Focus on the Family and its leader, James Dobson

Christian Right Attacks Senator Barack Obama's Christian Faith

James Dobson of Focus on the Family attacks 2006 Obama speech

by JewsOnFirst.org, June 25, 2008

Some fundamentalist evangelical Christians are responding to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's outreach by disparaging his faith. Most recently, and notably, Dr. James Dobson, who heads Focus on the Family, said on his widely aired radio program that Obama "is dragging biblical understanding through the gutter."

But what Dobson said is mild compared to a video by Christian right televangelist Bill Keller, who calls Obama an "enemy of God" and uses what appears to be footage of abortions as illustrations. Click here.

Is Dobson's Obama Hit Backfiring?

After years of attacking Democrats with relative impunity for their supposed moral failings, Evangelical leader James Dobson surely didn't expect to suffer much of a backlash when he trained his sights on Barack Obama. Over the years, the party had practically cowered in fear and gone into radio silence when the head of Focus on the Family targeted one of its standard-bearers. So in a campaign that has already proved to be anything but predictable, the counterattack on Dobson this week epitomized the new, fraught political climate that Christian Right leaders like himself face.

Earlier this week, Dobson used his popular Christian radio program to denounce a 2006 speech the Illinois Senator gave about the place of religion in public life. He took personal offense at the fact that Obama had referred to him by name in the same breath as Al Sharpton, using the two to illustrate the range of differences that exist within Christianity. But he also expressed outrage at Obama's assertion that individuals can be moral without being religious. "He oughta read the Bible," said Dobson. Obama, he charged, was "deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview."

But less than 24 hours after Dobson's radio broadcast, www.jamesdobsondoesntspeakforme.com was up and running on the Web. The site displays both Dobson's charges against Obama and Obama's own quotes from the 2006 speech. It also features a statement condemning Dobson that reads in part: "James Dobson doesn't speak for me when he uses religion as a wedge to divide; he doesn't speak for me when he speaks as the final arbiter on the meaning of the Bible." Continue.

Dennis Talks To Dr. James Dobson About Who He Will And Won't Vote For.

Dennis Prager,: Perhaps the most influential Evangelical leader in the United States is on with me, Dr. James Dobson. And Jim, welcome to the Dennis Prager, you’ve been on many times, and I’ve been with you, and welcome back.

James Dobson: Dennis, we’ve been friends for a long time. This is only interview I’ve taken today, and I’ve been called by just about everybody in the media. So that tells you what I think of you.

DP: Thank you, and it means a lot to me, and that’s why I asked to have you on for the same reason, because of my respect for you. And you are, you’re not a very happy man right now, are you? Continue.

Dobson backs Huckabee after Romney bows out

Colorado Springs, Colo. (ABP) -- In a move unprecedented for him, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson has endorsed a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.

In a statement released Feb. 7, Dobson backed former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee for the GOP nomination over his only remaining significant rival, Arizona Sen. John McCain.

“My decision comes in the wake of my statement on [Feb. 5] that I could not vote for Sen. John McCain, even if he goes on to win the Republican nomination. His record on the institution of the family and other conservative issues makes his candidacy a matter of conscience and concern for me,” Dobson said.

Dobson said at the time that McCain’s then-chief rival, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, was more acceptable on social issues -- even though Romney is Mormon and held moderate positions on abortion and gay rights prior to launching his presidential run. Continue.

The Evangelicals' New Clothes

So only after Fred and Rudy and Mitt have dropped out, and McCain has all but mathematically sealed the GOP nomination, does Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson come out and endorse Mike Huckabee as "our best remaining choice for President of the United States," now that it can't possibly make a difference. Given how this season has unfolded, there is something beautifully appropriate about that.

Back at the end of September, after Dobson and his disciples had their private meeting to publicly threaten a third party run if the GOP went with a social liberal like Giuliani, I asked Richard Land, the Southern Baptists' political ambassador, what was the problem with Huckabee, since Land understands these weather systems better than most.

Here was a candidate that you would have thought the social conservative leadership could embrace without reservation, a fresh, appealing, Southern Baptist preacher-pol who didn't believe in evolution, whose wife (by covenant marriage, no less) has slept under bridges with homeless people, and who was more consistently pro-life than anyone in the field. So what was Paul Weyrich doing backing Romney and Pat Robertson endorsing Rudy and the National Right to Life committee supporting Thompson? "I've known Mike a long time," said Land. "I think Mike would be a fine president. But he's the one who has to close that deal. He has to convince significant numbers of Americans that he'd be a fine President and that he can beat Hillary Clinton." Continue.

