Lifesaver Dr. Ben Carson and Life Destroyer Kermit Gosnell

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I went by the field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
And there it was, all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with nettles;
Its stone wall was broken down.
When I saw it, I considered it well;
I looked on it and received instruction:
A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest;
So shall your poverty come like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.

Proverbs 24:30-34 explains that one can look upon the lives of others and learn from them. The year 2013 featured significant news stories about two men with similar backgrounds and very different lives. This article will examine the lives of these men. One man has received the penalty of his errors, and the other appears to be humbly submitted to the will of God.



Dr. Ben Carson
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore/Creative Commons

Kermit Barron Gosnell, age 72, and Dr. Benjamin Solomon "Ben" Carson, Sr., age 62, grew up in cities notorious for violent crime, Philadelphia and Detroit, respectively. These black men came of age in the tumultuous 60's and 70's. Gosnell is a former physician. In 2013, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for murdering three infants who were born alive during abortion procedures. Recently retired, Dr. Carson was a professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery, and pediatrics, and the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He made history in 1987, becoming the first surgeon to successfully separate twins joined at the head.

Gosnell grew up in a middle-class household and graduated at the top of his high school class. The future seemed bright for him, but it is written in Proverbs 4:18 that "..the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day" and the trajectory of his life shows that he did not walk that path.

The odds seemed against Dr. Carson from the beginning. He was raised by a uneducated single mother, albeit hard-working and God-fearing, in great poverty. As a violent and angry youth, he almost murdered one of his peers. Yet, in the providence of God, that incident drew Dr. Carson to the Bible. He learned that "...the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:20). His testimony is one of a man called by the irresistible grace and power of the Holy Spirit, and turning away from a life of anger to a life of faith and obedience to God's Word.

Dr. Carson is a master of plain speech as evidenced by His keynote at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast, while Gosnell was practicing double-speak a.k.a "suppressing the truth in unrighteousness" (Romans 1:18-23) as far back as 1972. In that year, he told the Philadelphia Inquirer: "as a physician, I am very concerned about the sanctity of life, but it is for this exact reason that I provide abortions for women who need them."

Per Romans 1, Gosnell used and approved of abortion procedures created by inventors of evil things. He also accumulated debt and several tax liens against his properties, even though he made thousands of dollars on abortions every week. It appears that Gosnell's practice was built on the love of money and not helping others. He not only caused thousands of deaths, but destruction and misery.

Dr. Carson was inspired to pursue a career in medicine after hearing the testimonies of missionary doctors at church. He desired to heal people physically, mentally and spiritually. He became a pediatric neurosurgeon to save the lives of children and babies.

Dr. Carson fears God, not man. He has debated ardent evolutionist, Richard Dawkins, and he did not concede to political correctness nor baseness at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast. Bible in hand, he humbly spoke about applying the law of God in many areas of life. After the event, his faith was spoken of throughout the whole world. On the other hand, according to testimony given during Gosnell's trial, it was said that Gosnell and his wife reserved the Lord's Sabbath for the unmerciful act of performing partial and live-birth abortions.



Mugshot of Kermit Gosnell

God created the institution of marriage and revealed the mystery of it in Apostle Paul's letter to the Ephesian church. Dr. Carson holds his marriage in honor, having been married to his wife for 39 years. Whereas Gosnell was on his third marriage at the time of his conviction.

Now that Gosnell's trespasses are exposed for all the world to see, he is still unrepentant for the evil he has done. Firstly, against his Creator, and secondly, against his fellow man. In a February 2011 interview with Fox 29, he told reporters, "I expect to be vindicated."


In accordance with [his] hardness and impenitent heart, he is treasuring up for [himself] wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each one according to his deeds. (Romans 2:5-6)

Dr. Carson is not the perfect man, and Gosnell is a man whose life has become a cautionary tale. Both have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The only difference is their standing before God. If Gosnell continues in unrepentance, he will go to Hell when he dies and be cast into the into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels on the Day of Judgment. If Dr. Carson continues in the love of God by the abiding power of His Spirit, on the Great Day of Judgment, he will stand, because Jesus Christ is able to make him stand.

Sources:
The Bible
Wikipedia.com
Biography.com
NBC Philadephia - Kermit Gosnell Lived in "Squalor"
Video - Ben Carson's National Prayer Breakfast Speech 2013
Generations Radio - Ben Carson Uses Bible at Presidential Prayer Breakfast!