SRT REPORT TO THE
1998 GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Contents
Today's Church looking at Tomorrow's Technology
Of all the profound questions which people are asking today none
are more searching than the ones raised by current technology,
like cloning, genetic engineering, patenting, climate change and
risk. The Church of Scotland's Society, Religion and Technology
Project is working at the cutting edge of each of these issues,
to give balanced Christian thinking on questions where the world
is searching for wisdom, to provide a sound basis for the
Church's ethical judgements, and to engage with key scientists,
stimulating them to think through the ethical implications of
their discoveries.
Cloning - Where are the Limits to Science?
When Dolly the cloned sheep thrust the SRT Project into the
limelight in 1997, this proved to be another epoch making event
in the Project's history. Dolly led to Polly, transgenic cloned
sheep, to proposals to produce cloned human organs, and the
claimed intention of a US scientist to offer cloned babies for
infertile couples, posing deep questions about both the limits
and accountability of science. On all of these the SRT Director
has given informed and critical public comment, playing a
prominent role in many media debates, as well as numerous
articles and speaking engagements from Dundee to Dsseldorf to
Dubai. SRT also made a submission to a Ministry of Agriculture
committee on the ethics of animal cloning, and drafted a
position paper for the European Ecumenical Commission for Church
and Society (EECCS). This is addressed to the EU and the Council
of Europe, expressing encouragement at their opposition to human
cloning, but concern at the ambiguous position taken over
allowing animal cloning. The Director also wrote the opening
chapter in a new book "Human Cloning - Religious Responses",
published in the USA.
SRT's Internet web pages on Cloning are still recording 400
visits a day, 10 months After Dolly (A.D.), a total of 70,000
and rising! This is a measure of the worldwide interest.
Opportunities for the church to speak on a public issue on this
scale are rare indeed, and it demonstrates the unique value of
SRT's ongoing work at the interface of technology and the
Christian gospel, and especially of its working groups and
European collaboration. The cloning opening arose directly from
SRT's 3-year working group study on animal and plant genetic
engineering, whose final report has been well received by
reviewers for the thoroughness and balance of its coverage on
complex issues.
SRT is now preparing for a new study on the far
reaching question of Risk in Technology.
Patenting - How far should we Commercialise Life?
Following the motion of the 1996 General Assembly, SRT is
continuing in high level discussions with Government and EC on
the vexed issue of patenting biotechnological inventions. The
SRT Director played a prominent role in a consultation called by
the Government with leading industrial figures and
non-Government organisations. He expressed the church's
concerns about the unacceptable ethical stance being taken in
proposed European legislation [See Patenting Biological Material - A Case of Injustice?]
, which would allow human genes and
genetically altered animals and plants to be patented, and about
the inadequacy of public debate on the issue. He also addressed
the Edinburgh International Science Festival debate on patenting and the
international association of patent lawyers on the role of
ethics in patenting.
Climate Change - Can anyone Claim the High Ground?
The Kyoto conference on global warming highlighted how reluctant
we in the west can be to set aside our short term comfort for
the sake of others and of the planet we depend on. Despite a
wide scientific consensus about global warming, world leaders
agreed only minimal reduction targets for greenhouse gases after
2000, which will do little to change the disruption, despoliation and starvation which is likely to result in many of
the poorest parts of the world. SRT drafted a letter on behalf
of European churches to our US counterparts, expressing deep
concern at the injustice that the world's largest cause of the
problem was refusing to make any significant reductions. SRT
also briefed UK church leaders at a meeting with the Foreign
Secretary, to urge the Government to use its 1998 Presidency to
press EU member states to stick to their higher, pre-Kyoto,
reduction targets. The Government has now made this commitment,
but SRT will monitor how far it is realised, through its UK
contacts and the EECCS working group on environment.
See also For SRT's pages on Climate Change
Environment - A Mandate for the Churches
SRT is also active within the churches, for example in
addressing God and Science questions for Presbyteries, and
stimulating practical concern for the environment.
[ See SRT pages on Environment ] The Director
spoke on environmental issues to the Second European Ecumenical
Assembly in Graz, and advised on the churches' priorities.
Although the many valuable discussions at Graz were not
reflected in the poor formal recommendations, one positive
outcome has been to set up a European Churches' network to
co-ordinate work on environmental issues, and a similar venture
among the UK churches. As a result, the experience, actions and
resources of many churches across Europe and the UK can now be
shared. The Council of Churches for Britain and Ireland has also identified priority tasks which the
UK churches should adopt following the Graz Assembly, including
three excellent proposals for environmental action :
- The church at national and intermediate levels should educate and train church people, especially the clergy, in environmental issues, ethics and theology.
