Over the Christmas holidays many of us have taken the time to enjoy a few classic Christmas movies and new releases. Now, with many provinces once again in lockdown, you may be continuing to keep yourself entertained with the latest movies streaming on your favourite platform. With this in mind, I thought it might be good to consider the nature of the movies we watch. Of course, some movies are written and filmed to be little more than entertaining humour and escape from the realities of this world, but then there are the movies designed to tell a story and deliver a message to the audience. Some movies do make us think. These movies can be symbolic or may have subtle messages embedded within. The writer/director of movies of this type, is not attempting to make something real any more than a great painting by a great artist is trying to make something real. When we look at a painting by van Gogh (such as Café Terrace at Night) or Monet (Woman with a Parasol), we do not expect to see something that looks like a photograph, we know that the artist was trying to tell us something or perhaps evoke an emotion. Similarly, when we watch a movie, we can watch for moments of obvious symbolism and consider what the author is trying to say.

Ingmar Bergman, who made movies such as The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Cries and Whispers, and The Magician, and is considered to be one of the greatest moviemakers of the 20th Century, had this to say about films: “I’m not trying to make it real; I’m trying to make it alive.”[1] In more recent times, Woody Allen, who was highly influenced by Bergman, liked to use Bergman’s technique of extreme close-ups of the human face to show anguish, joy, fear, or peace. You can see this influence particularly in movies like Stardust Memories by Woody Allen. Such techniques offer us clues as to what it is that a movie-maker is trying to say to us.

Where I want to take us today is that I would like to encourage us all to think about what we see in our movies and to intentionally choose movies that are both entertaining and that cause us to consider our own or someone else’s perspective of the world. I think we might agree that we could all use a dose of considering the other person’s situation a little bit more. The way to do this with movies is to watch for clues that show us something important is coming up. For example, when we see that the director has lined up the entire cast on both sides of a road and marched the villain down between them all (as in a recent television series I watched) we can see that the director is saying something like, “see, the bad guy doesn’t win, the community is standing up to him and wins because of their solidarity.” Think of the “Chorus” in a play by Sophocles or the narrator of Shakespeare, whose external voices speak the words that explain the scene to the audience. In the scene I watched, it was rather unlikely to think that all of the people of the town could happen to be there or even planned to be there on either side of the road to run the antagonist out of town. No matter, it is just a theatrical technique used by creative directors to alert us to the message we are about to receive.

The movie Witness (1985, director Peter Weir) has a number of scenes in which we are challenged to compare the way of life of an Amish community with that of Philadelphia mobs and corrupt police. One being a community of pacifism and collaboration, the other a people of violence and greed. Director Peter Weir uses a series of images to communicate the power of pacifism and solidarity. After the movie has explored the quiet peaceful life of the Amish people the director shows us a golden scene of the farmers working together with scythes and rakes to bring in the harvest. They are happy as they work together. Unknown to the farmers, a group of unhappy, murderous thugs have arrived at the homes and barns in their collective community. One of the members of the community manages to reach the emergency bell to call the men back from the field. The farmers look up from their work with sharpened tools in hand – ones that might serve well as weapons against an unknown enemy, and they drop the sharp tools in the field before running back to their homes. When they arrive and are confronted by men with automatic weapons, they are vulnerable and committed to non-violent intervention. The murderous thugs realize they must either kill all of the men, women, and children, and likely get thrown in jail for it, or yield to the unity of the people. And so, the mob loses. The whole message of how to beat gangs and thugs is told with a few scenes skillfully shot by an experienced movie team.

