This article provides an Example Dialogue on how we, as moderate and progressive Christians, might effectively talk with our more conservative brothers and sisters in Christ (“Christian Right”) on embryonic stem-cell research, while leaving each other whole and with goodwill at the end of the discussion.

The Example Dialogue is excerpted from the author’s syllabus entitled: Let’s Dialogue With The Christian Right—A syllabus of strategies, moral values, and Biblical citations (hereafter referred to as “Syllabus”). The Syllabus explains the underlying framework, rationale, and strategy in dialoguing with a member of the Christian Right on “hot button” topics such as abortion, same-sex marriage, and embryonic stem cell research and, in the case of global warming, unconcerned Christians. The Syllabus is intended to stimulate discussion and additional research on how to dialogue with the Christian Right, and is suitable for use in workshops and small group discussions. The Syllabus will be available for free downloads from www.micahscall.org in late 2007. The anticipated table of contents is in the Appendix.

2. LANGUAGE OF MORAL VALUES

A rational discussion with our brothers and sisters on the Christian Right on “hot button” topics can be emotionally explosive and damaging to family relationships and friendships, if not approached with the recognition of and sensitivity to the other side’s deep religious convictions. This is why we often studiously avoid such discussions with friends and family.

We take the approach here that any such discussion on “hot button” topics must be based on a common set of moral values. Because as Christians we are disciples of Jesus and acknowledge him as Lord, as our Lord, Jesus’ teachings must be our supreme moral guide. Jesus’ teachings are the “lens” by which we scrutinize our actions and decisions. Therefore, Jesus’ teachings are the backbone of the Example Dialogue below. A more detailed discussion of Jesus’ teachings as our supreme moral guide (along with a catalogue of Jesus’ teachings) is provided in the Syllabus.

3. RULES FOR NONCONFRONTATIONAL DIALOGUE

Below is a set of nonconfrontational dialogue rules. They are similar to those rules espoused in marriage counseling sessions to deescalate potentially confrontational dialogue between spouses. Here, we have modified the rules to deescalate a potentially confrontational dialogue with a member of the Christian Right on “hot button” topics. More discussion of these rules is in the Syllabus.

· Rule 1: It Is Not about Winning. Set your expectations at the beginning of the dialogue that it is not about winning.

· Rule 2: Engage in Active Listening. Use an expression like “I understand that you believe _________” to communicate to the other side that you have been attentive to and understand what they are saying about their beliefs and values.

· Rule 3: Use “I” Messages. Respond by using an expression like “I feel (or believe) that ____________,” which is a nonaccusatory and nonjudgmental way to express your beliefs and values.

· Rule 4: Listen for Underlying Primal Concerns. Try to understand the other side’s primal concerns that perhaps lie beneath the camouflage of rhetoric (e.g., simply citing a Biblical passage as authority, when fear of foreigners is an underlying primal concern). If we can understand the other side’s primal concern, we may be able to deal with it and make more progress in the dialogue.

· Rule 5: Establish Common Moral Values. Try to establish a common set of moral values based on Jesus’ teachings (e.g., Golden Rule, justice, righteousness, compassion, sharing abundance, mercy, reconciliation, forgiveness, tolerance, accepting the outsider, peacemaking, and stewardship) and then pursue the discussion from this common set of moral values.

· Rule 6: Pose Thoughtful Questions. Pose thoughtful questions that flow naturally from the common set of moral values, which may cause the other side to reflect and rethink his/her position. We emphasize thoughtful questions, as opposed to assertions, because they tend to elicit a less defensive response. Thoughtful questions are the agency of conversation and dialogue.

· Rule 7: Illuminate a Moral Dilemma. The key is to attempt to illuminate a moral dilemma, based on posing a countervailing set of moral values based on Jesus’ teachings, exposing unconsidered facts, exploring unappreciated consequences, probing inconsistencies, and/or dealing with primal concerns.

· Rule 8: Seek Agreement on Sub-Issues: Although we may succeed in illuminating a moral dilemma, very likely that moral dilemma will not be resolved during this one encounter. Rather than pushing for resolution of the moral dilemma, it may be more appropriate to shift gears and try to come to some understanding and agreement on a set of sub-issues.

The above rules can make possible a nonconfrontational framework for dialogue that will leave everyone whole and perhaps cause a person on an opposing side to rethink his/her position, either during the dialogue or after reflection. These rules set the context for the Example Dialogue below.

4. DIALOGUE ON EMBRYONIC STEM-CELL RESEARCH

For the basics of stem cell research, we have relied on Stem Cell Information—the official National Institutes of Health resource for stem cell research (August 12, 2005) found at www.nih.gov.; hereafter referred to as “NIH Stem Cell Information.”) Recent news and medical advances on stem cell research can be found on the Genome News Network at www.genomenewsnetwork.org.

