Reacting to a recent op-ed published at The Christian Post, Dr. Jeff Barrows of the Christian Medical and Dental Association says every patient should be respected and treated like he or she is made in the image of God. That biblical worldview conflicts with secularism, he says, which is creeping into the curriculum of medical schools.
“All research, that looks into the benefits of spirituality in health,” Barrows advises, “show that spirituality and discussing it has huge benefits for patients, not just those that are themselves spiritual or Christian."
The current health care system, he says, focuses too much on revenue and less often on spiritual care and compassion.
Barrows was reacting to a Post article by Jason Grahame, a former physician’s assistant, or PA, who now oversees the PA program at Cedarville University, a private Christian school in Ohio.
Grahame wrote the op-ed after a prominent PA instructor criticized Cedarville for adhering to Christian principles – “exclusionary practices” – while preparing its students for a career as a physician’s assistant.
A five-page document, which Grahame linked to, demanded the American Academy of Physician Associates end Cedarville’s PA accreditation in the name of “inclusivity” and “equal rights” and a “diverse workforce.”
The document was signed by Jonathan Sobel, who previously led the national American Academy of Physician Associates as president.
The irony of Sobel accusations, however, is that a physician’s assistant trained at a Christian college is not considered an example of diversity or equality by Sobel.
Sobel himself, however, earned a Doctor of Medical Science degree from the University of Lynchburg, a private Christian college associated with the Disciples of Christ.
In his op-ed, Grahame points out there are more than 300 PA programs for students across the United States but only a “handful” are offered at an evangelical campus, such as Cedarville, Liberty University, and Wheaton College.
Citing the push by Sobel to punish Cedarville, Barrows tells AFN there is “antipathy” toward Christian educational programs by their secular counterparts that want to decertify their programs or, at the very least, to minimize their influence.
