James C. Ungureanu is Historian in Residence at the George L. Mosse Program in History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also an Honorary Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Queensland and in the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Queensland. He also has a B.A. in Religious Studies and Philosophy from the University of California-Davis, and a M.A. in Church History from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. A historian of science and religion, his research is mostly focused on nineteenth-century religious thought. Address: Madison, Wisconsin, USA
During the early modern period, an opinion arose that would have lasting consequences. Certain th... more During the early modern period, an opinion arose that would have lasting consequences. Certain thinkers of that era began imputing the past with the appellation "middle ages," describing those centuries as a period of intellectual stagnation-if not desolation. Among the earliest of such appraisals came from Francis Bacon, who set the tone when he wrote in his Novum Organum (1620) that the ages between antiquity and his own were "unfortunate, both in the quantity and richness of the sciences produced." The French philosophes would follow suit. Voltaire, for instance, described medieval Europe as mired in "general decay and degeneracy." His younger contemporary, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, wrote of previous centuries as "relapsed into the barbarism of the earliest ages." And finally, Condorcet, in his 1795 Esquisse, argued that the "triumph of Christianity was the signal for the complete decadence of philosophy and the sciences." This view, which amounted to a narrative of "conflict" between science and religion, would be further sharpened and more widely disseminated a century later-and, indeed, continues to enjoy widespread popularity even today.
Historians of science and religion have given little attention to how historical-critical scholar... more Historians of science and religion have given little attention to how historical-critical scholarship influenced perceptions of the relationship between science and religion in the nineteenth century. However, the so-called "cofounders" of the "conflict thesis," the idea that science and religion are fundamentally and irrevocable at odds, were greatly affected by this literature. Indeed, in his two-volume magnum opus, A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom (1896), Andrew D. White, in his longest and final chapter of his masterpiece, traced the development of the "scientific interpretation" of the Bible. In this article, I argue that developments in biblical criticism had a direct impact on how White constructed his historical understanding of the relationship between science and religion. By examining more carefully how biblical criticism played a significant role in the thought of White and other alleged cofounders of the conflict thesis, this article hopes to relocate the origins, development , and meaning of the science-religion debate at the end of the nineteenth century.
This is an introduction to the Symposium on โScience, Religion, and the Rise of Biblical Criticis... more This is an introduction to the Symposium on โScience, Religion, and the Rise of Biblical Criticism,โ which has been designed as a thematic section for Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science. The Symposium demonstrates the importance of and need for greater interdisciplinary collaboration between philosophers, theologians, scholars of religion, and historians in tracing the origins and development of the โcon๏ฌict thesisโ between science and religion. Often neglected is the role biblical criticism played in guiding and constructing narratives of con๏ฌict. This series of articles thus attempts to redress this gap in the scholarship by explicitly focusing on the advent of historical-critical scholarship of the Bible and how it changed perceptions about โscienceโ and โreligion.โ
More than any other scientist in history, Isaac Newton has been both deified and defied. In this ... more More than any other scientist in history, Isaac Newton has been both deified and defied. In this article, I wish to summarize several aspects of the revised historiography on Newton. I will note in particular Newton's debt to the prisca sapientia and prisca theologia for his natural philosophy. I argue that Newton's natural philosophy cannot be separated from his theology. In the process, however, Newton had radically altered traditional Christian beliefs. And, in so doing, Newton ironically perpetuated the conflict he wished to avoid.
The concept of a โNew Reformationโ has a long history among Protestant intellectuals. Protestant ... more The concept of a โNew Reformationโ has a long history among Protestant intellectuals. Protestant theologians, philosophers, historians, and men of science have all called for another reformation of religion, a purification rather than abandonment of Protestant Christianity. But in the hands of nineteenth-century scientific naturalists, dissident intellectuals, and even liberal Anglicans, the trope of โNew Reformationโ underwent a dramatic transformation. From a Protestant self-critique, the trope became a polemic against orthodox Christian belief. While the new โreformersโ continued to use the language of Protestants, they ultimately rejected the doctrinal beliefs of traditional Christianity.