Caveats: The Example Dialogue below is an illustration, not a prescription. The dialogue is in skeletal form and missing after each thoughtful question is the implied admonition to listen to the other side’s response, and if the response is not what you expect, invite further explanation and discussion. To be thoroughly prepared, you should be ready to discuss in greater depth Jesus’ teachings and facts presented in the Example Dialogue. Citations to supporting Biblical text and facts are provided. Also, there are more arguments presented here than can be discussed in a single conversation, and you may not feel that all the arguments are equally compelling. Use only the ones that you feel most confident in discussing and that you believe are the most compelling. In addition, consider reordering the Example Dialogue arguments in a manner that makes more sense to you. Of course be prepared to deviate from your plan depending on the other side’s response.

Depending on the circumstances, you might consider deviating from the emphasis on thoughtful questions and using a different mix of assertions, explanations, and questions. Furthermore, your dialogue should be supplemented, where appropriate, with your own personal examples, anecdotes, and arguments not covered below. In sum, you will need to customize the Example Dialogue to your personal style and spontaneously adapt your dialogue to the situation.

1. I understand that your position on embryonic stem cell research is based on the Sixth Commandment, “Thou shall not kill,” found in Exodus 20: 13.

2. I have a different view based on the enormous life-saving and medical benefits potential of stem cell research.

3. Is this a subject matter you feel comfortable in talking about—sharing points of view?

4. First, I’d like to share what I know about stem cells. I have studied this from a layperson’s viewpoint.

5. Are you aware that stem cells have the potential to provide a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat devastating diseases and injuries, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, spinal cord injury, strokes, burns, heart diseases (including repairing damaged heart muscle following a heart attack), diabetes, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, Purkinje cell degeneration, Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, and vision and hearing loss? (NIH Stem Cell Information.) This is not “pie in the sky”—I’d like to share some recent research results.

6. A 16-year-old boy suffered a massive heart attack after being accidentally shot in the heart with a nail from a nail gun. The first choice of treatment was a heart transplant, but no donor hearts were available. Instead, the doctors successfully treated the boy with stem cells from his own bone marrow. Within six months he was back in school playing basketball. (The boy’s injury and treatment are described in Nancy Touchette, “Bone Marrow Stem Cells Heal the Heart,” Genome News Network, May 2, 2003, www.genomenews network.org. The boy’s month of recovery is chronicled in Nancy Touchette, “Stem Cells for the Heart Face Uncertainties,” Genome News Network, November 26, 2003, www.genomenewsnetwork.org.)

7. Bone marrow stem cell therapy has successfully treated 14 Brazilian patients with severe heart failure, resulting in significant improvements in exercise capacity. As a result, the FDA has approved a clinical trial of the therapy in the U.S. (Nancy Touchette, “Bone Marrow Stem Cell Trial Approved for Heart” Genome News Network, April 16, 2004, www.genomenewsnetwork. org.)

8. Stem cell therapy has successfully restored function in paralyzed rats. As a result stem cells hold the promise of treating spinal cord disorders, transverse myelitis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and spinal muscular atrophy. (“Neurons Grown from Embryonic Stem Cells Restore Function in Paralyzed Rats,” NIH News , June 20, 2006, www.nih.gov.)

9. Stem cell therapy has successfully improved brain function in rats with Parkinson’s like disease, improving the release of dopamine in the brain and improving motor coordination. (NIH Stem Cell Information.)

10.More recently, stem cells have been successfully used by researchers at Harvard and Columbia to unlock the mysteries of dying motor brain cells causing ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Stem cells are expected to play a key role in discovering a drug to treat ALS, as well as other brain disorders that are at present untreatable. (Carl T. Hall, “Stem Cell Research Opens New Doors,” San Francisco Chronicle, April 16, 2007, pp. A1 & A9.)

11.Stem cell therapy has successfully reversed diabetes in mice: insulin levels rose and blood glucose levels fell to nearly normal values. (Nancy Touchette, “Stem Cells Reverse Diabetes in Mice,” Genome News Network, July 11, 2003, www.genomenewsnetwork.org.)

12.More recently, bone marrow stem cell therapy in Brazil has successfully treated Type 1 diabetics so that they were able to go without insulin injections for a long period with few serious side effects. (Christopher Bowe, “Stem cells help free diabetics from need for insulin injections,” Financial Times, April 11, 2007, p. 5.)

13.Would you agree that stem cell research holds the promise of improved life and health for millions of people in the future?

