Compassion vs. Practicality: Examining the Polarities of Social Stewardship
April 15, 2019 6:00pm
I Am Interchange will proudly present Compassion vs. Practicality: Examining the Polarities of Social Stewardship this April 15, 2019 at Blunderbuss, 5360 Love Lane in Bozeman. With a mission of fostering curiosity, education and empathy by exploring the controversial and the provocative, this transformative dialogue event will delve into the complexities of stewardship for the present and future of our lives and livelihoods on this planet.
Over the course of this XChange event, panelists – New Life Foursquare Ministries senior pastor Jacob Schreiner, Nova Women’s Health physician Dr. Claire Putnam, Montanan’s for Immigration Law Enforcement founder Paul Nachman, Father Greg Smith and more– will address two contemporary issues illustrating the compassion debate in driving and defining societal structures and policies: healthcare and immigration. Despite the tension surrounding such serious and broad reaching concerns, Interchange has a renewed commitment to bringing people together to take part in constructive discourse, while sparking ongoing discussions in the communities it serves.
Should America develop policy that provides for the basic healthcare needs of its people? The answer to this question is divisive. Some believe it is an inherent right, that the lack of universal healthcare in this country – when it prevails in all other wealthy, progressive nations – is an affront. Others look at the concept as socialized medicine, a means of control over personal freedoms, or another handout to lazy people intent on “living off the system.” The specifics of a universal healthcare plan further splinter any vestige of consensus. Should there be a cap on individual benefits? Should we cover those illnesses and diseases resultant from unhealthy choices and behaviors? Do we cover controversial “diseases,” i.e., alcoholism and obesity? What of gender reassignment within the LGBTQ community? And who pays for it all?
Next, the discussion will turn to immigration. Central to perhaps the greatest divide between pragmatism and sympathy, the immigration debate rages through congress and country alike with an impassioned intensity. Where does our arguably human responsibility to others in need give way to keeping the country safe? To protecting resources for tax-paying citizens? To becoming financially solvent?
Facilitated by Interchange founder Tate Chamberlin, this event will feature a diverse guest panel intent on exploring the controversial and divisive issues that separate the head from the heart, the nation from the individual, the philosophy from the reality. The stories Interchange presents are deeply explored and amplified through multiple mediums, including podcasts, music, performance art, and articles available worldwide. XChange events are recorded through a variety of means; related media is distributed through iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud, YouTube and iaminterchange.com.
