The Pascal Centre for Advanced Studies in Faith and Science was co-founded by Dr. Jitse van der Meer and Dr. Don McNally in 1988 and established as a hub for Christian academics in the sciences. Since then, the Centre has been inspiring deep inquiry into complex topics, hosted monthly seminars, and brought scholars together to discuss the big questions at the intersection of faith and science.
With its peak in the 1990s and early 2000s, the research institute hosted several conferences, exploring topics such as:
- Science and Belief (1992)
- Science in Theistic Contexts: Cognitive Dimensions (1998)
- Christian Science in Light of Scripture: Hermeneutics Issues (1999)
- Exploring the Relationship between Scripture, Scholarship and Culture (2000)
- Interpreting Nature and Scripture: History of a Dialogue (2005)
A Founder’s Perspective
An award-winning Christian biologist, van der Meer was a founding professor at Redeemer in 1982. Since co-founding the Pascal Centre in 1988, he has been involved as the Centre’s director, and still serves as professor emeritus at the university.
Reflecting on his motivation, van der Meer shares, “Christian faith has been very important in the development of the natural sciences, and I want to contribute to keeping it that way.”
Van der Meer became very interested in questions of faith and science as a student. He often made suggestions in the margins of his notes about how to deal with scientific problems from a Christian perspective, and he realized the importance of philosophy of science and history of science courses early on.
A quote from 17th century French mathematician and physicist, Blaise Pascal has served as inspiration for van der Meer: “The heart has its reason that reason doesn’t know about.” He identified with Pascal’s strong commitment to his Christian faith, eventually naming the Centre after him.
The single most important thing, in terms of the Pascal Centre’s legacy, is that it will inspire young people to take up an interest in faith and science and continue to develop it.
Today, van der Meer continues to ask questions, research and write—and hopes others will do the same. “The single most important thing, in terms of the Pascal Centre’s legacy, is that it will inspire young people to take up an interest in faith and science and continue to develop it.”
Ongoing and future research may include topics like:
- The Doctrine of Accommodation: How an infinite God can communicate, through Scripture, with a finite humanity
- How our faith-based worldview can be supported by science and how science affects our worldview
- How to explain natural evil such as diseases and physical disasters
Preserving a Rich Heritage
Owen Ecker and Simon Mischuk, Redeemer research assistants, have been cataloging decades of Pascal Centre meeting minutes, emails, academic papers, conference proceedings, photographs, published books and other documents. They have even preserved the original inauguration address and signatures of the opening ceremony attendees.
The research assistants have spent the summer reviewing the materials, deciding what to keep, and digitizing the retained items. They have found it to be interesting and challenging work.
Mischuk has been encouraged throughout the process. “It’s been fascinating to see how scholars interacted back then — how blunt and honest they could be, without being divisive as people are today. They were willing to engage in conversations and even have strong disagreements, but at the same time come together and respect each other. I would like to implement this in my own work.”
Redeemer has a history that we can dig deep into, and the Pascal Centre is part of it.
Ecker notes that “[a]rchiving has given us a good understanding of both Pascal and what was going on at the school at the time. Redeemer has a history that we can dig deep into, and the Pascal Centre is part of it.”
“Some of the work the Centre put out is very accessible,” says Mischuk. “We hope the work we’re doing sparks an interest in the general Redeemer population about the interaction between faith and science and encourages further study.”
Learn More About the Pascal Centre
The research assistants found it interesting to explore the papers that were accepted and turned down for each conference. They also enjoyed learning about the well-known Christian scientists affiliated with the Centre, including Dr. Kenneth Howell, Nancy Pearcey and Dr. Alvin Plantinga.
Ecker and Mischuk are wrapping up this project with a podcast series interviewing individuals associated with the Pascal Centre. Van der Meer and Dr. Justin Cooper (Redeemer president emeritus) will share their perspectives on the Centre’s history and fond memories from the past.
Many of the questions explored by the Pascal Centre remain relevant today and its legacy continues through the Albert M. Wolters Centre for Christian Scholarship. Students and others interested in the history of the Pascal Centre or the intersection of faith and science are welcome to request archived materials from the library or contact wolterscentre@redeemer.ca for more information.
If you’d like to know more about the Pascal Centre and its work, Facets of Faith and Science is a great place to start. This four volume work published in 1996, is a collection of papers presented at a conference held by the Pascal Centre in 1992 on the topic of science and belief. To receive a free copy of this collection, while supplies last, fill out our giveaway form.