It has been difficult watching the downward spiral of the worldview of the once great Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. After the death of his mentor and friend Francis Schaefer, Koop embraced a philosophy of moral and political incrementalism. As Ronald Reagan’s Surgeon General “of all the people” in a “pluralistic democracy,” he publicly declined to apply his faith to his public office, or to use his position to honor the law of God. Incredibly, the man who had previously stood side by side with Schaeffer in opposing the cultural suicide created by moral perversion, actually earned favor with the homosexual community for his policies and statements on AIDs and condom distributions. At the time, these compromises struck a devastating blow to the Christian community.

Today, Koop was quoted by the United States Supreme Court for yet another biblically indefensible statement. This time Koop exchanged biblical revelation for his own analysis with evolutionary psychological development theory in order to oppose capitol punishment for seventeen year olds and other minors who are convicted of first degree murder. Koop argues that they can not be held fully accountable for their murders because they are physiologically incapable of controlling their impulses. Specifically, Koop writes: “juveniles are underdeveloped and immature, particularly in the areas of the brain that dictate reason, impulse control and decision-making.”