We have just been speaking of one or two scenes in a story, but how does one get the message of an entire movie or television series? In that case, we may need to look at a movie as a whole and ask what the overall message of the film might be. Look for repeated themes. Pay attention to the lyrics of songs, especially those that are repeated in the backdrop of the story. Cohen movies, like The Legend of Buster Scruggs or A Serious Man are often about the randomness of life and how the best thing we can hope for is to enjoy a few existential moments of joy. They signal this with random events cropping up at the most unexpected times or with the lyrics of a song played over and over in the movie (think Serious Man here). Woody Allen often creates movies about this same theme and communicates a message that the universe is meaningless except for the few moments of joy we experience on occasion. None of these three director/writers start from a perspective that allows for a creator God who guides and teaches humanity. They start from a perspective of bleak randomness and a conviction that the universe has no meaning. If we are to be intelligent movie-goers, we would do well to understand the underlying premises of those who provide our entertainment.

Once we understand the message of the movie, we are in a better place to decide how we will react to the movie. Do we agree with its philosophical starting points? Do we agree with the conclusions drawn from the plot of the story? Do we agree with its message? The starting point is watching for the key elements that signal that a message is being given. So, as we make our movie and television choices, I hope that we will not limit ourselves to only those that give a message with which we agree; and I hope that we might better prepare ourselves for detecting the messages that are given in the movies we watch. Then, we will be better able to discern how we will live.

[1] Interview with Melvyn Bragg, 1978; Ingmar Bergman interview on “The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries & more,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLVLKQ8Nh_A 

Surprise is at the heart of punchlines, ironies, new discoveries, and Christmas gifts. Life without surprise would be like a world without sunshine, a world without lightning, and a world without taste. In fact, one of the many surprises of this life is that food actually tastes good. It was not a requirement of the Creator to make it so, but he surprised us with beautiful flavours. As Douglas Wilson has said,

“He could have made all food quite nourishing, but which tasted like wadded up newspaper soaked in machine oil. Instead He gave us the tastes of watermelon, pecans, oatmeal stout, buttered corn, apples, fresh bread, grilled sirloin, and 25-year-old scotch.”[1]

The surprise is that food actually tastes good! Life is full of other surprises. Think of the punchline of one of your favourite jokes: “What did one snowman say to the other snowman?”[2] (the answer is in the footnote). The humour comes from the unexpected, the twist in the meaning, the irony of a snowman smelling anything. When someone makes a new discovery, it is traditional to yell out the word, “eureka,” meaning “I have found it.” There is surprise in response to discovering something new like the displacement of water in a bath,[3] gravitational waves, Higgs Boson particles, and black holes (the last three were all discovered within our lifetimes).

When I was a small child growing up on the farm, Christmas was a time of spectacular surprises. My parents worked hard to create a joyful Christmas atmosphere with a tree cut from the local riverbank, tinsel, and ornaments, and a turkey large enough to feed the guests at our Christmas meal. On Christmas morning the cows still had to be milked and fed and given fresh bedding, and so when my sister and I were still quite small, we would wait in her bedroom listening to Christmas records on a portable turntable while our parents finished the chores. We wanted so badly to go out to the tree and see what it looked like all decorated, with wrapped presents beneath it. We could barely wait for the signal that it was time to see it for ourselves. The greatest moment was always that moment when we could see it all – before the destruction of Christmas paper and ribbons and the opening of the presents. I wanted that moment, that view, to freeze there and last forever, before the surprises were revealed. Oh, sure, the gifts in the pretty boxes were nice, but it was the anticipation, the moment of surprise, that was the true reward for excitedly waiting for our parents.

The Biblical Christmas story is filled with surprises as well. If we look at it through the eyes of Mary, we see these and many more surprises.

In the midst of the year 2020, a very unusual year, where everyone has been affected by the world-wide pandemic and social unrest – anticipation and surprise have been welcome distractions. Many of us were surprised to find that we could enjoy working from home and be efficient at getting our work done. We learned that the church could still be the Body of Christ even when separated into our own homes. We learned that we could still celebrate Christmas without the same feasts and large parties, and that the New Year would still materialise even if a large crowd did not gather in Times Square to watch a ball drop.