James Dobson endorses Huckabee

Colorado Springs, Colo. (BP)--Focus on the Family founder James Dobson endorsed Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee Feb. 7, giving the former Arkansas governor a boost heading into a series of upcoming primaries.

The endorsement by Dobson came the same day that Mitt Romney withdrew from the GOP race. Huckabee won five states on Super Tuesday and still trails by a wide margin in the delegate count, although he hopes to win a handful of states in the next week, including Kansas and Louisiana Saturday and Virginia Tuesday.

Dobson's endorsement, which came as a private citizen, came two days after he once again said he would not support frontrunner John McCain if he is the nominee. Dobson first made the statement in January 2007 during the "Jerry Johnson Live" radio program hosted by Johnson, president of Criswell College in Dallas. Continue.

The Values Test

REPORTS have surfaced in the press about a meeting that occurred last Saturday in Salt Lake City involving more than 50 pro-family leaders. The purpose of the gathering was to discuss our response if both the Democratic and Republican Parties nominate standard-bearers who are supportive of abortion. Although I was neither the convener nor the moderator of the meeting, I’d like to offer several brief clarifications about its outcome and implications.

After two hours of deliberation, we voted on a resolution that can be summarized as follows: If neither of the two major political parties nominates an individual who pledges himself or herself to the sanctity of human life, we will join others in voting for a minor-party candidate. Continue.

FOF Leader: Thompson Not Anti-Gay Enough

(Denver, Colorado) James Dobson, one of the nation's most politically influential evangelical Christians, made it clear in a message to friends this week he will not support Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson.

In a private e-mail obtained by The Associated Press, Dobson accuses the former Tennessee senator and actor of being weak on the campaign trail and wrong on issues dear to social conservatives. Continue.

Dobson Offers Insight on 2008 Republican Hopefuls

Focus on Family Founder Snubs Thompson, Praises Gingrich

Focus on the Family founder James Dobson appeared to throw cold water on a possible presidential bid by former Sen. Fred Thompson while praising former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is also weighing a presidential run, in a phone interview Tuesday.

"Everyone knows he's conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for," Dobson said of Thompson. "[But] I don't think he's a Christian; at least that's my impression," Dobson added, saying that such an impression would make it difficult for Thompson to connect with the Republican Party's conservative Christian base and win the GOP nomination.

Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Thompson, took issue with Dobson's characterization of the former Tennessee senator. "Thompson is indeed a Christian," he said. "He was baptized into the Church of Christ."

In a follow-up phone conversation, Focus on the Family spokesman Gary Schneeberger stood by Dobson's claim. He said that, while Dobson didn't believe Thompson to be a member of a non-Christian faith, Dobson nevertheless "has never known Thompson to be a committed Christian—someone who talks openly about his faith."

"We use that word—Christian—to refer to people who are evangelical Christians," Schneeberger added. Continue.

Focus defends Dobson's skepticism of Fred Thompson's Christian faith

Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson is attempting to clarify remarks he made to a reporter regarding possible Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson.

Dobson recently told Dan Gilgoff of U.S. News & World Report he did not think former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson was a Christian. "Everyone knows he's conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for," Dobson said in the interview. "[But] I don't think he's a Christian -- at least that's my impression."

A Thompson spokesman took umbrage with Dobson's statement and responded by saying, "Thompson is indeed a Christian. He was baptized into the Church of Christ." Continue.

Dr. Dobson's Comments on Sen. Thompson Clarified

(CR) – Focus on the Family has issued a statement clarifying statements made by founder Dr. James Dobson. The statements appeared in a story on the U.S. News & World Report website. Continue.

Dobson says 'no way' to McCain candidacy

Christian leader declares he couldn't support senator 'under any circumstances'

A prominent Christian leader whose radio and magazine outreaches are solidly in support of biblically-based marriages -- and keeps in touch with millions of constituents daily - says he cannot consider Arizona Sen. John McCain a viable candidate for president.

"Speaking as a private individual, I would not vote for John McCain under any circumstances," said James Dobson, founder of the Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family as well as the Focus Action cultural action organization set up specifically to provide a platform for informing and rallying constituents.

Dobson, who always is careful to note that he's not speaking for the non-profit ministry, which cannot advocate for or against candidates legally, also doesn't hesitate to state his personal opinions on social or political issues and agendas. Continue

Are Focus layoffs a sign of losing edge among evangelicals?

When Focus on the Family recently announced the deepest job cuts in its 32-year history, it was just the latest headline in a saga of a sad economy.

After all, layoffs are seemingly the norm in a recession where unemployment is at a 15-year high.

