Date: 6/26/2012
Time: 6:00 PM TO 9:00 PM

660 Great Pond Road
North Andover, MA 01845

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Event Description: NORTH ANDOVER, MA: Religion in a World of Violence: Virus or Vaccine? A Dinner, Public Address, and Book Signing on June 26, 2012 with Dr. M.Thomas Thangaraj at Rolling Ridge Retreat & Conference Center, 660 Great Pond Road, North Andover, MA. Religion, in recent years, has been linked to various instances of violence in today's world. While religion is not the virus that causes violence in all these instances, religion has been justifiably implicated in most of these. At the same time, history proves that religion is the most fitted and well-equipped resource to prevent and remove such violence if it begins to function as a vaccine. What are the shifts demanded of religions today that they begin to function more as a vaccine that prevents violent irruptions rather than as a virus that causes it? Dr. M. Thomas Thangaraj is the Visiting Professor of Global Christianity at Boston University School of Theology following retirement after 20 years as the Professor of World Christianity at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. A native of South India, he was a pastor and seminary teacher before moving to Atlanta in 1988. He earned a Doctor of Theology degree from Harvard University. He has been actively involved in programs of inter-religious dialogue at the national and internal level. He has published widely in English and Tamil, including the Crucified Guru: An Experiment in Cross-Cultural Christology and Relating to people of Other Religions: What Every Christian Needs to Know. He worked for ten years with the World Council of Churches program on Inter-Religious Relations. He is working on a new book in English on “Journeying through Diversity: Crossing Boundaries as a Spiritual Practice.” DINNER with Dr. Thangaraj at 6pm; Reservations: $20. Public Address at 7:30 (no charge) with book signing to follow. For DINNER reservations: CALL 978-682-8815 OR BOOK ON LINE AT www.rollingridge.org.


Directions:
Getting Here Rolling Ridge is half-way between Manchester, NH airport to the north and Logan Airport in Boston. Commuter trains from Boston stop in Andover, just minutes away from Rolling Ridge. 660 Great Pond Road, North Andover, MA 01845 TO GET TO ROLLING RIDGE From BOSTON and POINTS SOUTH: Travel north on Interstate Route 93 to Route 495 North. Follow Route 495 to Exit 43 (Mass Ave.). * From POINTS NORTH, Portsmouth, NH and Maine: Travel South on Interstate 95 to Route 495 South to Exit 43 (Mass Ave.).* *From RTE 495 exit 43, points north AND south Take Exit 43 (Mass Ave). If coming from the South, Go right off the end of the ramp. If coming from the North, go left at the end of the ramp. Go thru 3 sets of lights to the Rotary in Old North Andover Center. Go 3/4 around the Rotary and exit onto Great Pond Road. (Unitarian Church will be on your left). Stay to the Right at the Y intersection and follow on Great Pond Rd. to a stop sign. Turn left, this is where Great Pond Road continues. Follow Great Pond Road for approximately 1/2 mile to Rolling Ridge on the left, just past North Andover Country Club. From THE NORTH SHORE: Travel west on Route 114. In North Andover turn right onto Johnson Street. Continue on Johnson Street to 4th right. Turn right onto Marbleridge Road. Continue on Marbleridge Road which becomes Great Pond Road for approximately 2 miles. Rolling Ridge is on your left. NOTE: If travelling from the north shore via 95 north- 495 SOUTH is accessible via route 110 in Salisbury. COMMUTER DIRECTIONS/PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION From North Station in Boston, take the commuter train (Haverhill Line) to the Andover Station. From there, taxi service is available to Rolling Ridge. UPON ARRIVAL AT ROLLING RIDGE; PLEASE park in the “Guest Parking” and follow the signs to the entrance.

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