True Stories Well Told: Using Narrative to Search For Harmonies Between Science and Religion

The idea that science and religion are irreconcilable and in essential conflict is a staple of modernity which in these times seems to have particular political and cultural potency. Yet insistence on conflict is a disservice to science and religion both, and to society more broadly. We are asking: can this mutually corrosive dynamic be escaped by bringing into public discourse new, compelling, and true stories about harmonies between science and religion? Through a competitive fellowship and intensive training program, a writing competition, nationwide public events, an online course, and accompanying outreach activities, we will advance the dialogue between science and religion by building a community of skilled storytellers, writing about productive interaction and synergies between science and religion, from many different perspectives. This community will produce 20 or more entirely new narratives to create a landscape of memorable stories that begins to displace the current framings of conflict, misunderstanding, and incommensurability. Supported by two very different magazines—Creative Nonfiction (CNF) and Issues and Technology (IST)—we will reach and engage large and diverse audiences across the U.S., and give voice to what we strongly believe (and recent social science research has come to recognize) is a powerful human capacity to find meaning and purpose in both science and religion in navigating today’s complex and challenging world.