April 26 1999

ARTICLE TOOLS

Find similar articles E-mail this page

* Wendy Murray Zoba is to be commended for her article on James Dobson and the ministry of Focus on the Family [Mar. 1]. I enjoy CT's well-balanced articles and appreciate that they do not focus only on an individual's mistakes or positive contributions.

Dobson is a believer who makes mistakes, but our Lord uses him in spite of his flaws (sounds like most believers I know!). As Zoba writes, "[Dobson] has a lot to say about today's America. He doesn't always say it right, and sometimes he confuses his roles. But Focus on the Family is having a life-giving effect in a soul-sick nation."

* I believe your article understated the important impact Dobson's ministry has had on men by drawing so much attention to its impact on "millions of struggling moms." As a husband, father, and adult male in contemporary society, I treasure Dobson's insight into how to fill those roles more successfully and believe his voice speaks to men just as powerfully as to women.

* I was intrigued by Zoba's observation that "It could be argued that Dobson did not move into the realm of politics so much as politics moved into his domain: morality." One of the interesting myths that has grown up around Dobson's formidable political legacy is that he has been a reluctant, involuntary warrior. It is a myth fueled by Jim's constant disclaimers to the press that political activism is a very small part of his interest and work.

I was a senior executive at Focus on the Family in the late seventies when he added politics to the organization's original two-part mission statement (to help parents raise their kids and to help husbands and wives stay married). Whether you agree or disagree with his agenda and tactics, of one thing I can assure you—his ...