God & Country

New Focus on the Family Chief Wants 'More Families Like Obama's'

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June 16, 2009 RSS Feed Print
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By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country

Imagine you're at Focus on the Family to watch founder James Dobson formally step down from the board after three decades. The newly powerful ministry president—the micro-managerial Dobson is now officially powerless—steps to the mic and says: "What we want to see are more families like Barack Obama's."

Would never happen, right?

Well, it already has. The Denver Post reports on Focus's newish CEO, Jim Daly, who wants to trade Focus's image as a Christian right group in for one of as a family-focused ministry. After all, apolitical, family-focused work still absorbs the vast majority of Focus's resources.

A few key graphs on how Daly plans to drastically change Focus's approach to politics and public policy:

Dobson rarely engaged directly and publicly with political opponents, although he sometimes met them behind the scenes. Daly expects to be more open.

"We're in a democracy. How do we express Christian ethos in a way that draws people into the discussion?" Daly asked. "We are the church. We have to be more understanding and not expect the world to act like the church. We also don't accept the church acting like the world...."

When Dobson stepped down, he said a few words on the occasion. And then Daly spoke.

"What we want to see are more families like Barack Obama's," Daly said.

"Everybody's jaw went clunk, including Dr. Dobson's," Daly recalled, laughing. "But we can respect what Obama does well. We can focus more on the positive. And I respect his family."

Daly says he is results-oriented, not an ideologue.

"When those who are right, left and center all say, 'Let's make abortion rare,' let's meet at that starting point," Daly said. "Let's shove off the rhetoric and get together on practical matters."

Tags:
family,
religion,
Barack Obama

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The comment that President Obama is a "pagan" is not true. President Obama is a "christian" and has said so. It is preposterous to say that President Obama is not a "real" American as he is as American as any other American citizen born in America. I am proud of President Obama and believe that he will continue to support "We the People" during his term in office.

Having said that, which has nothing to do with FOF, I would say that FOF is an organization that has used it's power and enfluence in the christian community in very unwise manners. FOF has become a PAC (political action committee) spening most of it's income and time trying to influence elected representatives into passing legislation to force Americans to "live" as the organization says rather than advancing the teachings of christianity.

John Copeland of SC 8:26PM August 13, 2009

At more than 1.3 Million American abortions a year this is an important topic. Deaths from abortion is greater than all other deaths in America (reference Center for Desease Control and Prevention counts). Simply put more Americans die each year from Abortion than from Aids, Heart Disease, Cancer, Accidents, and all other causes of death.

At more than 45 Million American abortions in 36 years since 1973 this topic is an important topic of respect for every human life.

An unborn child is the least of our people. They are weak, poor, innocent, defenseless, and fragile. They are completely dependent upon our love and mercy. They are the least of our people in American.

These unborn children are being ignored. When was the last time the the news media, politician, or anyone told you the count for how many babies were aborted today in American. We talk about all the other news (health care, aids, cancer, economy, 911, murders, deaths in Iraq, and etc... You know all the news and stats for these events.This is not to reduce the importannce of that news but we should stop hiding the Truth about abortion.

In America we averages more than 3800 unborn American babies that die to abortion a day.

Did you know, In just one year there are more unborn American babies (more than 1.3 Million) that die than all the Americans that have died in all our wars (less than 1.2 million).

Did you know, In just 35 years that America has killed more unborn babies in American than Hitler killed in all his concentration camps.

All Human Life is equally important.

Please promote respect for every human life.

Please don't promote violence against the unborn defenseless children of America.

Please protect the least of God's people.

Abortion is war against Life and Love.

Please help encourage Human Life and Love.

Quote: What you do to the least of my people you do to me.

May the Love, Peace, Mercy, and Grace of God be with each of you.

May God Have Mercy on America!

ComPassion of IN 12:42PM June 27, 2009

America put a pagan in the White house, Obama is no friend to America, he is a world citizen and not a real American!!!

Martin of TN 4:14AM June 18, 2009

God & Country

Dan Gilgoff covers religion for U.S. News & World Report. He is the author of The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America are Winning the Culture War, and is a former politics editor at beliefnet. E-mail Dan at godandcountry@usnews.com.

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