Many of you probably wonder how a preacher chooses what to preach on any given Sunday. Most preachers today, including myself, begin with a particular scripture and build their sermon from there. Which scripture you use is usually determined by the Common Lectionary. The Lectionary is a three-year cycle of various scriptures that are prescribed for each Sunday. Many churches follow the lectionary pattern, so no matter where you may be attending church on a particular Sunday, you are hearing the same scriptures being read and preached in the worship service.

In the first half of the 20th century, however, preachers usually started with a topic and included various scripture references. The topic was usually taken from events of the day, and the preacher would use a particular subject as the foundation for the sermon. I am explaining this because today is an exception to my usual practice: I am not following the Lectionary today. Instead, I want to preach on a topic this morning, and the topic is genetic science. Let me assure you that I am not going to pretend to be an expert in somatic cell gene therapy, stem cell transplantation, germ line modification or nuclear transfer and cloning. However, I have been concerned for some time about the theological and ethical implications of cloning and genetic technology. Since almost every newspaper and broadcast contains a story about stem cell transplants or the cloning of human embryos, I am prompted to address this issue today.

The religious community received a wake up call in 1997, when the birth of Dolly was announced. Remember Dolly? I'm not talking about the singer/songwriter. I am speaking of Dolly the sheep. Dolly was special because the scientists at the Roslin Institute in Scotland had cloned her. The scientists had taken the nucleus from the cell of an adult sheep and inserted it into an egg cell from which the DNA had been removed. After 277 attempts, Dolly was born.

The announcement of the first successful clone of a mammal took the media by storm. All of a sudden, theologians and ethicists and church executives and pastors were racing to catch up with the implications of this genetic breakthrough. This success in producing a clone raised a question that remains with us today: Are we playing God with this new technology? We are still struggling with that question today, and cloning is only the tip of the iceberg. It seems that, all of a sudden, we are dealing with a number of different genetic breakthroughs, each with different moral implications.

Frankly, this did not happen overnight. It was 1953 when the Nobel Prize-winning team of Watson and Crick discovered the double helix structure of DNA. I remember as a teenager receiving an annual Science Yearbook from the World Book Encyclopedia company. The yearbook would cover all aspects of new scientific developments. Topics such as gene splicing and basic DNA research were the headline articles even then. But it was Dolly the sheep that finally grabbed our undivided attention.

So where does the United Methodist Church stand on the issue of cloning? You may be surprised that the church has been dealing with this issue in a substantial way. Since 1988, the church has studied the broad range of issues involved in genetic science and biotechnology. The General Conference, which is the only body that can officially speak for the church on legislative issues, passed a resolution at its 2000 meeting that calls for a ban on all human cloning, including the cloning of human embryos for research. Jim Winkler, the top executive for the General Board of Church & Society, recently wrote President Bush to extend the moratorium on human embryo stem cell research.

The issues are more complex than simply cloning another Dolly. In its social principles on genetic technology, The United Methodist Church "welcomes the use of genetic technology for meeting fundamental human needs for health, a safe environment, and an adequate food supply." Yet the denomination also calls upon society not to engage in all genetic techniques. For example, while the resolutions passed in 2000 support research using adult stem cells, it opposes the intentional generation of embryos for genetic research. Here is another example. On one hand, the church supports gene therapies that produce genetic changes in an individual if those changes cannot be passed on to offspring. On the other hand, the church opposes other gene therapies that result in genetic changes that are passed on to offspring. There is no simple "yes" or "no" answer to these questions.

If your head is spinning now in trying to understand all these different genetic techniques and the ethical questions they pose, you are not alone. This subject is too complex to explain in one sermon or study group. But the fact remains that this is where we are now. We already have the knowledge and ability, albeit imperfect, to change the genetic structures of life itself. Now we are struggling to keep up from a faith perspective.

How do we think through these issues theologically? The place to begin is with God as creator. We believe as Christians that God is the creator of all, including human beings. Our Bible begins with two different accounts of the creation story in Genesis and ends with the new heaven and new earth in Revelation. All of life is dependent on God's power, and it has been declared "good" in all of its richness and diversity. It is interesting to note that there are two different Hebrew verbs used in the Genesis story for "create." When human beings "create", the Hebrew word is easah, which means to make something with your hands. When God creates, the Hebrew word is barai, which means to form something using divine activity. The verb barai is only used for God, never for human beings.

While God has given us incredible scientific powers and abilities, we are still subordinate to God in those powers. We as human beings have been made in the image of God, but we are not gods ourselves. The psalmist recognizes that ultimate power of God in these lines:

For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
(Psalm 139:13-14)

For all that we have discovered about the basic building blocks of life in genetic science, the mystery of life resides only with God. In a way that we cannot explain, God knits us together in our mother's womb and breathes into us the breath of life.

