THE SECOND ANNUAL GLORIA PATRI CONFERENCE ON RELIGION, SCIENCE, AND THE HUMANITIES

On June 4-8, 2009, the second annual international and interdisciplinary GLORIA PATRI conference will be held at Bobbio Pellice, Italy, located in the alpine Piemonte region of Italy. The topic for this conference is "Connecting to Our Apostolic Roots: Building a Faithful Scientific Heritage" (see Call for Papers below).

The GLORIA PATRI conference series takes its name from the ancient Christian hymn, first rendered in the Koine Greek of the New Testament church. Its words affirm the Christian belief in the glory and majesty of the triune God:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; 
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, Amen. 

Such  belief, however, calls for responsibility and witness. George Marsden notes in his The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship (63) that 

The broadest way that Christianity, or any other religious faith, makes a difference to scholarship, then, is in the scholarly agendas that faith will help set. The more amenable a problem is to tightly controlled empirical observation, the less the apparent relevance. Yet, as any topic, including empirical investigation, touches on questions of wider significance or meaning, faith becomes more obviously relevant. So on topics that have the most to do with interpretation and with the larger significance and meaning of humans in relation to each other and the universe, faith-related perspectives will have the most bearing.
Marsden (63-64) then points to four ways that faith can have a bearing, even in the largely technical disciplines, such as the hard sciences:

(1) "it may be a factor in motivating a scholar to do her work well."
(2) "religious faith may help to determine the applications one sees for his scholarship."
(3) "such motives may help shape a sub-field, speciality, or questions one asks about one's work."
(4) "when on occasion the technical scholar is asked to reflect on the wider implications of her scholarship, faith may have an important bearing on how she sees the field or its assumptions, fitting into a larger framework of meaning."

Thus the purpose of the GLORIA PATRI conference series is to examine the ways in which a Christian worldview may positively interact with and impact the disciplines.

WALDENSIAN FAITH AND HERITAGE CLASS

Following the conference, join the Andrews University School of Architecture's class on Waldensian Faith and Heritage, held amid the towering Cottian Alps of the Piemonte region of northern Italy and along Lake Lugano, Switzerland.

Learn about Waldensian heritage from Kathleen Demsky, Director of the Andrews University Architectural Resource Center. Find spiritual renewal as you listen to Dwight Nelson, Pastor of Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University. Try your hand at sketching ancient architecture and studying ancient village layouts with Carey Carscallen, Dean of the Andrews University School of Architecture.

For more information about how to register for this event, email Kathy Demsky, demskyk@andrews.edu.

CALL FOR PAPERS

This year's topic, "Connecting to Our Apostolic Roots: Building a Faithful Scientific Heritage," will continue to examine the ways that Christian faith intersects with scholarship. Join biologists, chemists, psychologists, sociologists, theologians, and others from across the disciplines as we discuss how to build on the roots of a Christian-based scientific methodology, issues of cosmology, and other pertinent areas of research. Papers focusing on the following areas are encouraged:

(1) The historic influence of Christianity and the Bible on the sciences.
(2) Current research that helps to support a Christian worldview.

Please send a paper proposal of 500 words to thecambridgeproject@gmail.com by April 15, 2009. Please include the following items: Name of presenter(s), Paper Title, Brief Abstract, Contact Information, Brief Biography of Presenter(s), and Photograph of Presenter(s).

REGISTRATION AND HOUSING

HOUSING

This year's conference will be held in Bobbio Pellice, Italy at the site of a medieval fort, Forte Rocca. Conference costs include full-board, ensuite accommodations, conference registration, and conference activities. Room costs are based on double accommodation. A limited number of single rooms will be available on a first-come-first-served basis at a supplemental cost.


REGISTRATION

The Forte Rocca Conference Centre is located at the end of the Val Pellice. Ringed in by towering Alps and a rushing torrent, the site is a beautiful location to dialogue together away from the rush of every day life. 

Conference Registration Fees include accommodation, full board, day-trip fees, and conference materials. Click on the appropriate choice below to register. Registration is through PlusLine.org. Online registration is now open.

  Conference
         Fee



For further inquires, you may e-mail to thecambridgeproject@gmail.com with the subject line "Bobbio Pellice 2009." Helpful numbers for additional questions: PlusLine.org (800-732-7587); Karen Abrahamson (1-269-208-8664; Skype address: kabrahamson).

HELPFUL HINTS

Below are some helpful hints for planning your trip to Bobbio Pellice.

DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS

The conference is being held at Holiday Centre "Forterocca"
10060 Bobbio Pellice, via Peyrot 5.
Tel: +39 0121 957985
www.forterocca.it.

To get to Bobbio Pellice: from Turin take the motorway Turin-Pinerolo, and continue to Val Pellice. Forterocca is in Bobbio which is 10 km from Torre Pellice. For more detailed driving instructions, see the following from Mapquest.it.


