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Board of National Mission, Church of Scotland
In late 1998, SRT's book "Engineering Genesis" and its Assembly Report warned that if something were not done to take public values about genetically modified food into account, there would be a serious backlash. During 1999 our predictions came true, with an explosion of public concern, often cast in exaggerated terms by the media, but no less real. SRT now finds itself as a rare voice arguing for a more measured view in a highly polarised debate. This work is proving timely indeed, underlining, as with cloning two years before, the foresight of SRT's 5 year working group study. Thus the book sold out its 2000 copy print run in less than a year and continues to receive acclaim for its balance and accuracy. The working group had to be reconvened to produce an updated version, reflecting on the year's developments. 750 new copies were printed in November 1999, in time for the Moderator to present one to the Prime Minister during the St Andrews-tide visit. For SRT is now engaged in the task of disseminating this work, both to the world of policy makers and opinion formers, and to church members and the wider public.
To the former, SRT ran a high level three day conference at St George's House Windsor Castle in November, on the theme "Genetics, Values and Risk". Members of SRT's working group presented an analysis of the causes of the present crisis to a selected group of senior representatives of industry, Government, the regulators and research communities. We pointed out the major value concerns missed by those promoting and regulating the technology. We explored what is the proper response to uncertainties like environmental risks. We may advocate precaution, but in a highly politicised climate, on whose terms should society decide what is "precautionary"? Is it possible for science to engage with the public and re-establish trust? Some very productive discussions took place and are leading to further opportunities to share the insights of SRT's study with key figures in the technology, in areas such as risk and public involvement.
Just as events at the Seattle World Trade Organisation meeting were bringing home the importance of the transatlantic and international dimension of the GM food debate, Dr Bruce was sharing SRT's biotechnology insights in Toronto at the invitation of the Canadian Council of Churches. Strategic links are being forged with US and Canadian denominations, where SRT's work is evidently much respected. In Washington DC, Dr Bruce presented SRT's work and concerns to a series of meetings with officials of the US Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the President's Advisory Commission on Bioethics, the Science Committee of the US Congress, the British Embassy and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. SRT is also part of a new World Council of Churches study group on biotechnology, and for a second year, Dr Bruce was an observer to the International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO. As the global dimension of biotechnology increases, these various international secular and church contacts will prove of great value. They are giving many opportunities to put the Church of Scotland's work into very high places where the church would not normally reach. SRT also continues the important European work with the bioethics committee of the Conference of European Churches, the European Christian Environmental Network, the Council of Europe biotechnology conference in Oviedo, and in a funding application to the EC.
At home, SRT has given numerous talks on the issue across Scotland, including Christian Aid in Perth, the World Development Movement in Aberdeen, church groups from Palmerston Place to Tweedsmuir, and even to the Scottish Humanist Association. These give a welcome chance both to share SRT's work within the church and to hear concerns and perspectives of ordinary members. SRT has also shared its work with Action of Churches Together in Scotland, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI), the Church of England Board of Social Responsibility, the Scottish Congregational Church, Baptist church conferences, and a Christendom Trust theological study. Dr Bruce is chairing a study on GM foods for the Evangelical Alliance and debated who controls genetic engineering at the Cambridge University Union.
The focus of cloning has shifted to the idea of creating temporary cloned human embryos whose cells would then be reprogrammed to become replacement cells for treating degenerative diseases. There is great enthusiasm in the medical research community for this combination of Roslin's nuclear transfer method with US embryonic stem cell techniques. SRT wrote to the Government expressing concern, however, over the failure to take sufficient account of ethical issues and to engage in a wide enough public debate on this controversial area. The Government made a surprise decision not to proceed with research until it had convened a committee to look further at the scientific and ethical issues. This gave SRT an opportunity to make a submission jointly with the Board of Social Responsibility on ethical concerns over the uses of cloned embryos. Dr Bruce also shared these concerns at special meetings of the Human Genetics Advisory Commission and the Wellcome Trust.
The challenges of biotechnology have inevitably meant less time for SRT's environment work. In 1998, the General Assembly urged congregations to make an environmental audit of their activities, and called for volunteers. Help has now come via a collaboration with the Government's "Going for Green" initiative, based in Wigan. In conjunction with CTBI, a full time churches' officer has been appointed to set up an Eco-Congregations scheme. This has started with a pilot study, in which SRT and several Scottish congregations are taking part. Information and resource packs which will be produced to be available for congregations throughout the UK later in 2000.
SRT's future work programme will depend much on its resources. A grant from the Christendom Trust has been won for a new work which will examine with role of the technology in the forces of globalisation, and vice versa. We are seeking funds for SRT's next major work on the ethics, theology and policy aspects of risk. We hope this will prove as timely as our genetics work has proved to be. But it has also become clear that the greatly expanded opportunities of the past two years have built up a workload that is more than one person can shoulder. The SRT Trust is therefore seeking significant external funding with the hope that an Associate Director might eventually be appointed. In November we welcomed Anne Wyllie as Administrator of both the SRT Project and the SRT Trust, having said farewell in August to Kay Shanks, SRT's secretary of seven years. We are deeply grateful for Kay's hard work and friendly manner, and also to the director's wife, Ann Bruce, who has acted as a temporary administrator for the SRT Trust, with sterling work on funding applications and supporting the Director.
An important next step is to set up Friends of SRT, a scheme for those who identify with SRT's work, both to widen our support and to pass on something of our work and insights. The importance of SRT's wider family was underlined by May 1999 of the UK Templeton Prize at a special ceremony in Edinburgh. Receiving the award for SRT, current Director Dr Donald Bruce paid tribute to the prophetic vision of its founders Willie Robertson, George Wilkie and Horace Walker, to innovative and imaginative work of the five past directors, and the support of the committees, working groups and the General Assembly over the years. This recognition of 30 years of pioneering work at the interface of faith and technology, represents a major national and international acknowledgement of the worth of the SRT Project, which this year has underlined, and on which we seek to build in an exciting future.
Motion passed by the Church of Scotland General Assembly, 24 May 2000
13. Urge congregations to join the Eco-Congregation scheme for environmental auditing of church life and premises, beginning in Autumn 2000
Dr Donald Bruce, SRT Director
