“As Times Have Changed … Christendom Hasn’t”: Science and the Shaping of a New Conservative Catholicism in Higher Education

Since its founding in 1977, Virginia’s Christendom College has emerged as a significant yet often overlooked center of conservative Catholic thought and activism in the modern United States. Central to the college’s efforts to build this reputation have been its discussions of scientific theory and science education, especially regarding evolutionary theory. An analysis of the institution’s journal Faith & Reason, along with other faculty publications and the school’s outreach within its community and conservative educational networks, reveals how Christendom has promoted a traditionalist Catholicism blended with a conservative politics. This worldview, frequently grounded in discussions of science, has appealed to like-minded Catholics and evangelical Christians, enabling the college to shape discussions of religion, education, and morality across northern Virginia and to contribute to the cultivation of conservative religious networks nationwide.