God and Neurosurgery — Part 1 – Dr. David Levy

The thought of “combining medicine and spirituality” may cause you to picture medieval doctors drilling holes in a patient’s skull to let the demons out, or some other barbaric practice of history.  Yet Dr. David Levy, renowned neurosurgeon and UCSD professor, has been integrating his faith into his medical practice for years with great success.  How?  By simply offering to pray with his patients before surgeries.

In this first part of a two-part series Kevin talks with Dr. Levy about his personal history, including how he entered the field of neurosurgery and what inspired him to start praying with patients.  Dr. Levy’s life has been an incredible journey, from his childhood of indifference towards God and church, to his days as an underachieving gas-station-attendant high-school student, to his becoming a highly skilled and successful (yet relationally challenged) neurosurgeon.  He describes how several extremely difficult life circumstances forced him to recognize both his inadequate definition of the meaning of life, and his inability to love others selflessly.  Fortunately, a conversation with his mother turned him towards the source of both meaning and love: Jesus Christ.  Dr. Levy shares how he got from the point of first having personal faith, to applying that faith to his profession.

To learn more about Dr. Levy and his spiritual and medical insights, visit his website at DrDLevy.com.  You can also view these articles he wrote on why he prays with patients, and how to deal with anger towards God.

This episode first aired on September 6th, 2015.