Another American Icon Advocating Death Panels

In April 2009, Sarah Palin suggested that the health care bill being debated in Congress would create death panels; Health care would have to be rationed and health care decisions would be made based on your value to society. She was roundly ridiculed for this statement. "How could anyone believe something so absurd?"

That was before it became law.

Two months ago, another icon of American success made a similar statement that nobody is ridiculing. During a conference at the Aspen Institute, Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, stated that we should have the discussion about the benefits of allowing someone to die a few months early so that we can save the jobs of ten teachers.

Gates continued, "But that's called a death panel, and you're not supposed to have that discussion. . . because of our penchant for generosity [in our end-of-life decisions] we will be laying off over 100,000 teachers, which, you know, I'm very much against that." ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrJBY2l1MQQ )

I highly value our public teachers. There are many who are underpaid, and whose jobs are in jeopardy. But we live in a dangerous time when celebrities like Bill Gates can advocate a speedy death for some individuals so that others, who are more beneficial to society, can keep their jobs. Where should we stop? Do we refuse to treat terminal cancer patients so that we can pay first responders like police and firefighters? Do we sacrifice Down's Syndrome individuals so that we can build better highway bridges?

Is there any job that is so valuable that we can justify "buying" it with a human life? And what would a society who was willing to make that transaction look like? Would you really want to live in that kind of a world?

Celebrities have always spoken out on public policy matters, but Gates is more than an icon, he is a wealthy icon who can financially influence public policy decisions. In American society, few are admired more than those who are financially successful. We would do well to listen to Jesus' letter to the church in Laodicea.

"You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see." - Revelation 3:17-18

Mother Teresa plainly challenged the idea that life and death decisions can be carried out based on financial considerations. She said, "It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."

Followers of Christ have an obligation to challenge the idea that any life can be traded for financial or social gain. If the people of God remain silent on this issue, the deaths of some people will be accelerated so that others can take benefit financially. Some lives will be deemed "worth-less" so that our tax burden can be reduced. Other lives will be deemed "worth-more" so that politicians can gain and maintain political power. We must act. We must pray.

Pray for those who make social policy. Pray for financial power-players like Bill Gates. Speak out wherever you find this idea. Stand up for those whose lives are jeopardized by policies that trade human lives for financial or social advancement.

No matter how ridiculous this idea sounded yesterday, it may be public policy tomorrow. The structure is already in place, the battle is now in the arena of public opinion. The choice is yours. Choose well.

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Lessons From September 11 - Discipleship

Events can impact us, but they rarely transform us. Nine years ago we were impacted by an event. September 11, 2001 started as a normal day but ended with thousands dead, all air travel grounded, and a nation in shock.


That morning nineteen al-Qaeda extremists used four commercial airliners to stage an event that paralyzed a nation, but only for a while. Soon we were calling friends and family to assure them that we would be all right. Later, we gathered in churches and synagogues to seek help from God. Then we turned to our first-responders and encouraged them and prayed for them. We were impacted.


I know that many in the church, leaders especially, hoped that this event would bring transformation. Unfortunately, increased airport security and increased limits on carry-on luggage have become the only long-lasting changes. True, we are fighting two wars overseas that we weren't fighting then. But only the ones who lost loved ones, or those who are now sending them overseas, are living lives that have been altered forever. The rest of us were merely, temporarily impacted.


Transformation happens not through events but by living it - daily. For many Americans, including American Christians, life isn't much different than it was on September 10, 2001. American life has retreated to an imaginary world of televisions, computers, and I-Pods. We remember 9/11 simply as a horrific day in history. It impacted us, but only for a time and nearly a decade ago.


But how would the world be different if we could live a life that was transformed rather than simply impacted? Every day would offer new opportunities to live this revolutionized life. We would understand and accept new responsibilities. We wouldn't simply 'think' about an issue; we would be compelled to action. Dietrich Bonhoeffer stated, "We have learned a bit too late in the day that action springs not from thought but from a readiness for responsibility."


This is where many in the church have forgotten the mechanism that God instituted for ensuring that our efforts accomplish transformation and not simply well packaged events.

Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." -Matt 28:18-20 "The Great Commission"

In the original language, this passage could read ". . . cause them to learn all of the things that they see that I have instructed you . . ." The mechanism that God established for transformational growth is discipleship; transmitting to others what we learn on a daily basis.


My theological friends are thinking to themselves, "Salvation is what changes someone"; and my holiness friends are saying, "TheHoly Spirit baptism is what brings real change." I agree with both views, to a point.


Here is where I often see a disconnect in the church: we assist people as they experience 'salvation' and an 'infilling' of the Holy Spirit, but that's where the church often stops. We leave these 'spiritual babies' in the delivery room and go look for another 'pregnant' event.


We don't do that with human babies. We understand that, even though we have witnessed a miracle that only God could perform, we have a responsibility to care for and nurture these newborns for several years to come. Likewise, discipleship is the next natural step in spiritual development, yet in many cases it is ignored. No wonder that recent studies have shown no difference between the moral behavior of Christians and non-believers.


This may be why September 11 surprised many in the church. We forgot the power of discipleship.


How could you train nineteen men to live peaceful, quiet, suburban lives for several years, and yet expect them to willingly sacrifice those lives for what they believe in? Discipleship. It's time for the church to reclaim its Commission.

You can find me on FACEBOOK at my Facebook Page (http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=504321719). Here's a link to my Flickr.com Page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisferrell/) Thanks for reading!