I pray that we have also been surprised by how we have continued to love one another, as we each made space for the other’s work, study, play, socializing, and worship. I pray that we were surprised to find that our problems were smaller than someone else’s. Many of us realised that we could not travel, but that we did have a warm and safe home in which to isolate. We recognised that some did not even have a roof. As the shelves of grocery stores and other retail outlets became bare, and as we watched news of death and unrest from around the world, we may also have been surprised by some dark emotions. I pray that we were surprised by, and came to grips with, the racism, greed, and meism that lurks in all of our hearts. I pray that we realised that we needed to ask God to deal with our sin. In short, I pray that Jesus, yes, the tiny one in the manger, has surprised and will continue to surprise each and every one of us with gifts of joy. I pray that we might welcome him into our world and welcome him into our decisions in 2021. May we be truly surprised by his goodness.

[1] Douglas Wilson, Is Christianity Good For the World: A Debate, Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson, 2008.

[2] “Do you smell carrots?”

[3] It is said that Archimedes (287 to 212 BCE) shouted “eureka” and dashed out of his bath as he realised that he could measure the volume of an object by measuring the water it displaced. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedes

For information regarding the painting see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Vy%C5%A1%C5%A1%C3%AD_Brod

What kind of dreamer leaves his home in Ur near the Euphrates River and travels 1500 km by foot and donkey to Bethel where God says he will one day live and raise many children? Of course, that is Abraham, the father of the Jewish people.

What kind of dreamer tells his older brothers and his father that one day they will all bow down to him and that he will serve them? That was Joseph son of Jacob who provided for his people in Egypt.

What kind of dreamer tells thousands of people that he will lead them out of Egypt into a place with enough land for everyone and enough food to feed the thousands? And that was Moses, the rescuer of the Jewish people.

What kind of teenage dreamer waves goodbye to his elderly mom and dad, turns his back on the opportunity to become a priest in the Temple of God, wraps himself in burlap, ties a leather strip around his waist, goes out into the wild and lives off the land eating honey and locusts, then preaches a very unpopular message, and invites others to join him? Of course, this is the life of John the Baptist.

The Bible is full of dreamers who took God at his word and trusted his promises and we do see that it leads to some strange ways of living.

Today, as we patiently wait for Christmas, let us consider the life of John the Baptist. I say patiently wait because in God’s economy, there are always great preparations to be made for Christmas. But, it is not about the preparations we are used to making. It is not about gifts and wrapping presents and Christmas music. It is not even about families and food. In God’s economy, the preparations for Christmas involve the preparation of people’s hearts and the paths people will take. There are stars to be moved to the right place for people to see them at just the right time, there are angel choirs that must be arranged, there are Eastern Wise Men that must be alerted, there is a prophet who must be born, and there is a great silence that must be broken.

John the Baptist came from a long line of dreamers and priests. You have to be a dreamer to trust that what you do in the temple of Jerusalem is pleasing and acceptable to God. John the Baptist was the son of a priest, Zechariah and Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth. The priests of Israel were of the tribe of Levi, and were descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses. (cf. Exodus 28:1). John’s mother, Elizabeth, we are told, was also a descendant of Aaron, being called one of the daughters of Aaron (Luke 1:5). John’s ancestors on both sides of his family had for many generations led the people of God in ceremonial worship and in teaching people to trust in God. They had seen the miracles of God leading his people.

I pray that we have not forgotten how to dream in this world. Perhaps our dreams have become smaller over the last few months. We dream of handshakes and hugs, we dream of being able to travel for vacations in other countries, we dream of preparing a feast and having our whole family in our home. These are good dreams and good hopes, yet they are not our best dreams and our best hopes for our world.

Let us not lose our ability to dream. What kind of dreamer believes in community when all around is fractured and in disarray? What kind of dreamer dares to dream of a better world?

God has always called people to dream dreams and see visions, and then he calls them to move and make those dreams a reality. We are not a static people. We are the people of God moving forward with him. He calls us to a higher calling with bigger dreams.

We can dream of a better world. Many of you put aspirational dreams up on your social media feed. This is good. Some of us dream of welcoming refugees to our country, we might even dream of a world where people of colour, and aboriginal people, and others who are different would be treated fairly.