But supporters and critics of the Colorado Springs-based Christian ministry have been quick to question whether more is at play than hard times alone. Has its high-profile political stances hurt its public relations? Is its audience aging or shrinking? Did it reach a peak that, for some reason, has passed? Continue.

Dobson endorsed sermon blaming "lesbian sex" for God's "abandonment" of America, justifying destruction of a U.S. city by God

On the June 4 edition of his Focus on the Family radio show, Focus on the Family founder and chairman James C. Dobson broadcast a sermon by John MacArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, titled "A Nation Abandoned by God." In the sermon, MacArthur said America had forsaken God and engendered the "wrath of abandonment" as a result. MacArthur declared: "You know a society has been abandoned by God when it celebrates lesbian sex." MacArthur further argued that as a result of America's abandonment, the destruction of a major U.S. city "could happen" and that "God would be just in any calamity he brought upon us." Continue.

Supreme Court Ruling Brings Split in Antiabortion Movement

In a highly visible rift in the anti-abortion movement, a coalition of evangelical Protestant and Roman Catholic groups is attacking a longtime ally, Focus on the Family founder James C. Dobson.

Using rhetoric that they have reserved in the past for abortion clinics, some of the coalition's leaders accuse Dobson and other national antiabortion leaders of building an "industry" around relentless fundraising and misleading information. Continue.

In defense of Dr. Dobson

In the wake of the Supreme Court's April 17 decision in Gonzales v. Carhart, which upheld the federal law against partial-birth abortions, a furor broke out after my boss, Dr. James Dobson, praised the ruling on the grounds that it will save the lives of preborn children. He was attacked ferociously by a small group of pro-lifers who say the ruling did no such thing, because the justices explained how other methods of late-term abortion could be used to replace the one they had just thrown out.

Now if I tell you that a road to town is partially washed away, will you call me a liar if there are other roads that still take you to town? You won't unless you want to purposely misrepresent what I told you. And that's the nature of the attack on Dr. Dobson. Continue.

Focus on the Family enters CWA fray

Attorneys consider whether CWA discussion broke law

Focus on the Family attorneys are researching state law to see if there could be a criminal case against Conference on World Affairs panelists involved in a discussion about sex and drugs with teens at Boulder High.

Gary Schneeberger, spokesman for the Colorado Springs-based Christian organization, said his group is looking into the "contributing to the delinquency of a minor" statute.

"We just ask the question, 'If someone encourages students to take drugs, could that be viewed as encouraging them to violate state law?' " he said.

The April discussion, "STDs: Sex, Teens and Drugs," has drawn criticism from at least one student and observers including Fox News television host Bill O'Reilly for what they say was a talk encouraging teens to take drugs and have sex.

Conference on World Affairs and Boulder Valley school officials have defended the panel. Continue.

Dobson "whacks" GOP innovators, says Brooks in New York Times

Focus on Family denies responsibility for Republican losses

In an april 29, 2007 column entitled Grim Old Party, David Brooks wrote: "As it has aged, the conservative movement has grown a collection of special interest groups that restrict its mobility. Anybody who offers unorthodox tax policies gets whacked by the Club for Growth and Americans for Tax Reform. Anybody who offers unorthodox social policies gets whacked by James Dobson."

Gary Schneeberger of Focus on the Family's political arm responded in a letter published May 3rd.

Op-Ed Columnist: Grim Old Party (April 29, 2007) David Brooks says all the Republican Party needs to cure what ails it is something or someone unorthodox enough to ignite the public’s interest (“Grim Old Party,” column, April 29). He then claims that my boss, Dr. James Dobson, limits the free exercise of unorthodoxy in social policy by “whacking” anyone who proposes it. Balderdash.
What cost Republicans the last election was running away from issues their base cares about.
Mr. Brooks may consider it stiflingly orthodox to protect the preborn, preserve traditional marriage and rein in out-of-control courts, but those “values voters” everyone was talking about in 2004 certainly don’t. They’re still out there, looking for someone orthodox enough (from either party) to advance the issues that matter to them, and if they don’t find him, they may stay home in 2008 as many did in 2006.
As for this whacking business: If that’s how Mr. Brooks wants to define the way Dr. Dobson alerts families to policy matters that affect them, using a platform he’s earned from 30 years of helping Americans raise their kids and keep their marriages together, I suppose that it’s his right. It just seems an awfully unorthodox interpretation, and not in a good way.

Fact checking at Focus on the Family

Washington State couple Dotti Berry and Robynne Sapp walked into Focus on the Family headquarters wanting to set the record straight on the conservative group's misinformation about gays. Instead they got arrested—but made an important statement all the same. Continue.