14.Let’s now turn our attention to the various types of stem cells and their origins.

15.Essentially, there are two broad classes of stem cells—adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells. The controversy is about embryonic stem cells. (NIH Stem Cell Information.)

16.Adult stem cells are obtained from the body—for example from bone marrow.

17.Embryonic stem cells are obtained from frozen embryos that are surplus in fertility clinics and given to researchers with the consent of their donors. The eggs have been fertilized with sperm outside the body in a Petri dish cell culture. They are not derived from eggs fertilized in a woman’s body. (NIH Stem Cell Information)

18.As of June 2003, there are estimates of 400,000 frozen surplus embryos stored in fertility clinics. (Andis Robeznieks, "Researchers ponder best use of 400,000 stored embryos," American Medical News, June 16, 2003, www/ama-assn.org .

19. If not used for stem cell research, the embryos would be destroyed by the donors and the fertility clinics.

20.The embryos used to obtain stem cells are typically four to five days old, containing about 150 cells, and the stem cells contained in the embryos are not yet differentiated with regard to tissue specialization. (NIH Stem Cell Information)

21.Because there are no specialized cells, at this stage of the embryo there is no brain or other organs—simply a very small cluster of stem cells that eventually will form the organs and other specialized tissues.

22.Therefore, some people might reasonably believe that at this stage the embryo has no human attributes—no consciousness, no self-awareness, no soul, and no spirit. What is your opinion?

Differences Between Adult and Embryonic Stem Cells

23.Let’s talk about the differences between adult and embryonic stem cells.

24.Adult stem cells, obtained from the body, typically can only generate the specialized adult cells to repair the tissue in which they reside. For example, a blood-forming adult stem cell in the bone marrow normally gives rise to the many types of blood cells such as red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Adult stem cells are potentially useful for certain types of medical repair therapies. (NIH Stem Cell Information).

25. On the other hand, embryonic stem cells, obtained from discarded embryos, can generate all types of adult cells and they can more easily be grown in cell cultures. Methods for multiplying adult stem cells are more problematic. (NIH Stem Cell Information).

Why Embryonic Stem Cells Are Important

26.What is the importance of embryonic stem cells versus adult stem cells?

27.Because embryonic stem cells have the ability to generate all types of adult cells, they could be useful for a wider range of tissue repair and medical therapies. Adult stem cells do not have this ability.

28.Because embryonic stem cells are easier to grow in cell cultures—as opposed to adult stem cells—they could provide an unlimited source of clinically important adult cells, such as bone, muscle, liver, or blood cells.

29.The bottom line is that embryonic stem cells have the potential to change the face of human disease by being used to repair specific tissues or grow new organs.

Majority Support Embryonic Stem Cell Research

30.Are you aware that most Americans (62 percent) support using embryos when they are voluntarily donated and would otherwise be discarded from fertility clinics? (“Americans Speak Out on Stem Cell Research,” Taking Our Pulse: The Parade/Research! America Health Poll, Charlton Research Company, June 2005, at www.research america.org; hereafter referred to as “Parade Research.”)

31.Are you aware that the European Union and many Asian countries are forging ahead with government-sponsored embryonic stem cell research programs? (See Clive Cookson and Sarah Laitner, “EU forges deal on funding for embryonic stem cell research,” Financial Times, July 25, 2006.)

32.Are you aware that almost all Americans (95 percent) think it is important for the U.S. to be the global leader in medical and health research? (Parade Research, at www.researchamerica.org.)

33.Are you willing for the U.S. to fall behind the rest of the world in medical and health research?

Bill Frist’s Weighing and Balancing in Favor of Stem Cell Research

34.Are you aware that on July 18, 2006, Bill Frist, then Senate Republican Majority Leader, a conservative Christian, and also a medical doctor, led the Senate in passing a bill lifting restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, even though he knew President Bush had promised to veto the bill?

35.The bill passed the Senate 63 to 37, but could not muster the extra 4 votes needed to overcome President Bush’s veto. As a consequence, we still have federal restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

36.Bill Frist phrased the moral issues as follows: “How do we balance pro-life with the potential for new life and health offered by stem cell research?” (Holly Yeager, “Bush renews threat on stem cell research,” Financial Times, Tuesday, July 18, 2006.)

37.Apparently, in the weighing and balancing of the moral issues regarding the destruction of embryos, Frist came down on the side of new life and health benefits for the many.

38.Are you aware that many conservative Christians, including former First Lady Nancy Reagan, approve embryonic stem cell research?