Do we still dream of the good news? We have been forgiven! Our sins, past, present, and future, have been forgiven. Now we can dream of a better world; now we can dream of an eternal future.

Psalm 85:1, 2, 8-13 (NLT)

1 Lord, you poured out blessings on your land!
    You restored the fortunes of Israel.

2 You forgave the guilt of your people—
    yes, you covered all their sins. Interlude

8 I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying,
    for he speaks peace to his faithful people.
    But let them not return to their foolish ways.
9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
    so our land will be filled with his glory.10 Unfailing love and truth have met together.
    Righteousness and peace have kissed!
11 Truth springs up from the earth,
    and righteousness smiles down from heaven.
12 Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings.
    Our land will yield its bountiful harvest.
13 Righteousness goes as a herald before him,
    preparing the way for his steps.

The popular TV series, The Good Place, is certainly not the place to look for a systematic theology of Christianity, nor even a place for the consideration of what is good and bad. Perhaps it does however point to the problems faced by the average person when it comes to altruism, selfishness, and justice.

The premise of the story follows a well-worn concept of morality, punishment, and reward. Presently, and throughout history, there have been a great many people who subscribe to the concept that the good and bad deeds of a person are followed throughout their lives by cosmic forces and then weighed at the end of one’s life. If the good deeds outweigh the bad deeds by a certain score, the person is ushered into heaven (the Good Place) and if the minimal score is not achieved, the person is ushered into hell (the Bad Place). It makes for funny television and has been used as a plot device in many stories. It allows one to think about the nature of a good or selfless act and the true nature of altruism (can we ever perform a selfless deed? or are we always looking over our shoulder assessing our assessors?).

It also points to the complications of living in the Western World in the 21st Century. Consider for example this exchange from Season 3, Episode 10,

Michael : [pulls up a page from the Book of Dougs]  In 1534, Douglass Wynegar of Hawkhurst, England, gave his grandmother roses for her birthday. He picked them himself, walked them over to her house, she was happy. Boom… 145 points. Now… yeah, here we go.

[pulls up another page]

Michael : In 2009, Doug Ewing of Scaggsville, Maryland, also gave his grandmother a dozen roses, but this time he lost points. Why? Because he ordered the roses using a cell phone that was made in a sweatshop, the flowers were grown with toxic pesticides, picked by exploited migrant workers, delivered from thousands of miles away, which created a massive carbon footprint, and his money went to a billionaire racist CEO ….

[pumps his fist in the air]

Michael : Whoo!

Tahani Al-Jamil : That is a very odd thing to cheer.

Michael : Don’t you understand? The Bad Place isn’t tampering with points. They don’t have to. Because every day, the world gets a little more complicated, and being a good person gets a little harder.[1]

That last sentence may be one of the most insightful lines of the entire show. “Every day, the world gets a little more complicated and being a good person gets a little harder.” That seems like something with which we might all agree. It feels difficult to navigate the good and bad of our world. It is challenging to know what posts to “like” or “care” about or “laugh” at or be “sad” about or be “mad” about on social media. It is hard to know whether to be happy or sad about another statue torn down somewhere around the world. It gets more and more difficult to determine if child labour was used anywhere in the supply chain that provides me with my morning coffee, my breakfast fruit, or my favourite candy confection. I wonder if I should be eating my favourite candy confection when many do not have food or clean water in our world. How do I invest money wisely without contributing to the capitalistic greed of the contemporary economy? I wonder if I am doing the right thing by supporting someone who is presently in need of a meal, when I know that they are the same mix of selfish, altruistic, lazy, hard-working, nasty, and nice person as I am. When I am in a tough spot, do I need a motivational coaching session, or do I need a helping hand? What does my friend need in a similar situation? The possibilities and permutations seem endless. How do we navigate the problems of this world and become a good person who does not look down upon others who have not yet achieved my “point value” in the pursuit of good?

