Peter Harrison Unpacks the History of the Conflict Thesis

Does history show a conflict between religion and science? According to Peter Harrison, a careful study of history finds a very different narrative. Read his Faraday Paper to learn more. We suggested that this paper could provide a framework for an adult education class in this newsletter.

And if you find this topic fascinating, Harrison’s 2015 book, The Territories of Science and Religion, provides an opportunity for a deeper dive. The publisher description says that “By tracing the history of these concepts [science and religion] for the first time in parallel, he illuminates alternative boundaries and little-known relations between them—thereby making it possible for us to learn from their true history, and see other possible ways that scientific study and the religious life might relate to, influence, and mutually enrich each other.”

Finally, this lecture Harrison gave at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary entitled “The Christian Origins of Modern Science” is also a deeper dive into some of the ideas outlined in his paper (the visuals of the video won’t knock your socks off, but the lecture is excellent).