Ben Carson: neurosurgeon turned presidential candidate
Christian Segers, Staff Writer
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Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series looking at candidates for the November 2016 presidential election. Look for stories on other candidates in future weeks.
As the 2016 election season heats up, one candidate’s experience in the operation room may prove to be the best option to operate on the national scale.
Ben Carson, a successful neurosurgeon from Baltimore, has taken the GOP field by storm in the 2016 presidential election season. As his popularity within the Republican party continues to grow, the chances of a Carson presidency becomes more realistic every day.
Carson’s path to seeking the Republican nomination has been anything but easy. Growing up in a single-parent home, Carson was taught that if he wanted to make it in the real world he would have to engage his mind in both academia and literature. Carson submerged himself in his studies and soon his grades began to improve.
Upon graduating from Yale University and Michigan School of Medicine, Carson moved to Baltimore and spent the next 30 years directing pediatric neurosurgery at John’s Hopkins Children’s Center.
Although many political critics are quick to label Carson as another candidate who lacks necessary political clout, manyof the voter population is convinced that Carson is a viable option, as is proven with 20 percent of Republican voters backing the candidate. Bestowed with 67 honorary doctorates, the 2008 Presidential Medal of Freedom, multiple New York Times bestsellers, among various other accolades, Carson is not simply another option to be brushed aside.
His views on several key issues effectively mirror and compliment the views of conservative Christians.
Carson has repeatedly stated that he is “entirely pro-life.” He has gone on the record stating that as a neurosurgeon, it was his primary occupation to treat and protect families from harm, specifically when it came to loss of life. As a licensed neurosurgeon, Carson had no choice but to operate on infants pre-birth and stated that they are “very much alive” at conception. His opinion aligns with the biblical view that life begins at conception.
As President of the United States, Carson would “ratify a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, to restore fiscal responsibility,” a vision in line with the Bible’s ‘s view that monetary responsibility is a way of honoring the Lord for what He has given.
Allen McWhite, NGU faculty member and director of the Center for Cross-cultural Engagement and Global Leadership, explained how a Christ-centered president could work for the betterment of this nation.
“Anytime you have a person who’s decision making is shaped by his or her faith, when it is a biblically based, Christ-centered faith, I believe that is always going to be a positive thing,” he said.
However, McWhite warns of the false tendency to assume that just because a candidate holds the same religious values and beliefs that he or she can turn all of America’s issues around.
“Obviously we have a moral and spiritual condition in this country that probably the majority of people now do not identify with Christianity and do not identify with the Christian faith … and we have to be careful that we do not impose on someone who is a strong Christian to fix all things and repair all things,” McWhite said.
In the Republican debate that aired on CNN last Thursday, Carson found his podium placed at center stage, due to polling numbers that surged following the first GOP debate. However tempting it might be to revel in the critical acclaim that comes with the support of the Republican voters, Carson has remained humble and continues to praise God.
