Jim Wallis Hosts Presidential Conference Call to Tout Obamacare

Connor Ewing
August 21, 2009

Clearly concerned about the plunging political fortunes of Obamacare, Sojourners President Jim Wallis hosted President Obama on an August 19 conference call aimed at energizing religious activists behind a greater role for government in U.S. health care.

“I’m going to need the help of all of you…I’m going to need you to spread the facts and speak the truth,” Obama told his listeners, insisting that “our religious faith” is inconsistent with America’s current health care system.  Responding to critics, the President insisted that his proposals would allow Americans to keep their current private health care insurance, that illegal aliens will not be covered, that the government will not fund abortions, and that his plan does not include “death panels.”  

Seeking to cast health care reform as a moral cause, Obama recounted the role of the religious community in the establishment of Social Security and Medicare as well as the battle for civil rights. Later in the call, Sharon Watkins, President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), echoed the President’s sentiments, claiming, “This is the moment of a generation…The moral vision is there. The policy expertise is in place. It’s the political will that needs our support. ”

The call began with an introduction by Joel Hunter, pastor of Northland Church in Florida. In it, he said, “The President will be joining us on this call because he knows how important the faith community is to health care reform that can right the injustices in our system.” Hunter, who is a prominent leader within the National Association of Evangelicals, added, “For 75 years this country has tried and failed to bring everyone into the health care table of plenty, so success is far from assured.” 

Following Dr. Hunter’s comments, Cynthia Hail, Senior Pastor of Ray of Hope Church in Decatur, Georgia, offered a prayer: “God of grace and God of glory, men and women of faith with a heart for justice and equality have gathered in your name. Our agenda is simple: we want to see your will done on earth as perfectly as it is in heaven.” Making clear her belief that the health care debate is a moral debate, she continued, “We believe that it is your will that every man, woman, boy, and girl receive affordable, quality health care in America. It is your will that every person would prosper and be in good health, even as our souls prosper.”

The most passionate argument for the moral dimension of health care was delivered by Sojourners president Jim Wallis, who said he feared “we are in danger of losing the moral core of the health care debate.” “This core,” contended Wallis, “is that many people are hurting from our broken health care system.” In his eyes, the conference call showed that the faith community was united around the “moral principle of accessible, affordable, quality care for every American, for all of God’s children.”

Faith in Public Life, another liberal religious advocacy group chaired by Unitarian Universalist official Meg Ryan, joined Sojourners in hosting the presidential conference call as part of the ongoing Wallis-led “40 Minutes for Health Reform” campaign. The conference call was billed as a “national faith community call to action.”  The call consisted of health care anecdotes, a question and answer period, statements from religious leaders, and remarks from Obama.

During the call, White House Director of Domestic Policy Melody Barnes reiterated Obama’s past insistence that federal funds will not be used for abortions and that conscience protections for doctors will remain. To a question about the financial burden that proposed reforms would place on future generations, Barnes repeated President Obama’s commitment to deficit neutral reform. Seeking to solidify the connection between faith and health care reform, Barnes said that, “health care reform is at the crux of being a faithful steward of our resources.”

The call’s overarching theme was that Obamacare is consistent with religious convictions and moral imperatives. People of faith were encouraged to sign a pledge promising to do their part and take action to promote a greater role for government in U.S. health care.