Of course, the answer is that we can’t. None of us can be good enough to work our way into “The Good Place.” It becomes obvious that we must give up on seeking to be good or we will turn ourselves into neurotic do-gooders who question every move. The main characters of the TV show are designed to show us the variety of ways in which humans have tried to solve the problem; most of which end in ineffectual neurosis. Chidi Anagonye’s philosophical solutions are as ineffective as Jason Mendoza’s abandonment of moral systems. Some watching the television show will finally understand that there can’t be a point system that determines our eternal destiny and will abandon this deficient idea. And some, might actually put their faith in the love and grace of a forgiving God who sent a substitute to take their place.

[1] The Good Place, “The Book of Dougs” Season 3, Episode 10, Ken Whittingham Director, 2019.

Psalm 13 (NLT)

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?
    How long will you look the other way?
2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
    with sorrow in my heart every day?
    How long will my enemy have the upper hand?

3 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!
    Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.
4 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”
    Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love.
    I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
6 I will sing to the Lord
    because he is good to me.

Isn’t this a bit of what we are all asking right now? How long oh Lord? Maranatha: come Lord Jesus and set things right. Bring your Kingdom of justice and righteousness.

I know that he is good and I, well I am sometimes good and sometimes selfish; sometimes just and righteous, but most of the time I think of myself. There is a line right through the middle of my heart that shows red on one side and black on the other.1

I will sing to the Lord because he is good. Yet, still I find myself saying, “How long Lord?” and “Please hurry.”

Naïve (Chris Rice)

How long until You defend Your name and set the record right
And how far will You allow the human race to run and hide
And how much can You tolerate our weaknesses
Before You step into our sky blue and say “That’s quite enough!”

Am I naive to want a remedy for every bitter heart
Can I believe You hold an exclamation point for every question mark
And can I leave the timing of this universe in bigger hands
And may I be so bold to ask You to please hurry?

I hear that a God who’s good would never let the evil run so long
But I say it’s because You’re good You’re giving us more time, yeah
‘Cause I believe that You love to show us mercy
But when will You step into our sky blue
And say “That’s quite enough, and your time is up!”

Am I naive to want a remedy for every bitter heart
Can I believe You hold an exclamation point for every question mark
And can I leave the timing of this universe in bigger hands
And may I be so bold to ask You to please hurry?

Am I naive…
Can I believe…
And can I leave… in bigger hands
And may I be so bold to ask You, to ask You, to ask You

How long?

Songwriter: Rice Christopher M, Naive lyrics © Clumsy Fly Music, Word Music, Inc. Obo Clumsy Fly Music

1. “…the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.” Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956.
Photo by Pille Kirsi

This morning I read again Mark 10:17-34. These verses spoke powerfully to me today and I began to imagine myself as the man who encountered Jesus on that day on the way to Jerusalem. I realized that I am very much like that man.

I stride confidently to Jesus assured that I have just the right prayer and just the right question for him. I try to flatter Jesus with the description of Good Teacher. He asks me why I call him good. I start to answer with, “perhaps I should have called you excellent teacher or holy God or ….” But Jesus goes on and focusses on the question I have already asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” It is the kind of question I ask when I want to get things straight so that I know the rules and can be assured of achieving the rules of this good teacher. Jesus points to the bare minimum and asks me if I have done these things. I assure Jesus that yes, I am doing the basics (even though my conscience is making me uncomfortable). I tell him I have been religious since I was a kid.

Then Jesus says something that shows that he knows me. He points to that one thing that is holding me back. He tells me that there is one thing I have not done. My heart screams, “… one thing? What could this one thing be?” He speaks it and I know it to be true. It is the thing that has formed a dam that is blocking the flow of the river of life. It is a stone that represents the floodgate that is holding back the blessings he wants to give to me. This one boulder in my life is keeping me from receiving more from him.

Jesus tells me to get rid of this stone in my life. Then, he adds one more thing: follow me. Not, follow these rules, but follow him.

