To my amateur knowledge, I think this attitude among Christians is a phenomenon that's pretty recent, and also pretty American, going back only to the mid 19th C, the opposition to Darwin and the founding of movements like the Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Scientists etc.  In Europe anyway, after the 7 Years War I think any real Christian opposition to science was pretty much irrelevant to the 'Great Power' hunger for wealth and military might.  I can't think of any equivalents to the Scopes Trial, etc.  Writing from Britain, the Royal Society etc made a lot of important discoveries and would have regarded themselves as religious men, helping in the struggle against the Catholic powers.  In fact many of the early industrial pioneers often came from really full-on 'non-conforming' Protestant sects like the Quakers, because they weren't really able to get anywhere in the 'professions', or even allowed into university. Plus there's a tradition of fairly idle country vicars exploring botany, entomology etc.

  Maybe it comes from having an 'Established' religion, that is really just a bit of old tradition now. Whereas in the US everyone feels their voice should be heard, and different Christain brands literally compete for audiences, sending up the volume and self-importance levels. Now in Europe I think Christianity is a sort of old, cantakerous but tolerated uncle who you have over for Christmas and weddings, and forget about for the rest of the year...