GROVE CITY, Pa. – The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College will host a two-day conference on “The De-Christianization of Europe: From Nicaea to Nietzsche” April 12-13 on the Grove City College campus. Registration is required.

The conference will focus on the cultural and historical implications of changes in Europe’s Christian identity and will feature numerous scholars and commentators, including keynote speakers George Weigel, senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and Dr. Grace Davie, professor of sociology and philosophy at the University of Exeter in England. The conference will run from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. April 12 and 9 a.m.-8 p.m. April 13.

Weigel is a Roman Catholic theologian and one of America’s leading commentators on issues of religion and public life. He holds the William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies at EPPC. He was educated at St. Mary’s Seminary College in Baltimore, Md., and the University of St. Michael’s College in Toronto. He has held a faculty position at the St. Thomas Seminary School of Theology in Kenmore, Wash., and in 1977, became scholar-in-residence at the World Without War Council of Greater Seattle, a position he held until 1984. In 1984-85 Weigel was a fellow of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.

A recipient of the papal cross, “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice,” Weigel served as founding president of the James Madison Foundation and has been president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he led an ecumenical and inter-religious program of research and publication on foreign and domestic policy issues. As a senior fellow of the Center, Weigel prepared a major study of the life, thought and action of Pope John Paul II. “Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II” was published to international acclaim in 1999, and has since been published in a number of languages. A critically acclaimed documentary film based on the book was released in 2001. His other books include “Catholicism and the Renewal of American Democracy” and “The Cube and the Cathedral: Europe, America, and Politics Without God.” A syndicated columnist, Weigel is a consultant on Vatican affairs for NBC News and has appeared on numerous network television, cable television and radio discussion programs.

During her time in the professor of sociology and philosophy department, Davie has taught both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. She has been involved in the university’s Socrates-Erasmus Exchange Programme, a European exchange program. From 2002-2006, she was director of the Centre for European Studies at the university. She has collaborated with a number of universities internationally, including the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes and the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris, France. In 2000-2001, she held the Kerstin Hesselgren Professorship at the University of Uppsala in Sweden, where she returned for the current academic year. She has also taught at the University of Hartford in Connecticut and at the Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia.

Davie earned her undergraduate degree in sociology at Exeter and her doctorate at the London School of Economics. Her research interests include the sociology of religion and both France and French sociology. Her doctoral thesis focused on the political aspects of the French Protestant community in the interwar period.

The cost for the conference is $25 per day, plus $50 per day for lunch and dinner. The total cost for the two-day event with all meals is $150. Those interested in registering can log on to the conference’s Web site at www.grovecityconference.com/dechristianization. The schedule follows:

Thursday, April 12
10 a.m.        Opening Remarks, Grove City College President Richard G.
                     Jewell ’67 and executive director of The Center for Vision
                     & Values Dr. Paul Kengor
                     Sticht Lecture Hall, Hall of Arts and Letters
10:25 a.m.   “Defining Europe, Nicaea and Christendom,” by Dr. Mark
                     Graham, Grove City College assistant professor of history 
                     and author of “News and Frontier Consciousness in the
                     Late Roman Empire”
                     Sticht Lecture Hall, Hall of Arts and Letters
11:30 a.m.   Lunch (for registered attendees only), “Life for Jews in a
                     De-Christianized Europe,” by Michael Medved, nationally
                     syndicated radio host and author of “Hollywood vs.
                     America”
                     Pew Memorial Room, Pew Fine Arts Center
1 p.m.           “Will Western Europe Lash Out at Muslims?” one-on-one
                     with Ralph Peters, author of “Never Quit the Fight” and
                     “New York Post” columnist, interviewer: Dr. Paul Kengor
                     Sticht Lecture Hall, Hall of Arts and Letters
2:30 p.m.     “The Inklings and Friends: What Would Tolkien, Lewis 
                     and Sayers Say?” panel discussion with Grove City
                     College Drs. James Dixon, professor and chairman of the
                     Department of English; Paul Schaefer, professor and
                     chairman of the Department of Religion and Janice
                     Brown, professor of English
                     Sticht Lecture Hall, Hall of Arts and Letters
5:30 p.m.     Dinner (for registered attendees only), “Opiate of the
                     Masses: The Communist De-Christianization of Eastern 
                     Europe,” by Dr. Paul Kengor, executive director of The
                     Center for Vision & Values and author of “The Crusader:
                     Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism”
                     Pew Memorial Room, Pew Fine Arts Center
7 p.m.          Thursday Evening Keynote Lecture by Dr. Grace Davie,
                     professor of sociology and philosophy, University of
                     Exeter, England 
                     Sticht Lecture Hall, Hall of Arts and Letters

