Dr. Carson's Jesus Among a Shrine to Himself?

Recently, some interest has been generated on the internet surrounding a shrine in the home of Republican candidate Dr. Ben Carson. Not only is there a shrine in his home demonstrating many of his portraits, awards, achievements, and life events, but there is one significant portrait which caught the attention of many, especially those from the evangelical camp.

This portrait of Dr. Ben Carson includes a figure who is meant to portray Jesus, with a hand on Carson's shoulder and the other hand reaching out. Jesus is a middle-aged white male, with a short beard and long hair. The Jesus of Carson's portrait resembles the many misinterpretations and caricatures that have been made of Him over history.

Carson, being a Seventh-Day Adventist, has caused many in the evangelical camp to question his interpretation of Christianity and theology. While Carson could be said to already be walking a "fine line" with many evangelicals, this surely does not help his case. He has been critiqued, perhaps unjustly, for his many awkward and unorthodox claims in the past, and this certainly piles on to that list. It is one thing to have a picture of Jesus (many evangelicals would say that is already too far and even unbiblical), but to have a picture of you and Jesus causes one to raise to some questions.

Perhaps the most shocking aspect of this portrait, is how it is embedded in a shrine that Carson has erected of himself in his home. Rather than Jesus being the "center" of Carson's life, it appears as though Carson is the center of his own life. Jesus is sort-of added into the mix.

Now I am willing to give Carson the benefit of the doubt, that he truly wants to demonstrate the importance of Christ in his life. That may be a fair assumption. Though, I do find it hard to believe. This portrait gives us the idea that Jesus is Carson's friend, a sort-of "Jesus is my homeboy" attitude. Carson's attitude towards Christ may be a little bit too relaxed and irreverent, which sheds some light on how we should view him in regards to his Christian values. This is a portrait, done by an artist, at the request of Carson, and seems to identify more with Carson than it does with Christ Himself. This is the Jesus of Carson's mind, or even of the artist's mind, and we should not expect much authority to be derived from such a painting.