How One Christian Scientist Conquered The Human Genome

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Mark 8:36–37 kjv

For reliable information on cloning, I did some research on the Human Genome Project, which lasted from 1990 to 2003. Formed by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), they achieved the following goals, two years ahead of their fifteen-year schedule:

• identify all the approximately 20,000–25,000 genes in human DNA
• determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA
• store this information in databases
• improve tools for data analysis
• transfer related technologies to the private sector
• address the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that may arise from the project

— About the Human Genome Project: genomics energy.gov

With the help of this unquestioned federal support, the biotechnology industry took off and what once lived in the imagination of scientific researchers became a reality.

The Human Genome Project defines a genome on their website as “all the DNA in an organism, including its genes.” They continue to say, “Genes carry information for making all the proteins required by all organisms. These proteins determine, among other things, how the organism looks, how well its body metabolizes food or fights infection, and sometimes even how it behaves.”

Now that you know the calibre of science attributed to the Human Genome Project let me share something interesting. The man behind it all was Dr Francis Collins, a born again Christian.

Here's a quote from his bio;

Dr. Francis Collins is a physician and geneticist known for spearheading the Human Genome Project and for his landmark discoveries of disease genes. With Collins at the helm, the Human Genome Project produced a finished sequence of human DNA in 2003. He then used this new data to help create powerful tools and strategies to advance biological knowledge about humans and improve their health. Along with his research, Collins has also stressed the importance of considering the ethical and legal issues surrounding genetics.

Collins founded the BioLogos Foundation in November 2007 and served as its president until nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate as the 16th Director of the National Institutes of Health. He resigned from the BioLogos Foundation on August 16, 2009, and was sworn in as NIH Director the following day.

Formerly an atheist, Collins became a Christian in his 20s after realizing his perspective did not provide answers to profound questions about the meaning of life and was inconsistent with observations about the nature of the universe and humankind. He wrote about finding harmony between the scientific and spiritual worldviews in The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, which spent 20 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. Collins coined the term BioLogos to define the conclusions he reached about how life, or bios, came about through God’s word, or logos. DNA, therefore, may be considered God’s language.

Source - Biologos.org/about

In this season, God is placing His people in positions of influence at the top of the mountains of influence in society. Dr Francis Collins climbed to the top of the mountain of science. Which mountain are you supposed to take?

Isaiah 2:2 (New King James Version)
2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days
That the mountain of the LORD’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.