To be effective, she argues, public theology must 1) proceed from a clear religious rationale 2) be timely and explain why a specific issue is addressed 3) be well reasoned, informed and understandable to persons both inside and outside of the particular religious community 4) exhibit knowledge of relevant research and data related to the subject it is addressing and 5) be clear both about what is being advocated as well as what is being critiqued. In articulating her response, Chapman outlines two primary tasks: first, to look at how religious thinkers and communities have already responded to the challenges and opportunities of the "genetics revolution" and second, and more important, to provide a framework and five evaluative criteria for a public theology in which the religious communities can make their distinctive contribution to society’s efforts to confront the issues arising from genetic science. To this last question Audrey Chapman, an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and director of the Program of Dialogue, Science, and Religion at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, based in Washington, D.C., offers a compelling and resounding yes as she deals with the preceding questions and many others like them. But in the brave new world ushered in by the incredible recent developments in genetic science, can we actually describe with necessary moral certitude just what constitutes a human’s being? If so, where is this being located? In a totally unembodied "spiritual" soul that lies beyond scientific analysis, no matter how sophisticated? Or is a more careful look at the corporeal entity essential for any concrete moral analysis of what should, and should not, be done in utilizing current genetic breakthroughsnot to mention choosing the pursuit of future research? Do our genes and DNA possess a metaphysical significance? Should theologians and whole faith communities intervene in these areas that may lie beyond their scientific expertise? Any moral "ought" is founded on the "is," the given reality, of the individual. 261 p $22 (paper)Īgere sequitur esse (action follows being) is the traditional statement of the metaphysical and moral principle that grounds a person’s moral duties and the possibilities in one’s very being. Unprecedented Choices: Religious Ethics at the Frontiers of Genetic Science by Audrey R.
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