Dr. Dobson and Free Speech:

Does God Need a Lobbyist?

US Senate Bill S.1, scheduled to reach the Senate floor next week, has Dr. Dobson of Focus on the Family up in arms.

Using phrases like "urgent matter," "public muzzling" and "silencing the opposition," Dr. Dobson broke in by telephone to his regularly-scheduled January 10th radio broadcast to rally millions of his listeners and supporters in a grassroots lobbying effort against the bill.

The essence of his concern is that the Democratic majority, with complicity on the part of moderate Republicans (including Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME), is conspiring to insulate itself from the public by requiring more stringent reporting of spending to influence legislation. Continue reading this PDF document.

American Center for Law Justice Challenges Congressional Legislation Restricting Free Speech Rights

The bills are H.R. 4682 and S.1.

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) is launching a campaign to oppose legislation that would affect the operation of churches and nonprofit organizations. The legislation would restrict the free speech by classifying churches and nonprofits as "grassroots lobbying firms" and being subject to governmental regulation. Continue

Dems Target Free Speech -- Again

Liberals won’t stop trying to muzzle critics.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her radical allies in the U.S. House want to impose burdensome regulations on grassroots activists and the lawmakers they hope to influence.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Senate rejected the grassroots provision in its lobbying-reform bill. Senate bill 1 initially included language that would have mandated oppressive reporting standards for grassroots-lobbying groups. That language was removed after hundreds of thousands of people complained to their Senators. Continue

Senate Heeds Grassroots Pressure

Now the battle over congressional accountability moves to Nancy Pelosi’s chamber.

Republican senators and a few Democrats voted Thursday night to reject an attempt to silence grassroots groups.

The Senate adopted an amendment offered by Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, to strip Section 220 -- the so-called "grassroots-lobbying provision" -- from S.1, an ethics-reform bill.

"This is a clear victory for the Constitution, the First Amendment and grassroots organizations who want their voices to be heard by Congress," Bennett said. Continue

Focus On The Family Chief's Op-Ed Ignites Storm

Scientists he cites repudiate his claim that gay parenting is inferior

Time invited Focus on the Family Chairman James Dobson to write an opinion article about the just announced pregancy of Vice President Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter Mary and her partner -- and the results were predictable. Dobson's piece, "Why Two Mommies is One Too Many," spuriously claimed scientific backing for his contention that children invariably do better with married heterosexual parents. The researchers Dobson cited repudiated him and advocacy groups reproached Time for giving Dobson a forum.

Coincidentally, Dobson's screed appeared simultaneously with reports suggesting glimmers of progress in gays' struggle for acceptance in the evangelical traditions in which they were raised. Click here for related reports and links.

Alito writes inappropriate letter to Focus on the Family head

Text of letter, obtained by Colorado paper, is below

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito wrote his thanks to Focus on the Family head James Dobson for supporting his nomination and pledged to "keep in mind" their "trust" in him. Dobson read the letter on his "Family Radio" program on March 1st and confirmed its contents but declined to release it to reporters, according to the Associated Press. Continue.

Hundreds flock to Love Won Out ex-gay confab

Protesters counter conference fuels hatred toward gays

More than 1,000 people from 22 states flocked to Woodstock, Ga., Nov. 4 to participate in Focus on the Family’s Love Won Out conference, an all-day event that proclaims gay men and lesbians can deny their same-sex attractions and choose a heterosexual lifestyle by embracing Jesus.

They were met by approximately 50 protesters who lined the street to counter the conference with messages that gay people do not choose their sexual orientation and should be able to live openly, free from discrimination. Continue.

Focus on the Family's "Love Won Out" is prominent among the religious right's spurious "ex-gay" efforts. For more, please click here.

Record Crowd for St. Louis Love Won Out Event

More than 1,700 hear about hope for those struggling with same-sex attraction.

"In its eighth year, Focus on the Family's Love Won Out conference drew its largest crowd ever at First Evangelical Free Church of St. Louis County (First Free) on Saturday. The event shares the message that there is hope for those who want to leave homosexuality." Click here for the article.

Dick Armey calls Christian right "thugs" and "bullies"

Bill O'Reilly says there's no such thing as the religious right

In a Q&A with with former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, Ryan Sager (author of An Elephant in the Room, blogging on Sager's blog, September 15, 2006) asked Armey: "What’s wrong with today’s Republican Congress?"

