Programs
Timely Talk
The Series
The Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies’ program, Timely Talk, is a new series of conversations exploring contemporary issues that are making the headlines, jamming our in-boxes, fomenting controversy, and sparking debate. Join us as we continue to consider the role of religion in the world today.
A Conversation on Health Care Reform:
Political Stalemates, Religious Mandates, and Ethical Impasses
On November 10, 2009, the ICJS presented the second in its Timely Talk series. Entitled "A Conversation on Health Care Reform: Political Stalemates, Religious Mandates, and Ethical Impasses," the program featured Sister Helen Amos, RSM, Executive Chair, Board of Trustees, Mercy Health Services; Senator Benjamin Cardin; and Congressman John Sarbanes. The starting point of the discussion was expressed by T.R. Reid in his book The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care (Penguin, 2009). He notes that before we can unravel the complexities of the public insurance option, rising costs, care limitations ("rationing"), and funding, we must first confront a fundamental moral question: "Should society guarantee health care the way we guarantee the right to think and pray as you like, to get an education, to vote in free elections? Or is medicine a commodity to be bought and sold, a product like a car, a computer, or a camera?"
The Conversation Continues...
Educational Explorations
The ICJS is a place where hard questions are asked. It is a place where honest and difficult conversations are pursued with passion and civility. In these programs we will not shy away from controversial issues, but will provide a broader historical and theological context to read and interpret current events. Our goal is to frame pressing contemporary concerns in ways that invite serious and sustained engagement of our audiences. We hope that you will join us and shape from the ingredients that you will find here a more considered perspective. In the process, we trust that you will have the opportunity to examine some crucial questions: How do I make an informed decision about this topic? What do I personally think about this issue? We believe that fresh insights will emerge in the rough and tumble exchanges, and that the ICJS will offer a lively forum in which you can make surprising discoveries.