My mind protests but I can’t even speak the words I am thinking. I want to listen to the teachings of this teacher. I want to do the good thing. I want to be seen as one who does the good thing in all circumstances. But I know that Jesus speaks truth about the one thing that holds me. He calls me to a life that starts right now. I have been focussed on heaven, but he invites me to enjoy abundant life now and walk with him into heaven. He invites me to follow him.

My head says yes, but my heart says no. This is too much. I must go away and ponder these things some more.

Later, I find out that Jesus went on to speak of me with others who had already given up everything to follow him. At least it seems to me and many others that they have given up everything that held them back from following him. I don’t know what to think of Jesus speaking of me to these perfect Jesus’ followers. What about confidentiality? Are they really as perfect as they seem? I consider again the stone in my life that I am unwilling to release. What if I said yes? My life would be turned upside down. I can’t! It is just impossible. I heard what Jesus said about people like me. “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

Apparently, the next words out of his mouth told his followers that he would be arrested, mocked, and killed by the very people given the responsibility of upholding the rules. But Jesus also said that his lifeless body would rise from the dead.

And that stone that held back the floodgates of all the gifts that I have today, Jesus moved.1

1 This last sentence is a reframing of a line from a song lyric by Brad Johner. “She Moved” is from the album, Summertown Road, 2005.

CRISPR Sisters

A recent article in Science News[1] illustrates the differing views and sometimes internal struggles of scientists undertaking research in the area of gene editing. According to the article, many in the scientific community were outraged and the term “rogue scientist” was invoked when it was learned that a laboratory overseen by Dr. Jiankui He, at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China, had performed experiments that resulted in the editing of the genomes of two babies nick-named LuLu and NaNa. The edits, accomplished by the use of the CRISPR-Cas9 protein, resulted in the attenuation of the CCR5 gene which is involved in the HIV infection process. Theoretically this should make the two girls immune to HIV infection, which was the goal of the gene therapy. Dr. Jiankui He assured the public that the girls were healthy[2] and that the gene edit had successfully edited only the CCR5 gene throughout the genome of the girls.

Previous gene editing experiments using the same CRISPR technology have typically shown less than perfect specificity of the editing process leading to mosaicism. Mosaicism is where some genes targeted by the CRISPR process contain the edit and some targeted genes remain untouched. Another notable difficulty with CRISPR gene editing has been non-specific editing whereby other sections of DNA not targeted by the researchers have been edited leading to unwanted effects on other genes and body systems. This is why previous CRISPR experiments have been done on animal models or human cell-culture models that do not affect the lives or reproductive cells of viable human beings. Some scientists have assumed a wait-and-see posture as they consider the health and growth of the two girls and have stated that they are skeptical of the specificity claimed by Dr. He.

Jiankui He and his two collaborators were fired, charged with criminal offences, sentenced to time in prison, and given significant fines for gene editing without authorisation and for misleading ethics board members. Prior to the conviction and sentencing Dr. He was listed as one of the 100 most influential people of 2019 by Time Magazine[3] (albeit as one whose research was deemed reckless by the inventor of CRISPR technology). Perhaps we have not heard the last from Dr. He but this controversial research has led to a pronouncement from a newly formed International Commission on the Clinical Use of Human Germline Genome Editing. The group has pronounced strict scientific criteria that would need to be met before heritable gene editing could be tried clinically and have warned that this type of research should not be attempted if the criteria cannot be met.

Yet, such pronouncements will likely not prevent all genetic editing of the human genome. Some suggest that “The science should wait until society decides whether to allow gene editing that can affect future generations.” Other researchers suggest that the best way forward is to continue the research into gene editing without taking it to the point of clinical trials that would result in the birth of gene-edited babies. Nobel Laureate David Baltimore suggests that,

“There are couples today who would like to have a child that inherits their genes, but among their genes, there is one [mutated gene] they would not like their offspring to inherit. If we could guarantee that the offspring would not inherit a mutated gene, they would then be able to have the child they want to have. They would be able to say to a physician, “Is there a procedure that could safely give us the child we want?”  I think when the answer to that question is “yes,” there will be tremendous pressure on the medical community to carry out gene modification.”[4]

