, we can construct a vision of health and health
care in this country," he said.  "What would health look like from a
Christian perspective, and what would health care look like?"
     The ELCA has already committed itself to "working for a program of
universal access to health care" in its 1993 "Plan to Listen and Act" with
women and children living in poverty, said Duty.  Consultation participants
said the church could describe what it means by "universal access," equity
and sustainable health care.
     Consultants also suggested that ELCA congregations could consider
their roles as "wellness centers," he said.  Beyond congregations
participating in parish nurse programs, there are reports of more
congregations using the Lutheran liturgy "Service of the Word for Healing"
on a regular basis.
     "People who work in and run health care institutions have significant
concerns about their personal Christian vocations," Duty said.  A study
would also give such Lutheran institutions a chance to re-examine their
mission statements in light of their relationships to the church.
     The ELCA Churchwide Assembly in August 1999 could authorize the
Division for Church in Society to develop a social statement on on health
care.  A purpose of the consultation was "to get some input from outside
the office" on focusing the topics for such a social statement.  The
division's board can request authorization of the assembly through the ELCA
Church Council.

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director 1-773-380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html