During the early modern period, an opinion arose that would have lasting consequences. Certain th... more During the early modern period, an opinion arose that would have lasting consequences. Certain thinkers of that era began imputing the past with the appellation "middle ages," describing those centuries as a period of intellectual stagnation-if not desolation. Among the earliest of such appraisals came from Francis Bacon, who set the tone when he wrote in his Novum Organum (1620) that the ages between antiquity and his own were "unfortunate, both in the quantity and richness of the sciences produced." The French philosophes would follow suit. Voltaire, for instance, described medieval Europe as mired in "general decay and degeneracy." His younger contemporary, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, wrote of previous centuries as "relapsed into the barbarism of the earliest ages." And finally, Condorcet, in his 1795 Esquisse, argued that the "triumph of Christianity was the signal for the complete decadence of philosophy and the sciences." This view, which amounted to a narrative of "conflict" between science and religion, would be further sharpened and more widely disseminated a century later-and, indeed, continues to enjoy widespread popularity even today.
Historians of science and religion have given little attention to how historical-critical scholar... more Historians of science and religion have given little attention to how historical-critical scholarship influenced perceptions of the relationship between science and religion in the nineteenth century. However, the so-called "cofounders" of the "conflict thesis," the idea that science and religion are fundamentally and irrevocable at odds, were greatly affected by this literature. Indeed, in his two-volume magnum opus, A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom (1896), Andrew D. White, in his longest and final chapter of his masterpiece, traced the development of the "scientific interpretation" of the Bible. In this article, I argue that developments in biblical criticism had a direct impact on how White constructed his historical understanding of the relationship between science and religion. By examining more carefully how biblical criticism played a significant role in the thought of White and other alleged cofounders of the conflict thesis, this article hopes to relocate the origins, development , and meaning of the science-religion debate at the end of the nineteenth century.
This is an introduction to the Symposium on โScience, Religion, and the Rise of Biblical Criticis... more This is an introduction to the Symposium on โScience, Religion, and the Rise of Biblical Criticism,โ which has been designed as a thematic section for Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science. The Symposium demonstrates the importance of and need for greater interdisciplinary collaboration between philosophers, theologians, scholars of religion, and historians in tracing the origins and development of the โcon๏ฌict thesisโ between science and religion. Often neglected is the role biblical criticism played in guiding and constructing narratives of con๏ฌict. This series of articles thus attempts to redress this gap in the scholarship by explicitly focusing on the advent of historical-critical scholarship of the Bible and how it changed perceptions about โscienceโ and โreligion.โ
More than any other scientist in history, Isaac Newton has been both deified and defied. In this ... more More than any other scientist in history, Isaac Newton has been both deified and defied. In this article, I wish to summarize several aspects of the revised historiography on Newton. I will note in particular Newton's debt to the prisca sapientia and prisca theologia for his natural philosophy. I argue that Newton's natural philosophy cannot be separated from his theology. In the process, however, Newton had radically altered traditional Christian beliefs. And, in so doing, Newton ironically perpetuated the conflict he wished to avoid.
The concept of a โNew Reformationโ has a long history among Protestant intellectuals. Protestant ... more The concept of a โNew Reformationโ has a long history among Protestant intellectuals. Protestant theologians, philosophers, historians, and men of science have all called for another reformation of religion, a purification rather than abandonment of Protestant Christianity. But in the hands of nineteenth-century scientific naturalists, dissident intellectuals, and even liberal Anglicans, the trope of โNew Reformationโ underwent a dramatic transformation. From a Protestant self-critique, the trope became a polemic against orthodox Christian belief. While the new โreformersโ continued to use the language of Protestants, they ultimately rejected the doctrinal beliefs of traditional Christianity.
This paper contributes to the revisionist historiography on the legendary encounter between Samue... more This paper contributes to the revisionist historiography on the legendary encounter between Samuel Wilberforce and Thomas Henry Huxley at the 1860 meeting in Oxford of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. It discusses the contents of a series of letters written by John William Draper and his family reflecting on his experience at that meeting. The letters have recently been rediscovered and have been neither published nor examined at full length. After a preliminary discussion on the historiography of the Oxford debate, the paper discloses the contents of the letters and then assesses them in the light of other contemporary accounts. The letters offer a nuanced reinterpretation of the event that supports the growing move towards a revisionist account.