To return to the former statement, how does one “wait until society decides whether to allow gene editing that can affect future generations”? How does the medical community or society in general make such decisions? What if a genetic edit were to provide enhancement for the individual? Would society or the scientific community view the procedure differently? We do know that in the mouse genome, mice whose equivalent to CCR5 gene had been “knocked out” showed a tendency toward better memory than those whose CCR5 gene was intact. Thus, removing this gene in mice can in fact be considered an enhancement. It is uncertain what this might mean for LuLu and NaNa, but we do know that Dr. He had read the papers that pointed toward memory enhancement in mice without an intact CCR5 gene?[5]

This particular incident in one research lab raises many ethical questions for society at large. How has humanity fared at answering these big questions in the past? Certainly, there are some principles that have been used to determine ethical priorities in medicine. Let’s take a look at just two of these principles and the further questions they engender.

1. First, there is the principle of patient autonomy. For centuries doctors have been trained to work for the health and well-being of the patient. More recently, the World Medical Association was established after World War II to give guidance to physicians with the ethical problems presented by modern medicine. The International Code of Medical ethics and the “Declaration of Geneva were written as 20th century restatements of the medical profession’s commitment to the sovereignty of the patient-care norm.”[6] This declaration states that “a physician shall act in the patient’s best interest when providing medical care”[7] and means that most often the physician will assent to what the patient believes is right for them. This is what makes it so difficult for researchers and physicians to turn away a parent who is desperate to pass on their genes to a child of their own and to ensure that the child is healthy. This principle of the patient’s best interest is even more difficult when a parent is advocating for a procedure that is to be performed on a child or embryo.

In a recent study at the University of Toronto, “The top challenge ranked by the group was disagreement between patients/families and health care professionals about treatment decisions.”[8] In many cases, patients or their families wanted treatments that went beyond what health care professionals would choose to do. In many circumstances, it can be extremely difficult to distinguish between “elective” and “duty-bound” procedures when it comes to the best interests of the patient. In many cases, the wishes of the patient win out over the professional recommendations of clinical specialists and in some situations a clinician may feel compelled to a certain measure of conscientious objection.

2. At some point, a physician or medical researcher must also ask questions about justice. Justice connects a physician or researcher to the broader concepts of the good of society and the needs of society. A medical practitioner may have a great deal of sympathy for the plight of an individual family or patient and they must also recognize the limitations of funding for such procedures in any of a universal healthcare, not-for-profit, or in a for-profit hospital (where case-loads must be juggled to provide the greatest care for the greatest number of patients) context. How does one resolve such tensions?

If only every patient was right about the best treatment for them; if only there was some medical book to which we could refer and find the perfect answer; if only there was some grand meta-narrative that would answer our big questions about life, ethics, and the purpose of human thriving. For some of these most vexing questions, would it ever be helpful to refer to a metanarrative that included a creator, a creation, and a purpose? Of course, a few Catholic theologians and Christians in general might want to look in that direction but for much of the majority culture, that has long ceased to be a common opinion. Yet, in a post-modern world with few boundaries and no absolutes, medical ethics for routine treatment procedures and CRISPR gene editing has no simple answers. Those of us who pray would do well to pray for better answers to the ethical questions of a post-modern and post-Christian world.

[1] “Strict new guidelines lay out a path to heritable human gene editing,” Science News, Tina Hesman Saey, 2020-09-03, https://www.sciencenews.org/article/human-germline-gene-editing-crispr-strict-new-guidelines.

[2] About Lulu and Nana: Twin Girls Born Healthy After Gene Surgery As Single-Cell Embryos; November 25, 2018;  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th0vnOmFltc

[3] “100 Most Influential People – He Jiankui.” Time. https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2019/5567707/he-jiankui/ Retrieved 2020-09-08.

[4] “A Nobel Prize winner argues banning CRISPR babies won’t work,” Science News, Tina Hesman Saey, 2019-04-02.

