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Christians must do more than assert the truth that life begins at conception; people dismiss that as arbitrary and outdated dogma. We must also raise the question Lewis did in The Abolition of Man: What does it really mean if we set ourselves up as the master of the future destiny of the human race?

Lewis answers: If man with his technology makes the ultimate conquest over nature, he will soon find that nature has conquered him. "If man chooses to treat himself as raw material, raw material he will be," manipulated by dehumanized conditioners.

The 20th century will be remembered for the triumph of liberal democracy over tyranny. What tragic irony if the 21st century, by exchanging transcendent moral truth for the cold calculus of utilitarianism, ushers in a new and even more terrifying form of tyranny.

C.S. Lewis's Abolition of Manis available at Christianbook.com.

"Biotech Revolution" articles appearing on our site this week include:

Gen-Etiquette | Scientists may be mapping the genome, but it will be up to us to determine where the map will lead. (Oct. 3, 2001)

Manipulating the Linguistic Code | Religious language falling into the hands of scientists can be a fearful thing. (Oct. 3, 2001)

Times Fifty | Can a clone be an individual? A short story. (Oct. 2, 2001)

The Genome Doctor | An Interview with Francis Collins. (Oct. 1, 2001)

A Matter of Life and Death | Why shouldn't we use our embryos and genes to make our lives better? The world awaits a Christian answer. (Sept. 28, 2001)

Wanna Buy a Bioethicist? (Editorial) | Some corporations have discovered that bioethics makes good public relations. (Sept. 28, 2001)

Previous Christianity Today coverage of bioethics includes:

Two Cheers | President Bush's stem-cell decision is better than the fatal cure many sought. (August 10, 2001)

House Backs Human Cloning Ban | Scientists say they'll go ahead anyway. (August 27, 2001)

Embryos Split Prolifers | Bush decision pleases some, keeps door open for disputed research. (August 27, 2001)

House of Lords Legalizes Human Embryo Cloning | Religious leaders' protests go unheeded by lawmakers. (Feb. 2, 2001)

Britain Debates Cloning of Human Embryos | Scientists want steady stream of stem cells for "therapeutic" purposes. (Nov. 22, 2000)

Tissue of Lies? | Latest stem-cell research shows no urgent need to destroy human embryos for the cause of science. (Sept. 28, 2000)

Beyond the Impasse to What? | Stem-cell research may not need human embryos after all. But why are we researching in the first place? (Aug. 18, 2000)

Thus Spoke Superman | Troubling language frames the stem-cell debate. (June 13, 2000)

New Stem-Cell Research Guidelines Criticized | NIH guidelines skirt ethical issues about embryo destruction, charge bioethicists. (Feb. 7, 2000)

Human Embryo Research Resisted (August 9, 1999)

Editorial: The Biotech Temptation (July 12, 1999)

Embryo Research Contested (May 24, 1999)

Biotech Babies (December 7, 1998)

Stop Cloning Around (April 27, 1997)

Charles Colson's columns for Christianity Today are available at our site, including:

Merchants of Cool | We should be angry that the media hawks violence and that parents allow it. (June 6, 2001)

Slouching into Sloth | The XFL is but the latest sign of the coarsening of our culture. (Apr. 17, 2001)

Checks and (out of) Balance | Moral truth is in jeopardy when the courts enter the business of making law. (Feb. 27, 2001)

Pander Politics | Poll-driven elections turn voters into self-seeking consumers.(Jan. 3, 2001)

Neighborhood Outpost | Changing a culture takes more than politics. (Nov.8, 2000)

MAD No More | In this post-Cold War era, it's time to rethink our nation's defensive strategy. (Sept. 27, 2000)

Salad-Bar Christianity | Too many believers pick and choose their own truths. (Aug. 8, 2000)

A Healthy 'Cult' | A lively response by one unusual audience shows how God's power transforms culture. (June 12, 2000)

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October 1 2001, Vol. 45, No. 12