Friday, April 13
9 a.m.          “Misreading the Pope: Pope Pius IX and Europe’s 
                     Christian Socialists,” by Dr. Guido Hulsmann, Ludwig von
                     Mises Institute Senior Fellow and professor of economics,
                     University of Angers, France
                     Sticht Lecture Hall, Hall of Arts and Letters
10 a.m.        Simultaneous Solo Lectures 
                     Lecture I: “Sweden and the Failure of Family Policy,” by
                     Dr. Allan Carlson, president of Howard Center and
                     director of The Family in America Studies Center 
                     Sticht Lecture Hall, Hall of Arts and Letters 
                     Lecture II: “The Decline of Christianity? A Contrarian
                     View,” by Grove City College professor of religion Dr. T.
                     David Gordon 
                     Pew Memorial Room, Pew Fine Arts Center
11:30 a.m.   Lunch (for registered attendees only), “One Christian’s
                     Impact: Wilburforce 200 Years Later” by Mark Rodgers, 
                     principal of The Clapham Group and former chief of staff
                     to Sen. Rick Santorum and staff director of the Senate
                     Republican Conference 
                     Pew Memorial Room, Pew Fine Arts Center
1 p.m.           “The Marriage Crisis and Birth Dearth in Europe,” one-on-
                     one with Maggie Gallagher, president of the Institute for
                     Marriage and Public Policy 
                     Sticht Lecture Hall, Hall of Arts and Letters
2 p.m.           Simultaneous Panel Discussions 
                     Panel I: “Religion, American-Style: Insights from Across
                     the Atlantic” with Grove City College Drs. Paul Kemeny,
                     professor of religion and humanities, and Steven Jones, 
                     assistant professor of sociology
                     Sticht Lecture Hall, Hall of Arts and Letters
                     Panel II: “Nietzsche, Polanyi and the Gods That Failed,”
                     with Dr. Larry Harwood, associate professor of
                     philosophy, Viterbo University, and Michael Palanski ’97
                     Recital Hall, Pew Fine Arts Center
3 p.m.           Simultaneous: Views from the Field 
                     Session I: “God in Paris and the EU: A Report from 
                     France,” one-on-one with Sylvain Charat, director of
                     Policy Studies, Eurolib Network, Paris and Brussels
                     Sticht Lecture Hall, Hall of Arts and Letters
                     Session II: “From the Frontlines: Evangelizing Paris,” a
                     discussion with Kermit Horn and Reimer Holm, Europe-
                     based evangelists
                     Recital Hall, Pew Fine Arts Center
5:30 p.m.     Dinner (for registered attendees only), “Pope Benedict 
                     XVI’s Insights on Christianity and Secularization in
                     Europe,” by Dr. Samuel Gregg, director of research, 
                     Acton Institute
                     Pew Memorial Room, Pew Fine Arts Center
7 p.m.           Conference Keynote Address, by George Weigel, Ethics 
                     and Public Policy Center Senior Fellow and author of
                     “Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II
                     and “The Cube and the Cathedral: Europe, America and
                     Politics Without God”
                     Sticht Lecture Hall, Hall of Arts and Letters