The Texas Republican responded: "The criteria of choice in just about every behavior you see in Congress today is politics. Where in the hell did this Terri Schiavo thing come from? There’s not a conservative, Constitution-loving, separation-of-powers guy alive in the world that could have wanted that bill on the floor. That was pure, blatant pandering to [Focus on the Family President] James Dobson. That’s all that was. It was silly, stupid, and irresponsible. Nobody serious about the Constitution would do that. But the question was will this energize our Christian conservative base for the next election."

Sager's also posted this excerpt from his book, in which he asked Armey: "Why does it seem Christian conservatives are more powerful now than in the 1990s?"

Armey replied: "To a large extent because Dobson and his gang of thugs are real nasty bullies. I pray devoutly every day, but being a Christian is no excuse for being stupid. There’s a high demagoguery coefficient to issues like prayer in schools. Demagoguery doesn’t work unless it’s dumb, shallow as water on a plate. These issues are easy for the intellectually lazy and can appeal to a large demographic. These issues become bigger than life, largely because they’re easy. There ain’t no thinking." Click here.

Religious right powerhouses mobilize for 2006 election

Focus on the Family and "patriot pastors" work to turn out Republican base

In October 2004, the week before the election, I was walking precincts, campaigning for John Kerry, in Columbus, Ohio. As I trudged up and down porch steps in the city's white working-class neighborhoods, I ran into many other Kerry campaigners. We introduced ourselves and laughed at the "overkill" of our efforts.

We remarked that we'd seen no Republican walkers and no Republican literature. None. And how strange that was. Then we trudged on, careful not to dislodge each other's literature from screen doors.

Later we learned that "patriot pastors" Rod Parsley, Russell Johnson and others, had been intensively using their pulpits to register and turn out voters... We could excuse ourselves for not anticipating the invisible Republican get-out-the-vote.

This time the religious right is doing its pro-Republican campaign work above the radar. Focus on the Family has launched a major effort to register and turn out voters. People For the American Way Foundation, the NAACP, and the African American Ministers Leadership Council have just released a joint report detailing the action plans of the "patriot pastors." So we can't say we didn't see it coming. Continue

Soulforce Protests Focus on the Family

The 1000 Watt March, Vigil, and Concert: Shedding the Powerful Light of Truth on the Anti-Gay Dishonesty of Focus on the Family

In July 2006 Soulforce, a non-profit civil rights organization campaigning for "freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance," marched from Denver to Colorado Springs to confront Focus on the Family, a homophobic powerhouse of the religious right. Click here.

Focus cries foul on Liberty baseball bid

Springs group says 'pornographers' not suited to own Braves

Focus on the Family is none too happy that John Malone's Liberty Media could be the new owner of the Atlanta Braves.

The Colorado Springs-based religious group is organizing a grassroots effort to stop the man it calls a "porn magnate" from acquiring the ballclub from Time Warner in a stock swap, citing Liberty's ownership of hotel-room movie service On Command. Continue

Judge Gone Wild

Ruling against parental rights is just one way Judge Stephen Reinhardt is trying to overturn American values

In this attack on a senior appeals court judge, Focus on the Family, a major religious-right organization, has unnecessarily called attention to the fact that Judge Stephen Reinhardt is Jewish in a way that we find offensively anti-Semitic. Early in the lengthy article, readers are alerted to Reinhardt's religion, immediately after learning that his parents worked in the film industry.

Much of the rest of the long article attacks Reinhardt for his work on the Los Angeles Police Commission. The attacks uncritically echo the positions of former Police Chief Daryl Gates, during whose tenure the LAPD had a reputation as a racist organization with outdated attitudes toward women and gays. Click here to read the article.

Lawyers react to Focus on the Family's attack on Judge Reinhardt

When Focus on the Family's Citizen, magazine attacked Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Stephen Reinhardt and unnecessarily called attention to his Jewish background, (see above), JewsOnFirst asked Jewish lawyers for their reactions to the Citizen, article. Click here to read the lawyers' reactions.

James Dobson

The religious right's new kingmaker.

Although the notion that the religious right's "moral values" determined the 2004 election has been roundly debunked, perception is reality in politics—and the indelible perception in Washington is now that George W. Bush owes his evangelical Christian base big-time.

One corollary to this idea is that no one helped Bush win more than Dr. James Dobson. Forget Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, who in their dotage have marginalized themselves with gaffes (this week Robertson referred to potential Supreme Court nominee Miguel Estrada as "Erik Estrada"). Forget Ralph Reed, now enriching himself as a lobbyist-operative, leaving the Christian Coalition a shell of its former self. Forget Gary Bauer, now known chiefly as a failed presidential candidate who tumbled off a stage while flipping pancakes. Dobson is now America's most influential evangelical leader, with a following reportedly greater than that of either Falwell or Robertson. Continue