TAKING THE TRAIN

Taking the train from Milan or Turin will require several changes. However, if you would like an inexpensive and comfortable way to travel about Italy, it is hard to find a better way to travel. Trenitalita.it will provide the schedules and costs of travel.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT FROM AND TO THE AIRPORT

The bus is a cost-effective way to travel to rural areas in Italy. It is also often the most direct route of public transportation.

The local tourist board recommends the following for getting to and from the airport:

You may catch the bus at the designated bus stops in both Milan and Turin airports to the Turin train station. From Milan, it is best to go to the Porta Susa station and then catch a bus or the underground to Porta Nuova.

From the Porta Nuova train station, you can get the train to Pinerolo-Torre Pellice.

For bus schedules, click here.
For train schedules, click here.


PICKUP SCHEDULES FROM PINEROLO

There will be a number of pickups from Pinerolo train station:

(1) Wednesday, June 3: 6:00 p.m.

(2) Thursday, June 4: 12:00, 3:00, and 6:00 p.m.

(3) After Thursday, call the hotel and leave a message for Conrad Demsky to arrange for pickup (331 6423812).


HELPFUL HINTS

1. The Torino + Piemonte Tourism Board provides helpful information and an international toll free number.

2. Italian Customs. Italy is a land of beauty, culture, tradition, and deeply held faith and customs. Here are some especially important customs to keep in mind:

Dressing well is important to Italians, including shoes. Recommended dress for the conference is business to dressy causal. Dressing nicely for dinner is recommended. But don't forget, we will also be right in the midst of the Alps, so bring your hiking boots. You will especially need them for an afternoon hike on Saturday and a geology expedition with Ben Clausen on Sunday afternoon.

Siesta is an important part of every day. Business hours generally run from 9:30-13:30, after which most shops shut for siesta. They generally reopen at around 16:30 and close at around 19:30. Most commercial businesses follow this custom, including banks, post offices, museums, and churches. Right after siesta is a great time to scout around for some gelato. The conference schedule will only observe part of siesta.

Eating well is important and the chef will make certain that your dining experience is perfecto, so don't forget to send your compliments in return. If you have the opportunity to eat in a small family-run cafe, you will have a wonderful experience because food is fixed with only the freshest local ingredients.

Therefore, it is important to remember, if you see a small restaurant that you would like to visit, pop in a day or two before and make a reservation. Small eateries, especially in the area where we are going, only keep exactly the amount of supplies needed for a particular day so a reservation is necessary.

Don't be surprised either if you find the occasional eatery that is for local members only. There is at least one in Torre Pellice that I know of.

Italians also have a deep understanding about the way in which food should be eaten. So not only do meals follow a certain pattern, but you will also find that certain items and beverages will only be available during certain parts of the day.

Be sure to have chocolate dense whenever you can. We have especially requested this most marvelous of beverages for our conference.

Another important thing to keep in mind is that there are two prices for food and drinks at cafes: a stand-up price, which is cheaper, and a sit-down price. If by chance you might imagine paying the stand-up price and sitting down anyway, don't.

The Evening Stroll is a great way to relax for a bit before dinner. It usually begins at around 18.00 and is a great way to meet the locals and relax, and don't forget to dress well. You also want to look nice for dinner!

Politeness is important to Italians. Always take a moment to say good day before beginning a conversation, making a request, or upon entering a room where someone else is present. Take time to have a few brief pleasantries where appropriate. It is considered very rude to dispense with these basic formalities. Good day or good morning (buon giorno) and good evening (buona sera).

Bobbio Pellice The Val Pellice is a long river valley that contains a number of small villages of which Bobbio Pellice is one. The Alps are stunning and the people are considered to be some of the healthiest people in the world. Don't be surprised to see people in their 70s dashing up mountains on foot or by bike.

It may also be that a very special treat may come by your hotel window---during the early summer months the shepherds and herdsmen move the sheep, goats, and cows to the high alpine meadows. So if you hear a great number of bells awakening you, you have not died and gone to heaven. The lead animals wear bells. It is a most wonderful way to be awakened.

Please remember that the Val Pellice is primarily a place of homes---it is not a tourist area, although tourists have been discovering it, especially since the winter Olympics were held there recently. So for a most delightful time, when in Bobbio Pellice, do as the Pellicians.

Safety There are many hiking trails in the vicinity of our hotel. However, take care when hiking. Trails are steep, rugged, and often covered in shale. Take care to stay on marked trails only. I would also recommend the use of trekking poles or a walking stick, in addition to hiking boots. Also the clouds get stuck on the mountains. Generally, they pass quite quickly, but if visibility becomes limited, stay put until it is safe to move on. Water is abundant and villages have drinking fountains to renew water supplies.




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