Date/Time
Date(s) - January 27, 2027
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Categories No Categories
What if the story told by the stars is not only one of matter, but also of meaning? Since the nineteenth century, the Western intellectual tradition has largely cast science and theology in one of two ways: conflict or independence. Drawing on Thomas Aquinas and the witness of great scientists, this talk recovers a richer vision of knowledge, one in which scientific rationality finds its ultimate fulfilment in the light of Christian theology. Through the lens of astronomy, Dr. Mairs explores the relationship between Christian faith and modern science, inviting a renewed sense of wonder in an age that often separates knowledge from purpose. With vivid examples from the cosmos, it distinguishes between explanations of mechanism and questions of meaning, showing why both are essential for a full account of reality. In this vision, scientific discovery is not diminished. Rather, it is deepened as it participates in a larger search for truth grounded in God’s revelation. You are invited to see the universe afresh as a coherent, intelligible, and awe-inspiring creation that points beyond itself to its Maker, where faith and science stand together as partners in the pursuit of truth.
Biography: Dr. Steve Mairs is an astrophysicist with over a decade of experience in tackling questions surrounding scientific rationality and faith in public forums. He received his PhD in Astrophysics from University of Victoria in 2017. While he has worked on pulsar physics, black holes, and comet analyses, his main expertise is in the field of star-formation. As a research scientist at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, the National Research Council of Canada, and NASA’s flying observatory “SOFIA”, he has used submillimetre, infrared, and radio observations to study real-time variability of the youngest protostars in the galaxy. He has been a Research Fellow (Visitor) at the Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre (NRC) from October 2022 to the present. Since 2010, he has spoken at more than a dozen international conferences and hosted numerous workshops. Steve is currently completing his Master of Theological Studies at Tyndale University in Toronto, Ontario. He led or co-authored some 70 peer reviewed papers in astrophysics.
https://ubcgcu.org/2026/06/14/new-2026-27-ubc-gfcf-lecture-series/