- The church at a national level should participate in the national Agenda 21 Network, and encourage and enable local churches to participate in the local Agenda 21 process.
- The churches should enable each local church to undertake an environmental audit by 2000 and local churches should consider
- ways of conducting such audits and leading by example.
Environment - Putting our House in Order
The Church of Scotland is urged to take up all three points, and
in particular the environmental auditing of the local and
national activities of the Kirk. This is a call to put our own
house in order, to examine critically our approach towards God's
creation, to look at the size of the environmental "footprint"
of the Church of Scotland at all levels of our church life -
congregations, presbyteries, committees and centres, and our
central facilities like 121 George Street. There is nothing new
in this. In 1989 SRT worked with the Church and Nation
Committee to produce a searching report on Polluting
Technologies. Deliverances were passed to review the Kirk's use
of paper, encouraging everyone to avoid unnecessary car
journeys, use public transport, avoid waste, recycle paper,
glass and aluminium, and reduce energy, and to introduce special
services celebrating God's creation.
Nearly a decade later, what have we got to show? This year a
Church and Nation report on car use re-echoes the 1989 message,
reflecting how far we have failed to act. Convenience has
overcome our resolve to change, and we have backtracked on our
commitments. It need not be so. Part of this is simply a call
to obey Christ in our use of the creation he entrusts to our
care. But part is also an opportunity to bear witness to his
transforming life. The secular world has come against a barrier
in implementing environmental policies. The root problem is as
old as sin - people do not know how to change their own
behaviour when it costs them to do so. Where these impinge on
our lifestyles or economic interests, good intentions are set
aside in favour of maintaining the status quo. The Church has a
golden opportunity to behave differently. But will we do it?
Over the next year the SRT Project, other UK churches and the
Vision 21 initiative of ACTS will be preparing materials to
enable congregations, centres and committees of the Kirk to look
critically at our environmental footprint and begin the long
process of change. We are seeking churches who will offer to do
pilot schemes, just as was done in 1978 when the then SRT
Director Iain MacDonald proposed setting up a Scottish Churches' Energy
Saving Scheme. 20 years on that scheme has proved a great
success, repeated in many churches across Europe. SRT was
saddened to learn of Iain's death in June 1997, but there could
be no more fitting tribute to his uniquely innovative
contribution as Director from 1978-82 than that the Church of
Scotland should now go the next step and implement a church
environmental audit scheme.
SRT Trust
In the year of Dolly, it has also become clear that these and
our many other activities are stretching SRT's resources of 1«
staff to the limit. To meet the immense opportunities that are
now coming to SRT's door, the Project is looking to expand its
financial base, as well as to offset reduced funding from the
Board of National Mission, by setting up the SRT Trust. The
purpose of this Trust is to raise funds in support SRT's work
and if possible to enable the Project to expand into new
projects with extra research staff. We are excited by the
possibilities which this could open up, but we are also aware of
the extra demands which applying for funds will inevitably make.
SRT is most grateful for generous contributions from the
Scottish Episcopal, Congregational and United Free Church,
enriching SRT's long-standing ecumenical dimension. We are also
setting up a network of SRT Associates who are committed to
SRT's work, and are prepared to contribute either financially or
in their skills to the ongoing task of mission to the world of
science and technology which this past year has so singularly
underlined.
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Deliverances (motions to be put to the Assembly)
- 1. Receive the report of the SRT Project and commend its continuing work on cloning, genetic engineering, patenting and environmental issues both at home and in Europe.
- 2. In line with churches all over the UK, urge presbyteries to initiate a process of auditing the environmental impact of the life of congregations - including the use of energy, transport, paper and other consumable resources, purchasing policy, the reuse or recycling of materials, and active engagement in local environmental initiatives.
- 3. Encourage congregations to volunteer to perform pilot environmental audits.
- 4. Invite the Office Management Committee to initiate a similar environmental audit of 121 George Street and its working.
More about the Church of Scotland's 1998 General Assembly
For the full press release of the SRT Project's parent board , click on Full Press Release of the Report of the Board of National Mission .
For more general information about the 1998 General Assembly see the Church of Scotland's main website.
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