Abstract

Because genetic engineering greatly accelerates the cultivation of new breeds of plants and animals and because in nature all life is part of an integrated whole, great responsibility rests upon those pursuing genetic research. No one can know with certainty what might develop as the result of genetic manipulation. One therefore cannot merely assume that only negative or catastrophic developments are to be expected. Rather, uncertainty remains, and it is necessary to learn to work with this uncertainty, that is, to work carefully, one step at a time, open to correction and trusting that God is able to bring about good even from efforts that have gone away. Then nature remains a living whole and retains its own dynamic despite human intervention.