39.Are you aware that recently on June 7, 2007, Congress for the second time passed legislation to ease restrictions on embryonic stem cell research and, shortly thereafter, President Bush for the second time vetoed this legislation? (Edward Epstein, “Bush vetoes stem bill again,” San Francisco Chronicle, June 21, 2007, p. A3.)

40.With the majority of Americans (62%) and Congress favoring embryonic stem cell research, do you think President Bush’s veto thwarts the desire of most Americans for the U.S to remain in the forefront of life saving medical research?

Rigidly Obeying Rules and Moral Codes

41.I understand that your belief in the Sixth Commandment, “Thou shall not kill,” (Exodus 20:13) guides your decision and that there is no compromise. Is this correct?

42.Do you think rules are an end in themselves, or should we take into account other considerations that might modify a stance on a rule?

43.Are you aware that when Jesus was questioned about rigidly obeying rules by the Pharisees (the moralists of Jesus’ day), he often taught through his actions that rigid rules should not deter us from doing good and being merciful—for example, healing on the Sabbath in contravention of the Sabbath laws (Matthew 12: 9-13), and allowing an adulteress to repent and go away unharmed, when the Pharisees wanted to stone her according to Moses’ law (John 8:3-11)?

44.Would you agree with Jesus’ actions and teachings that doing good and being merciful and compassionate should take precedent over rigidly obeying rules?

45.Are there any circumstances in which the Sixth Commandment, “Thou shall not kill,” should be trumped as the prevailing moral value? Self-defense? Time of war? Death penalty?

46.In each of the above cases, why was the Sixth Commandment trumped? What was the countervailing moral value that prevailed over the Sixth Commandment?

47.Would you agree that we sometimes consciously or subconsciously choose other moral values that trump the Sixth Commandment?

48.Let’s see if we can find some common ground based on our shared Christian values. This may allow us to understand how and why we have a difference of opinion.

49.As Christians we acknowledge Jesus as Lord—would you agree?

50.Because Jesus is our Lord, we believe his life and teachings must be our supreme moral guide—would you agree?

51.As Christians we believe that Jesus is the Son of God—would you agree?

52.Would you agree that, since Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus’ teachings should take precedence over other Biblical writers who are of less stature?

53.Because Jesus is our Lord, when confronting a complex moral issue, we should ask ourselves: “What would Jesus do based on his teachings?” Would you agree?

Golden Rule Is a Fundamental Moral Value

54.Would you agree that as Christians we are expected to abide by Jesus’ teachings?

55.One of his teachings is that we treat others as we would want to be treated, often called the Golden Rule. (Matthew 7:12, adapted modern language.). Are you familiar with the Golden Rule?

56.Jesus taught that the Golden Rule is the essence of all moral codes and teachings in the Old Testament.

57.Are you aware that all the world great religions teach some form of the Golden Rule as a fundamental moral value?

58.Would you agree that as the essence of all the moral codes and teachings in the Old Testament, the Golden Rule should be one of our fundamental moral values?

59.Would you engage in a thinking exercise with me, applying the Golden Rule to the question of stem cell research, so we can attempt to explore what Jesus would do?

60.Do you know anyone who suffers from Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease, a stroke, heart attack, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, muscular dystrophy, or vision or hearing loss?

61.If you were standing in the shoes of a person with a disease that could be treated with stem cell therapy, would you want the U.S. to fund stem cell research so that these therapies could be available to you?

62.If you suffered from a debilitating disease—say Alzheimer’s disease—but did not have the money to travel abroad for the latest advances in stem cell therapy, would you think it fair that the wealthy should be able to go abroad to obtain a cure that you couldn’t obtain in the U.S.?

Second Great Commandment Is at the Top of Our Moral Values

63.Let’s look at another of Jesus’ teachings to explore what he might do.

64.Recall that when Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, he said there were two: First, love God. Second, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:36-40.)

65.The Second Great Commandment can be considered a restatement of the Golden Rule—in which we are reminded that the way we want others to treat us is with love. This echoes the Jewish version of the Golden Rule, found in Leviticus 19:18.

66.As the Second Great Commandment—and as a restatement of the Golden Rule—this commandment to love our neighbor should be at the top of our moral values—would you agree?

Application of the Second Great Commandment

67.Let’s examine the Second Great Commandment to see if we can discern how to follow Jesus’ teachings.

69.In applying this commandment to love, we often have competing interests for manifesting our love.

70.For example, assume as a parent you have two children, but one is a musical prodigy and you have limited discretionary funds. You are facing a dilemma: You can send both children to summer camp, or you can send the musical prodigy to an expensive summer program at the Julliard School in New York. How do you weigh and balance your love for both children in deciding what to do?

