An introductory look.
Genetic engineering has sparked more controversy than any scientific subject since the birth of the nuclear age in the 1940s. Scientists, congressmen, and citizens’ groups have hotly debated man’s newfound power to manipulate genetic material. These genes form something like a set of blueprints. It determines all of the hereditary characteristics of an organism.
Nothing is more fundamental to life than genes and heredity. We know that differences between various life forms, such as birds, insects, and plants are due to genetic differences. And we all know how many of our own characteristics are fixed by what we inherited from our parents. Thus, when scientists toy with genetic material, it’s the same as manipulating life itself. It’s perhaps the greatest act in the game of man attempting to “play God.” And the implications of genetic engineering for Christians and non-Christians alike are profound.
The cauldron began to boil in 1973. It became apparent then that spectacular genetic manipulations weren’t just the stuff of science fiction, but real possibilities. The key development was the discovery of methods to chop up genetic material and put it back together. In this way, material from different species can be “spliced” together, to give a new recombined (or recombinant) set of genes. The result is the creation of new genetic species with unique hereditary traits.
So far, most of the new genetic species that have been created are simple bacteria. These are far easier to manipulate than such higher life forms as fish or birds or insects. This is not to say that manipulations with higher life forms won’t be done at some future point. But apart from that, the implications of the bacteria work are in themselves staggering.
For example, take the spectacular achievement in genetic engineering announced during congressional hearings held in the fall of 1977. Through an elegant series of clever tricks, scientists in San Francisco successfully inserted into a common bacteria the gene that gives instructions for producing an important human brain hormone. In this way, a bacterium—one of the lowest forms of life—was made able to produce a hormone associated with the brain of the highest form of life.
The San Francisco experiment highlights the major issues surrounding genetic engineering. On the one hand, it shows the enormous benefit that comes from this technology. The brain hormone in question, somatostatin, is extremely valuable for medical purposes. But it’s hard to obtain in sufficient amounts; it’s usually obtained only by grinding up brain tissue. But having it produced by a simple bacterium solves the problem; the bacteria can be grown in large amounts in an ordinary laboratory. And these bacteria will produce in a day more brain hormone than can be obtained by extracting the tissues of thousands of brains. Thus, by genetic engineering large amounts of heretofore rare and precious substances can be readily isolated.
But there’s another side. There is potential danger when a human hormone is placed in a simple and common bacterium. The difficulty is that bacteria closely related to those used in laboratory research commonly inhabit the human intestinal tract. Moreover, bacteria such as these are readily airborne and thus transmitted among and between populations. This situation creates a hazard.
For example suppose that some laboratory bacteria produce large amounts of a human hormone; the bacteria escape the laboratory and end up in a human intestinal tract, or pass the hormone gene to a bacterium that resides there. If large amounts of the hormone are now produced in the intestinal tract, one can easily imagine that this could lead to serious, perhaps fatal disease. This is because hormones generally regulate the body’s equilibrium. Too much of a particular hormone could tip the scales too far in one direction.
This worry is shared by laymen and scientists alike. It has sparked a congressional investigation and the establishment by the National Institutes of Health of restrictive guidelines for this kind of genetic research. Fortunately, in the case of the San Francisco experiment, elaborate precautions were taken so as to assure that the hormone-producing bacteria would not pose a threat to humans.
Another question raised by genetic engineering experiments is whether artificial genetic species created by scientists will upset the balance of nature in some unforeseen way. The argument is that by tampering with the very essence of life itself, through the construction of artificial genetic combinations, scientists will unwittingly perturb nature to the detriment of all. This argument is difficult to prove, but it’s still a worry.
Regardless of the viewpoint, it’s clear that genetic technology has opened up a bold new era for science. Bacteria producing human hormones is but one example of countless applications of this technology. Research is moving at a blistering pace; the excitement is white hot; and imaginations are running wild. Many biological scientists view it as a glorious age.
At this point, we can raise the question of how we should respond to these exciting developments and the complex issues that they raise. And we can also ask about the impact of the new technology on spiritual values.
First of all, we are obliged to take seriously the recent advances in genetic engineering. These advances cannot and should not be ignored. The new genetics is not simply another one of the breakthroughs in technology of the kind that made possible television, jet travel, or high-speed computers. These technologies affect the way in which we live. But the ramifications of genetic engineering are far more profound. This technology, which gives scientists the ability to manipulate genes and heredity, has to do with the process of life itself. That means it affects everyone.
Congress hopes to come up with legislation that will regulate genetic engineering in such a way as to allow the maximum benefits with the minimum risk. It’s a tough order to fill. A key issue is how much autonomy should be given to local governments to formulate rules and to regulate genetic engineering in their own geographical areas. The research and technology have spread so fast that medical centers, universities, and industrial laboratories throughout the country are now doing research in this area. Also, in any locale some of the simpler experiments can even be done by a college undergraduate. Obviously, with the rapid dissemination of this technology local citizens should be concerned and should discuss the policies that will regulate the activity in their region. Citizens’ groups have already formed and local debate has begun. It’s not yet clear what legislation will come out. But regardless of that, we must educate ourselves so that we can influence the decisions that are made. The main concern is to assure that dangerous pathogens, which have a chance of escaping to the population, are not created. There are procedures that can be followed to greatly minimize this risk. And in every locale we must encourage strict adherence to these procedures.
We must also think about the broader implications of this new technology. For years to come there will be a concern about whether, in the course of time and of large scale genetic experimentation, living organisms will be adversely affected by an unfavorable restructuring of the balance of nature. There is little to say about this possibility; we don’t know enough. But it behooves us to be sensitive to the possibilities and to act with discrete and conscientious concern should we become aware of a worrisome situation.
There is no question that genetic engineering has spiritual ramifications. It’s one of a long series of scientific advances that shifts thinking from the metaphysical to the physical. It takes some of the mystery out of life. This is not to say that this is bad or that we shouldn’t try to understand life and nature with penetrating scientific insight. But if we substitute that insight for faith in and mystical reverence for the God behind it all, then we’ve lost something.
What’s more, we have to worry that the great insight into the mechanisms of life and the power to manipulate these mechanisms in extraordinary ways can make us see humans and life itself as so much machinery. It can boil down to a distraction from the concept of a human as a child of God, with special spiritual endowments. This is not the fault of genetic engineering or of any other technology; it’s simple human short-sightedness. And here Christians can bring a sensitive spiritual perspective to the issues at hand.
Genetic engineering is an extraordinary achievement of science and technology. The potential benefits are immense, but there are enough dangers and unknowns that it could become a curse instead of a blessing. Which it will be depends upon the conscientious participation of all of us in the decisions that govern this activity. Christians must maintain a spiritual perspective and encourage that perspective among others. In these ways, we can assure that our scientific explorations into genetics bring the blessings they’re intended to give.
D. Bruce Lockerbie is chairman of the Fine Arts department at The Stony Brook School, Stony Brook, New York. This article is taken from his 1976 lectures on Christian Life and Thought, delivered at Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary in Denver, Colorado.