[5] MIT Technology Review, “China’s CRISPR twins might have had their brains inadvertently enhanced,” Antonio Regalado, 2019-02-21 https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/02/21/137309/the-crispr-twins-had-their-brains-altered/

[6] Codes of medical ethics: Traditional foundations and contemporary practice; P.Sohl, H.A.Bassford; Social Science & Medicine,Volume 22, Issue 11, 1986, Pages 1175-1179; https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(86)90184-X

[7] WMA Declaration of Helsinki – ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects; https://wma-declaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects/

[8] Top 10 health care ethics challenges facing the public: views of Toronto bioethicists, Jonathan M Breslin, Susan K MacRae, Jennifer Bell, Peter A Singer, University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics Clinical Ethics Group, BMC Med Ethics, 2005 Jun 26; 6:E5. doi: 10.1186/1472-6939, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15978136/

Trouble With Normal

March 13th was a little more than 5 months ago. That was when, here in Canada, we realized the crest of the wave of the global pandemic was about to swamp us. Ever since we have been living with social distancing, masks or no masks, home-school, virtual-school, online classes, outbreak statistics, sickness, death, shortages, job losses, business closures, plexiglass, and arrows on the floor. I used to think the Ikea shopping experience was a lot like purgatory; now every store is ramped way beyond that experience. I will admit that there have been days when I have sighed, “When will it all get back to normal?” And normal is a word we hear a lot today. “We just need a few things that are normal again.” “For the sake of our mental health, we need school, and businesses to get back to normal.” “We need our churches to get back to normal.”

But, as Bruce Cockburn said in 1981, “The trouble with normal is it always gets worse.” Some of the other memorable words in that prophetic song say,

“Person in the street shrugs ‘Security comes first…

And the local Third World’s kept on reservations you don’t see.

‘It’ll all go back to normal if we put our nation first’
But the trouble with normal is it always gets worse.’”

Certainly, when it comes to churches, we know that normal was not perfect. We knew that we were spending too much of our energy, talent, and finances on Sunday-morning services. Yet, now we want to get “back to normal” and expend even more on our Sunday services while opportunities to “bless the community around us are put on hold.” What if we first “reopened” our serving the poor and oppressed before we reopened our buildings for fellowship services? Or what if we started blessing the poor, oppressed, and our cities?

God’s grace is sufficient to forgive us for thinking of ourselves and opening a big can of what we enjoy first; but, does that mean we should be licking out every last drop in the can? Even the Jewish religion which came before the Christian faith and is our direct ancestor, teaches that we should leave the corners of the fields of grain for the gleaners. What is the next step in reopening our country? Let me know what you think. Send me a message at [email protected].


Romans 8:22-25

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

 

“Christianity is the only identity which is received and not achieved.” – Tim Keller (interview with Carey Nieuwhof)

 

All creation groans with birth pangs, awaiting the new day. Help us to wait patiently for the new birth of Your church, Jesus. We believe in a better day. We believe that these birth pains will result in a beautiful child. May we not seek to achieve our identity but instead receive our identity from You. What is the identity you have for our church? We wait patiently for you to reveal it to us.


Psalm 20:1-3 In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.

    May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.
2 May he send you help from his sanctuary
    and strengthen you from Jerusalem. 
3 May he remember all your gifts
    and look favorably on your burnt offerings. Selah (interlude) (NLT)

 

Lord, these are very much times of trouble. Hear our cry. Remember the gifts you have given to your people. Remember the gifts you have given to me. They are indeed gifts we have received from your hand and each person, each community, each church has received a share to be used in accomplishing your will.

 

Psalm 20:4 May he grant your heart’s desires
    and make all your plans succeed.

 

May our heart’s desires be your heart’s desires. May we always keep our desires and your desires in line together.

 

Psalm 20:7 Some nations boast of their chariots and horses,
    but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.

 

May we never trust in our clever techniques, our systems, and our structures to accomplish your will. We will trust in your power, your name, and your miracles, to give Holy Spirit life to our techniques. We will boast in you.