This week we have been up at Courmettes. Chris was doing a lot of teaching on geology and the environment in a course jointly run by A Rocha France and the Cambridge-based Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, entitled “Creation, Christian faith and a Precious World”. The idea was to put together a course integrating science and theology focused on the planet and the human race. Alongside Chris were Dr Hilary Marlow and Dr Jonathan Moo who took the theological side, although there was a lot of interaction. It was very much an experimental venture and we had a small but enthusiastic group of attendees from at least six countries.
The basic pattern was two hours of lectures and discussion in the morning, and out and about in the Domaine in the afternoon. And even if we have come to take it a little bit for granted, the newcomers found the riches of Courmettes enormously rewarding. And there were some good things with clear air, stunning skies and an extraordinary richness of wildlife, including numerous butterflies and insects, lizards and birds.
Coming back from a walk to one of the viewpoints
On the left an Owlfly (Libelluloides macaronius); on the right a Green lizard (Lacerta viridis)
We were due to have a day out from the Domaine on the Wednesday, but forewarned by the meteorological office, we shifted this to Thursday. The Wednesday turned out to be pretty spectacular with thunder, lightning and hail. For reasons that may be revealed in a later blog, Chris and a few hardy others went on a rock-sampling expedition and nearly got soaked to the skin. However, in a course that talked about the hard work of science, the efforts were fully appropriate.
The clouds gathering: and they did indeed look as ominous as that.
At the rock face
At the moment we’re uncertain whether the course will be repeated, but if it is, book it in your diary, it’s both stimulating and fun.
The obligatory group photo!