In this review essay, I examine in detail Nick Spencer's recent book, Magisteria: The Entangled H... more In this review essay, I examine in detail Nick Spencer's recent book, Magisteria: The Entangled Histories of Science and Religion (2023).
ESN is currently creating a Faith/Science curriculum for young adult small groups. Weโve partnere... more ESN is currently creating a Faith/Science curriculum for young adult small groups. Weโve partnered with InterVarsity graduate student discussion groups to identify faith/science questions that are important to emerging scholars, and weโre commissioning thoughtful Christians in science or theology/philosophy/history of science to explore those questions in this series at the ESN blog. We will then publish these posts as a booklet curriculum for campus groups.
This project was made possible through the support of an award from the Science and Theology for Emerging Adult Ministries project at Fuller Theological Seminary.
Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, Mar 1, 2023
OF POPES & UNICORNS: Science, Christianity, and How the Conflict Thesis Fooled the World ... more OF POPES & UNICORNS: Science, Christianity, and How the Conflict Thesis Fooled the World by David Hutchings and James C. Ungureanu. New York: Oxford University Press, 2022. 263 pages. Hardcover; $39.95. ISBN: 9780190053093. *Readers of PSCF are familiar with the "warfare thesis" for the history of science and religion. This interpretation, framed as a historical analysis that stretches from the ancient Greeks to the modern period, explains the way in which science and religion have always been in conflict with each other. At the center of this interpretation are John William Draper's History of the Conflict between Religion and Science (1874), and Andrew Dickson White's A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom (1896). Since the publication of these books, numerous professional historians as well as the general public have accepted and perpetuated many of the claims made within them. The problem with this line of interpretation, however, is that Draper and White were often wrong. For instance, Christopher Columbus (and people in the medieval period) did not think the earth was flat. Christians did not oppose anesthesia. There was no Dark Ages. Christians did not believe in unicorns. Premodern medical diagnosis did not merely appeal to supernatural causation. And the list could continue. *Instead, as Hutchings and Ungureanu explain over the course of their nine chapters, Christianity--and especially medieval Christianity--was hyper-rational and actively engaged in scientific thought. So, despite the continued influence of Draper and White since the nineteenth century, Hutchings and Ungureanu successfully demonstrate many errors with the historiographical tradition of the warfare thesis. In fact, as the authors argue, there were ways in which science borrowed from theology. This is most noticeable in the utilization of theology to explain science in the period known as the Scientific Revolution, which the authors address in chapter eight, "Old Dogma, New Tricks." Another helpful chapter pertains to the way the ideas of Draper and White resonated with others in the nineteenth century, thereby demonstrating how these two well-known intellectuals were not mere "lone voices." This latter point is a particularly helpful contribution to the topic's historiography, as this type of contextualization is oftentimes forgotten when considering Draper, White, and the warfare thesis. *It is for these reasons and others that many will find this book a helpful aid. The tone is conversational, and the citations are relegated to endnotes at the back of the book. The book also draws upon some of the best scholarship in the history of science from the past fifty years, such as the works of Edward Grant, Bernard Lightman, and the more recent contribution of Seb Faulk. One of the fortunate outcomes, then, is that the reader who reads between the lines will discover a masterful account of the ways in which the field of the history of science has effectively dismantled the warfare thesis, and in its wake established a robust understanding of the complex historical relationship between science and religion. The reader of the book will also be provided with an abbreviated version of one of the authors' works, James Ungureanu's Science, Religion, and the Protestant Tradition (2019), which is summarized in chapter seven, "Bridges Badly Built." *For all its merits, there is one point made occasionally that gives this reviewer pause. At times, the authors come close to ascribing a causal link between Christianity and science, such that Christianity was a dominant driver of scientific development. For instance, in chapter eight, wherein the authors address the positive influence of Christianity on science, they claim that "Christian dogma has actually played a major part--indeed, many have argued the major part--in establishing the foundations of the science that is so successful today" (p. 196). It shows up similarly at the end of chapter seven, with an even greater causal connection between Christianity and science. The point in chapter eight is substantiated by a reference to Noah Efron's chapter in Galileo Goes to Jail, titled "That Christianity Gave Birth to Modern Science." While Efron does ascribe an important role to Christianity in scientific development, he stops short of identifying it as the sole cause. Among the reasons for this, as Efron notes, is that it then becomes problematic to include the contributions of non-Christians to science. Yet, the reader Of Popes & Unicorns would not be informed regarding the potential error in over-attributing a causal connection between Christianity and science. In a book aiming to reframe the relationship between science and religion, one would have hoped that they would have nuanced this point, even if in the end they chose to argue for the importance of Christianity on scientific development. *This issue aside, the book is an important contribution to theโฆ