There exists then a basic boundary that separates us that have been created from the Creator. There are some that hold the opinion that since we now have the ability to manipulate the genetic code, we should do so, especially if it will help to relieve suffering and pain. The question, however, is not can we do these things, but should we? It is a question of ethics and moral choices.

The ethical standard that we should use is the one that ensures the dignity and individuality of each human being. Human cloning would violate that individuality, because a person's genetic identity is being copied to create another being. Donald Bruce, the Director of the Society, Religion and Technology Project of the Church of Scotland, sums it up this way: "A human is unique, and cloning would be seen as compromising the uniqueness that God has given to that one person." The dignity of the individual is also the standard by which The United Methodist Church supports or opposes various genetic techniques. If the research or treatment respects human dignity, then it is affirmed; if it destroys human dignity solely for the interests of a third party, then it is opposed.

When you sort through all of this, you begin to realize that we as human beings are being asked to do something very difficult. God is requiring us to be humble even as we gain more power and knowledge. Our new knowledge and capabilities in the field of genetics allow us to challenge the Creator. Yet we are not the first to issue such a challenge.

In the Hebrew scriptures, Job challenged God to explain why he was being treated so badly. Forget the old saying, "Someone is as patient as Job." Job was blessed with material wealth, power, and good health. He was devoutly religious, and followed the laws and practices of his faith without fail. Then suddenly, without any explanation, that is all taken away. Job loses his wealth, his family, and becomes ill. Job's three friends try to explain Job's suffering by claiming that he must have sinned, but Job insists that he has done nothing wrong. Job becomes very impatient and finally he challenges God: "I cry to you and you do not answer me; I stand, and you merely look at me" (Job 30:20). Job wants an explanation from God about why all of these bad things are happening to a good person like himself. Job is angry and he wants an answer now.

The answer God gives Job is not what he expected and it stops him in his tracks. Out of the whirlwind, God's answer comes in the form of a series of questions:

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?
(Job 38:4-7)

It is a stinging rebuke of Job. God has trumped Job's questions with an even bigger one: who created the universe, you or me? Do you dare attempt to fully understand the mysteries of life, to subdue it under your mind and will? Are you forgetting that I am your God, your Creator?

You can picture poor Job can't you? I know I can, because I have been on the receiving end of such an answer, the kind of answer that totally destroys your own argument and humbles you into silence. It is that humility you feel when your concerns have been overwhelmed by even greater ones. God's answer goes on for four whole chapters in the Book of Job. God poses question after question to Job, indicating that God alone is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. And when God is finally done, Job can only say this: "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Therefore I have uttered what I do not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know" (Job 42:2-3).

Humility before God is required of us now as we consider the new knowledge we have attained in genetic science. That knowledge can be put to great use to help those in need, to relieve the pain and suffering from previously incurable diseases. That knowledge can also create great harm through the unintended consequences of our actions, destroying individual lives and human dignity. We should not just proceed carefully; we should proceed theologically.

I don't expect to have answered all of the questions that I myself have raised this morning. Neither do I expect any of you to have all the answers. But what I do hope is that you are encouraged to think about these issues in relation to your faith in God and Jesus Christ. To exclude God from our thinking about these issues would not only be a mistake but also a sin. Genetic science provides both promise and danger to the world. If we take seriously our belief in God as Creator, then we cannot separate these matters from our faith. Ignoring these developments in the hopes that the experts will resolve them is dangerous indeed. You and I are being impacted right now by these decisions, and each of you should be thinking through the implications for you and your children.

God has given the wonderful gifts of reasoning and discovery. If we are to be good stewards of God's creation, then we have a responsibility to use those gifts wisely. We are called to learn about these issues, to engage in dialogue about them, so that we can deal with them honestly and directly. When you read the newspapers or watch a program on PBS about cloning, or gene therapy, or stem cell transplants, ask yourself: "Where are the church leaders? Where are the ethics professors? How is my faith being reflected in these decisions?" Whether we agree or disagree on all of the stands being taken by the church, let us at least be informed and involved in the debate. Too much is at stake to remain on the sidelines.

Sources:

Joretta Purdue, "Church exec seeks extended ban on embryonic cell research," United Methodist News Service, July 19, 2001.

The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, 2000, par. 162M.

The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church, 2000, "New Developments in Genetic Science," Resolution 90.VI.B.1.

Donald M. Bruce, "A View from Edinburgh," Human Cloning: Religious Responses, ed. Ronald Cole-Turner (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1997), 8.