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WASHINGTON
(RNS) -- Francis Collins, the researcher who mapped the
human genome and navigated clashes between his Christian
faith and science, has been chosen to lead the National
Institutes of Health (NIH).
Calling Collins "one of the top scientists in the
world," President Obama announced his nomination on
Wednesday (July 8), one day after the NIH released new
stem cell research guidelines that angered many
conservative Christians.
Though Collins, a self-described evangelical, will head
the nation's primary scientific research agency, the
avid supporter of stem cell research seems unlikely to
allay the fears fellow evangelicals have over embryonic
stem cell research.
"Francis is a great person, a good scientist, but we
disagree with his positions on human embryonic stem cell
research and on cloning human embryos for
experimentation," said David Prentice, senior fellow at
the conservative Family Research Council.
Prentice's office, along with the National Association
of Evangelicals, Concerned Women for America and other
Christian advocacy groups, favor adult stem cell
research, but oppose embryonic research because they
believe the process destroys nascent forms of human
life.
Collins reconciles the research through a process called
somatic cell nuclear transfer, which creates an embryo
artificially, but is also the first step in cloning.
"Now that is very different in my mind, morally, than
the union of sperm and egg," he explained in an
interview with Religion and Ethics NewsWeekly. "We do
not, in nature, see somatic cell nuclear transfer
occurring. This is a purely man-made event."
An atheist who converted to Christianity in his 20s,
Collins regularly pushes Christians to reconcile their
beliefs with scientific theories such as evolution. He
recently launched the BioLogos Foundation, which
"emphasizes the compatibility of Christian faith with
scientific discoveries."
Collins sees his faith and research informing one
another, evident in the speech he gave when former
President Clinton announced the first draft of the human
genetic blueprint.
"It is humbling for me and awe-inspiring to realize that
we have caught the first glimpse of our own instruction
book, previously known only to God," Collins said at a
White House press conference in 2000.
Collins, who publicly endorsed Obama during his
campaign, worked at NIH when he directed the National
Human Genome Research Institute from 1993 until 2008. In
2006, Collins authored the New York Times-bestselling
"The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for
Belief."
Copyright 2009 Religion News Service. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
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