71.Likewise, we must go through a similar weighing and balancing on stem cell research with regard to discerning how to follow Jesus’ Second Great Commandment. Would you agree?

72.In the context of stem cell research our neighbors are the millions of people who could benefit from new medical therapies, versus concern for the surplus embryos. Would you agree?

73.When weighing and balancing the competing interest for showing love, I believe that Jesus would want us to weigh more heavily the love for the millions who would benefit from stem cell research, instead of having primary concern for the embryos that would be eventually destroyed as surplus. Would you agree?

Jesus’ Compassionate Concern for the Sick And Suffering

74.Let’s look at Jesus’ other teachings to discern what he would do.

75.Are you aware that time after time Jesus showed compassion for the suffering, the sick, and the injured, and was willing to break the moral codes of the day to heal?

71. Recall, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, that Jesus teaches us to be like the Samaritan who had compassion for the injured traveler, not like the others of higher social rank (a priest and a Levite) who passed by the injured traveler. (Luke 10:29-37.)

72 Also, recall that Jesus broke the Sabbath law by healing a cripple in the synagogue on the Sabbath, thereby subjecting himself to the rebuke of the Pharisees, the moralists of Jesus’ time. (Matthew 12: 9-13.)

73. Remember also that Jesus, at great personal risk to himself, reached out his hand to touch and heal a leper, when according to society the leper was an untouchable, because lepers were thought to be extremely contagious to the touch. (Mark1: 41)

74. Would you agree that Jesus teaches us to be compassionate to those who suffer from illness and disease?

75 Do you think it is right that as citizens of the most technologically advanced country in the world, you might have to go abroad to seek the best in medical treatment, because stem cell research was not federally funded in the U.S.?

76 Do you think it is right that you could not find the best medical treatment at home?

77. Would you agree that the issue of embryonic stem cell research is a very complex moral issue with competing moral values, countervailing benefits, and consequences to be considered?

78. I am in favor of embryonic stem cell research. My position is based on the following considerations.

79 Jesus teaches us in the Second Great Commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves. I believe that in the weighing and balancing of our love for the millions of people who would benefit from stem cell research versus concern about surplus embryos, the weight decidedly falls in favor of the millions of people. I especially feel this because the embryos would be discarded in any event.

80. Also, Jesus teaches in the Golden Rule to stand in the shoes of another when making decisions affecting that other person. If I were standing in the shoes of someone who could benefit from stem cell therapy, (a) I would want to be cured by the most advanced medical therapy available; (b) I would be angry if I could not obtain the best medical care at home, but had to travel abroad to get the best care; and (c) I think it would be unjust and unfair if only the rich could get the best medical care by traveling abroad.

81. Further, Jesus teaches by his compassion and acts of healing that we have a profound moral obligation to heal the sick, alleviate suffering, and restore health. We can show the same compassion that Jesus did for the sick and suffering by supporting stem cell research.

82.Finally, if we don’t pursue stem cell research aggressively, other countries will, and our economy, which increasingly relies on technological superiority, will suffer with the loss of many attractive and high-paying medical-biotech jobs.

Copyright 2007 by Peter Wong. Permission is granted to MicahsCall™--www.micahscall.org-- permitting free downloads of this article. MicahsCall seeks to build a community of people—locally, nationally, and internationally—who believe in peace, social justice, caring for the environment, tolerance, and compassion, and inclusively welcomes all people of faith and goodwill. Peter Wong is a concerned Christian and an attorney who holds a Ph.D. in engineering. Appreciation is expressed to Carolyn Nicholson who made substantial contributions to its contents and thanks to Sarah Johnson for editorial assistance.

1. Introduction

2. Personal Story

3. The Christian Right Is Not Monolithic in Belief

4. Understanding the Conservative Mindset

5. Language of Moral Values

6. Rules for Nonconfrontational Dialogue

7. Supremacy of Jesus’ Teachings as Moral Values

A. Competing Moral Values

C. Ethic of Reciprocity as Embodied in the Golden Rule and Second Great Commandment

8. Other Generally Accepted Moral Values

9. Exposing Unconsidered Facts

10. Exploring Unappreciated Consequences

11. Probing Unrealized Inconsistencies

12. Dealing with Primal Concerns

13. Illuminating a Moral Dilemma: Weighing and Balancing

14. Shift to Agreement on Sub-Issue

15. Funneling the Dialogue

16. Pro-Choice: A Complete Example Dialogue

17. Same-Sex Marriage: A Complete Example Dialogue

18. Embryonic Stem Cell Research: A Complete Example Dialogue

19. Global Warming: : A Complete Example Dialogue

20. Concluding Remarks