Focus on the Family

My exposure to James Dobson’s ministry came very early. As a little guy, I was afraid of the dark when going to bed. To ease my fears, my mom played cassette tapes of “Adventures in Odyssey.” I’m very thankful for that experience for two reasons: (1) the tender love of my mother and (2) exposure to biblical truth at a young age. This experience also captures the centerpiece of the Dobson’s ministry—biblical truth for families. In view of his death last week, a few comments about Dobson’s legacy prove fitting.

Dobson championed the idea that the family is a central God-established institution for human flourishing, so it must be promoted and protected at all costs. Dobson identified many threats, and he worked tirelessly to oppose them—forces ranging from radical feminism, homosexuality, the sexualization of children, abortion, and the promotion of divorce. He was criticized by many; even some professing Christians opposed his influence. Notwithstanding this pushback, Dobson’s overriding conviction on the sanctity of the family was right. As we’ve seen recently, as the family goes, so also goes the nation. In his pursuit to defend dads, moms, and children against ungodly cultural influences, Dobson fought the good fight, defending and applying scriptural teaching for countless individuals.

To capture the power of his ministry, here’s a quote from the late Dobson: “Do we as Christians need to be liked so badly that we choose to remain silent in response to the killing of babies, the spreading of homosexual propaganda to our children, the distribution of condoms and immoral advice to our teenagers, and the undermining of marriage as an institution? Would Jesus have ignored these wicked activities?” These are biblical convictions. May the Lord energize us with the same portion of the Spirit that empowered Dobson in his defense of the family.

Pastor Chance Sumner