The Pursuit of Science in Conservative Religious Settings since 1945

While scholars agree that “there has never been systemic warfare between science and religion,” (J. Hardin/R. Numbers/R. Binzley) the history of religious approaches to science in the twentieth century remains understudied. Considering their prominent political role in many secular societies, the support and advancement of science and the humanities by conservative religious denominations since 1945 is of particular interest. Despite the sheer number of denominational colleges and universities that offer a wide range of advanced degrees in the humanities and in the sciences in the United States, for example, evangelicals are frequently dismissed as anti-intellectual. Many U.S. institutions considered secular today, furthermore, were founded and shaped by particular religious denominations. This workshop provides an opportunity to discuss ethnological, sociological, and historical case studies to investigate the evolution and the perhaps peculiar character of research and education associated with conservative religious institutions in the United States and in other countries since World War II.