Next week Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. Isaiah wrote about Jesus and said, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. But when did Jesus actually become a human? And what does that mean to us today? We’ll discuss that on today’s episode of Ask Dr. Walt.

From 2021-2022, I was honored to host a TV show on LiftableTV, “Ask Dr. Walt.”

Next week Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. Isaiah wrote about Jesus and said, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. But when did Jesus actually become a human? And what does that mean to us today? We’ll discuss this on this edition of Ask Dr. Walt.

You can click below to watch a video of the show, or I’ve put the show transcript at the end of the blog if you’d prefer.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

Disclaimer: The Ask Dr. Walt show is designed for entertainment purposes to give information on various medical conditions, treatments, and procedures for your personal knowledge and to help you be a more informed consumer of medical and health services.

SHOW TRANSCRIPT

SHOW 32

“Unto Us a Child is Born” or “Why Most Christian Doctors Oppose Abortion”

Guest: Mike Chupp, MD

TEASE:

This week we’ve celebrated the birth of Jesus. Isaiah wrote about Jesus and said, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. But when did Jesus actually become a human? And what does that mean to us today? We’ll discuss that on today’s episode of Ask Dr. Walt.

OPEN:

Hi, everyone. I’m family physician Dr. Walt Larimore and I’m delighted you are taking the time today during this Christmas season to join me in my home office to discuss the incarnation of Jesus, our Savior, with a medical expert, Mike Chupp, MD. Mike is a board-certified general surgeon who served for nearly 20 years in Africa as a medical missionary and medical director of Tenwek Hospital in Kenya. He now serves as the CEO of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, called CMDA, a membership organization of over 18,000 Christians serving in healthcare in the US and around the world. Mike and his wife Pam live in Bristol, Tennessee and have four adult children with one grandbaby on the way. Mike, welcome to Ask Dr. Walt.

• Mike, before we get into the topic of this program, tell our viewers about CMDA.
• Also, how does CMDA work with local churches and church leaders?
• CMDA has developed scores of evidence-based position statements on a wide variety of important issues – marijuana, death and dying, disabled persons, euthanasia homosexuality, human trafficking, racism, organ donation, and bunches of other statements. How are they developed?
• Can our viewers access these position papers?
• Mike, for today’s topic, the birth of the baby Jesus, CMDA has spoken loudly and clearly about the Biblical and scientific truths concerning the fact that at conception or fertilization a unique human being is formed.
• The CMDA Position Statement on the Beginning of Human Life talks about why we need to be careful when we use the terms “conception” and “fertilization.” Talk a moment about that.
• I love where our fellow physician, Saint Luke, when he was writing his Gospel, wrote about the angel, Gabriel, telling the Virgin Mary, “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.” That’s Luke 1:31. Isn’t Luke saying that human life begins at conception or fertilization?
• And there are other verses in the Bible that talk about valuable, unique, human life beginning at conception, correct?
• So, skeptics may say, “Well, that’s your religious beliefs, but science doesn’t define human life as beginning at fertilization.” Yet CMDA claims that science and biology actually prove, to use your words, that “fertilization . . . represents the event in which the life of a new individual begins.” You add, “Science defines the creation at fertilization of a new human being.”
• Of course, these facts speak loudly about the issue of abortion, don’t they?
• CMDA writes, “Any effort to stop the normal growth and development of this unique individual after fertilization is equivalent to taking the life of this human being.”
• How big a problem is abortion in our country?
• What are the potential negative effects to a woman, physically, emotionally, spiritually, from an abortion?
• Mike, many Christians wonder about abortion in the case or rape or incest. What does CMDA advise in these cases?
• In the rare instance, where the continuation of a pregnancy threatens a woman’s life, what’s CMDA’s recommendation?
• Critics say that those of us who are “Pro-Life” and “Anti-Abortion,” in their words, “love the baby more than the mother.” My sense is that nothing could be further from the truth.
• Time’s running out, but the CMDA position statement on abortion also includes Recommendations for the Christian Community and Recommendations for Christian Healthcare Professionals, right?
• Mike, again, how can our viewers find a CMDA physician in their area or the CMDA position statements on abortion and the beginning of human life?

THANK DR. CHUPP

By the way, I’d love it if you’d be willing to subscribe to one of my daily blogs. You can find them at DrWalt.com, that’s D-R-W-A-L-T dot com.

Finally, during this Christmas season, I pray that you and yours can truly celebrate, revel in, meditate upon, and enjoy not only the most astonishing conception in history, and the most remarkable birth in history, but the most extraordinary man in history, Jesus. History is, in fact, His story. And I pray that in the remainder of this year and in the years that you have left that each of you will come to know Him more deeply and sweetly. So, until our next visit, “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”

Disclaimer: The “Ask Dr. Walt” show is designed for entertainment purposes to give information on various medical conditions, treatments, and procedures for your personal knowledge and to help you be a more informed consumer of medical and health services.

© Copyright WLL, INC. 2023. This blog provides healthcare tips and advice that you can trust about a wide variety of general health information only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from your regular physician. If you are concerned about your health, take what you learn from this blog and meet with your personal doctor to discuss your concerns.