OF POPES & UNICORNS: Science, Christianity, and How the Conflict Thesis Fooled the World by David... more OF POPES & UNICORNS: Science, Christianity, and How the Conflict Thesis Fooled the World by David Hutchings and James C. Ungureanu. New York: Oxford University Press, 2022. 263 pages. Hardcover; $39.95. ISBN: 9780190053093. *Readers of PSCF are familiar with the "warfare thesis" for the history of science and religion. This interpretation, framed as a historical analysis that stretches from the ancient Greeks to the modern period, explains the way in which science and religion have always been in conflict with each other. At the center of this interpretation are John William Draper's History of the Conflict between Religion and Science (1874), and Andrew Dickson White's A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom (1896). Since the publication of these books, numerous professional historians as well as the general public have accepted and perpetuated many of the claims made within them. The problem with this line of interpretation, however, is t...
Historians of science and religion usually trace the origins of the โconflict thesis,โ the notion... more Historians of science and religion usually trace the origins of the โconflict thesis,โ the notion that science and religion have been in perennial โconflictโ or โwarfare,โ to the historical narratives of John William Draper (1811โ1882) and Andrew Dickson White (1832โ1918). While Draper and White have been designated cofounders of the conflict thesis, there has been little research on how contemporaries responded to their narratives. This paper examines the early reception of these narratives by considering the extensive commentary they received in British and American periodicals from 1856 to 1900. Sampling a selection of this material suggests that while many rejected Draper and White's interpretation of the past, many others agreed with them in affirming that theological dogmatism came into conflict with the advance of human knowledge. This essay also suggests that Draper and White may have had a more nuanced position about the history of science and religion than has been con...
While Grant Hardy does a good job situating The Book of Mormon (1830) in the context of broader w... more While Grant Hardy does a good job situating The Book of Mormon (1830) in the context of broader world scriptures, many parts of his chapter feel written to a Mormon audience rather than a broader academic one. He notes that โprophecies given early in the record are fulfilled in later chaptersโ but that โthis may not beโ as โpersuasive to skepticsโ as it is for believers (220). Earlier, he states that the chronology of The Book of Mormon โis handled virtually without contradiction or errors of consistencyโ (219), although upon a closer reading near the beginning of the book there are 175 years given as the time between the birth of a father (Jacob) and death of a son (Enos). Similarly, he states that The Book of Mormon can be โsubject to tests of internal coherence and consistencyโtests that the Book of Mormon passes remarkably well,โ even while noting that there are admittedly some geographical mistakes in the book (220n42). Although few, there are also some errors that made their w...
This book is a popular-level study of the conflict thesis: the notion that science and religion h... more This book is a popular-level study of the conflict thesis: the notion that science and religion have been at war with each other throughout history, and that humanity must ultimately make its choice between the two. The origins of the conflict thesis are usually given as two works by nineteenth-century Americans, John William Draper and Andrew Dickson White, who wrote History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science (1876) and A History of the Warfare Between Science and Theology in Christendom (1896), respectively. In these volumes, Draper and White relate stories such as the Churchโs suppression of the sphericity of the Earth and of heliocentrism; its banning of dissection, anesthetic, and inoculation; its persecution of scientists; its dedication to irrationality in the face of reason; and much more. Yet their thesis has been thoroughly debunked in the literature, and their tales largely found to be myths. Despite this, they still circulate today, and many still believe that ...
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This project was made possible through the support of an award from the Science and Theology for Emerging Adult Ministries project at Fuller Theological Seminary.