Society, Religion and Technology Project - Church & Society Council (Scottish Charity Number SC011353) Today’s Church Looking at Tomorrow’s Technology Tomorrow’s Technology… Technology is changing the face of our society. Often it happens unseen. It’s hard to stand back and grasp the impact of the car, electricity, telephones, TV, computers, the Internet. They're now part of our life, things we could hardly imagine being without. Yet ethical challenges like cloning and GM food, and environmental impacts like global warming have made us aware of the risks of letting our skills run ahead of our judgement. There is now a recognition that we need to take wider ethical and social values into account in technology. This has been SRT’s aim for almost 40 years. …Today’s Church The Society, Religion and Technology (SRT) Project was set up in 1970 by the Church of Scotland to examine the implications of new and emerging technologies. It seeks to stimulate ethical understanding by engaging with those working in research, industry, government, NGOs and many other organisations. Its expert working groups provide a forum for multi-disciplinary interaction between scientists and specialists in ethics, theology, sociology, ecology, risk and other fields, to look together at wider dimensions of emerging technologies. Bringing insights from Christian ethics, it has built up a reputation for the quality and balance of its work on complex and vital issues of our times, from North Sea Oil in the 1970s to cloning, GM crops and nanotechnology today. SRT also acts as a catalyst of public debate on current issues and promotes practical environmental action through the Eco-Congregation programme. SRT’s Aims * To foster an informed understanding in society of the issues confronting it as a result of emerging technologies; to bring a voice of balance into complex issues. * To engage with scientists and technologists to reflect on ethical, environmental and societal implications of their work; to promote ethics teaching to science students. * To respond with considered judgment to Government and national bodies on technology and environmental issues, and to be active in their European and global dimensions. * To inform the churches of Scotland and the UK about key developments. * To act as a Christian witness to the world of science and technology. * To stimulate good environmental practice in the churches and in wider society. The SRT Team Dr Murdo Macdonald took up the position of Policy Officer in March 2008. He trained as a molecular biologist, studying at Glasgow and St Andrews Universities. Murdo has previously worked in a variety of countries, including Australia, Ethiopia and India. He has recently returned to the UK having spent 8 years as head of a leprosy research laboratory in Kathmandu, Nepal Alan Whitson our administrator is a non-stipendiary Methodist minister and ex-computer scientist. Eco-Congregation Programme and Church Energy Saving In 1978 SRT set up the world's first energy saving scheme for churches. Since 2001 we have promoted the ecumenical Eco-Congregation Programme in Scotland to enable local churches to practise environmental care in their life and community. Almost 200 congregations throughout Scotland are already participating in this expanding scheme. The SRT has partnered with the environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful in this initiative, with funding also coming from the churches and the Scottish Government. Communication Public debate: SRT is a catalyst for public engagement on current issues in science, technology and the environment, through talks, conferences and publications. We have worked with a variety of other agencies, including the New Economics Foundation’s Democs project to promote debate with lay people. SRT has run popular ethical debates at the annual Edinburgh International Science Festival and the BA Science Festival. Media: Through the Church of Scotland media office, we work closely at all levels of the media in national and local press, TV and radio. Through the Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office (SCPO) we also communicate with politicians in Scotland, the UK and Europe Website: SRT information can be downloaded from the Church of Scotland website: www.churchofscotland.org.uk/councils/churchsociety/cssrtp SRT Bulletin: our free newsletter is produced 3 times a year with a wide circulation. SRT Publications SRT produces books and reports on a wide variety of topical issues, including: Engineering Genesis: Widely acclaimed as one of the most balanced books available on genetically modified food, crops and animals, the product of SRT’s expert working group study Modifying Creation: A working group study on GM crops and food with the Evangelical Alliance Sustainable Agriculture: SRT’s General Assembly report on integrated and organic agriculture Genetically Modified Food: 1999 General Assembly report critical of the power structures behind GM but not dismissing its potential Biotechnology as a Social Contract: What conditions will future developments of biotechnology have to fulfill to be accepted by civil society? Cloning Animals and Humans - an Ethical View: Ethical issues of animal and human cloning, drawn from SRT’s unique local knowledge of the issues. Cloning and Stem Cells: A discussion paper which SRT drafted for the Conference of European Churches on embryonic stem cells Ethical Concerns about Patenting Genes and Living Organisms: informed views on a hot debate Seeing Scotland from the Summit: Sustainable development in simple terms for the non-specialist Heat and Light: A practical guide to energy conservation in church buildings based on the experience of the Church of Scotland's energy saving scheme The Dominant Economic Model and Sustainability - Are they Compatible? : An influential report of a European churches expert working group, on the tension between environmental care and economic growth with case studies on energy, transport and world trade Technology at the Crossroads Ron Ferguson traces the history of the SRT Project against a backdrop of major developments in technology over 25 years. SRT also produces short papers and information sheets on a wide range of issues including Eco-Congregation, Cloning, Stem cells, GM food & Animals, Patenting, Risk and the Environment. Become an SRT Associate SRT is looking to expand its work and its spheres of communication. It invites any who identify with its aims to become Associates, receiving news, articles, and invitations to special events. ____________________________________________________________________________ For more information about these or other ethical issues in technology: - SRT Project, Church and Society Council, 121 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 4YN Tel: 0131 225 5722. Fax: 0131 240 2239, eMAIL: srtp@cofscotland.org.uk Website: www.churchofscotland.org.uk/councils/churchsociety/cssrtp.htm Revised May 2008