They weren't Christians. The Bibles says "By their fruits you know them!"
Neither do I believe that every secular minded scientist is the boogey man!
Some people see a conflict in the relative importance of faith vs good works. I personally think faith is embodied or manifest in good works, and there is no conflict. Faith is the activity of love, which is good works. As for faith requiring the recitation of creeds or the belief in a specific interpretation of history, I don't believe that.