Dr. James C. Dobson
- Focus on the Family (FOTF), located in Colorado Springs, Colorado (relocated there from California in 1991), was founded in 1977 by Dr. James C. Dobson, a Ph.D. in child development from the University of Southern California. (Dobson claims the Lord told his dying father that a great ministry would be fulfilled through his son.) Dobson also has honorary doctorates from Pepperdine University (1983), Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio [a Catholic university] (1988), Seattle Pacific University (1988), Asbury Theological Seminary (1989), Mid America Nazarene College (1992), and Liberty University (1993). Prior to 1977, Dobson served 14 years as associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the USC School of Medicine and a concurrent 17 years on the attending staff of Los Angeles Children's Hospital in the Divisions of Child Development and Medical Genetics. (This clinical experience supposedly gives Dobson the "authority" to advise Christians on family matters.) The 60 year-old Dr. Dobson has written 13 books; his largest seller, Dare to Discipline (a child-rearing manual first published in 1971 and reissued as The New Dare to Discipline in 1994) has sold over 2 million copies.
FOTF consists of more than 68 different "ministries" worldwide, employs more than 1,200 in its modern three-building Colorado Springs facility, and for fiscal year 1995 had an annual budget of more than $100 million and a reserve balance of over $10 million. Most funds come from contributions and FOTF spends over $4 million a year on fund raising efforts! Its 30-minute daily radio broadcast is heard on approximately 2,500 stations worldwide and is the second most widely syndicated show in America (after Paul Harvey). FOTF also produces other radio programs that hold the third, fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth spots in the syndication standings. They publish Focus on the Family magazine, the second most widely read religious magazine in America (after Guideposts ), and their videos are shown in more schools than in churches. Additionally, Dobson has a 90-second radio feature which is carried on over 100 of the largest secular radio stations in the United States, writes a nationally syndicated newspaper column, and the ministry receives on average about 8,000 letters and 3,400 telephone calls every working day.
In addition to Focus on the Family magazine, the FOTF organization produces nine more magazines (Citizen , Clubhouse , Clubhouse Jr. , Breakaway , Brio , Teachers in Focus , Physician , Parental Guidance , and Single-Parent Family ), as well as award-winning books, films, and videos. Through the use of a computer data base containing Dobson's canned views on a wide range of issues, a cadre of college-educated FOTF employees respond to all of the more than 250,000 calls and letters received each month. The so-called tougher inquiries are handled internally by one of FOTF's more than a dozen trained "professional" [i.e., psychological] counselors, or are referred to a network of 1,200 psychological therapists around the country. Dobson says his methods attempt to "'turn hearts toward home' by reasonable, biblical, and empirical [psychological] insights so that people will be able to discover the founder of homes and the creator of families--Jesus Christ" (8/93, FOTF magazine). [FOTF's Colorado Springs campus hosted more than 100,000 visitors in 1995. One of them described the FOTF operation as resembling "a cross between a crisis hotline center and Santa's workshop ..." ("Millions of Families Served, But What Is FOF's Focus?," 1/29/96, Christian News , p. 16 (Jennifer Mears:API story).]
FOTF is heavily engaged in public policy, and Dobson himself is very politically active. FOTF has 35 affiliated political groups in 35 states under the direction of extremely strong grass roots lobbies. About 4% of FOTF's annual budget is devoted to public policy projects, voter education, and lobbying (i.e., over $4 million!). Dobson himself has served in a variety of consulting capacities to the Carter, Reagan, and Bush administrations, as was recently nominated by (then) Senate majority leader Bob Dole in the newly formed Presidential Commission on Child and Family Welfare in the Clinton administration. His influence has even gone so far as to have merited the loving attention of virtually all of the 1996 Republican presidential candidates.
- The following quote from The Christian Counselor's Manual by Dr. Jay E. Adams (pp. 82-83), best describes Dobson's child-rearing "system":
"... Dobson ... recommends strictly behavioristic methods for child raising in the name of Christianity ... His near total capitulation to behaviorism is couched in Christian terms but really introduces an equally godless system into the Christian home while purporting to be a Christian reaction to permissiveness ... Reward and punishment are prominent (particularly the former), and the need for structure is emphasized. But Dobson's approach is cold and godless . It centers upon manipulation but says nothing of biblical confrontation. Conspicuously absent in such child discipline is the use of the Scriptures, conversion, repentance, the work of the Holy Spirit, and sanctification. ... Biblical persuasion, conviction, and personal commitment are ignored." (Emphasis added.)
- In Dobson's book, Dare to Discipline , "he places a needed emphasis on discipline by structure," but he draws from a Skinnerian ideology; i.e., "according to Dobson, a child is to be 'trained' as one would [evidently] train his dog ...The presupposition (not stated, but underlying the book) is that man is but another animal," thereby leaving "no place for the work of the Holy Spirit in conversion or sanctification." Change is, thereby, assumed to "take place strictly on the horizontal level." (Excerpted from The Big Umbrella by Jay Adams, pp. 130-131.) In 1994, Focus on the Family published The New Dare to Discipline . In the Q&A section of the book, one of the questions was "Should teenage children be spanked for disobedience or rudeness? Dr. James Dobson, the self-proclaimed child-rearing expert, answers thusly:
"No. Teens desperately want to be thought of as adults and they deeply resent being treated as children. Spanking is the ultimate insult at that age and they are justified in hating it. Besides, it doesn't work."
On what authority should teens not be spanked?--Dr. Dobson's? And do we govern our lives by what teens "want" or by what the Bible teaches? If teens resent being treated like children, then they shouldn't act like children. And if spanking is the ultimate insult for a teenager, then this is evidence it must work very effectively in deterring the rebellious actions that bring the rod. And finally, by saying "it doesn't work," Dobson is calling God a liar (cf. Prov. 22:15--Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him .)! God says spanking does work (and He doesn't even give an age limit--cf. Prov. 19:18--Discipline your son, while there is hope ; do not be a willing party to his death ).
- In Dobson's 1993 book (his 13th), When God Doesn't Make Sense , Dobson makes the blasphemous suggestion that we should forgive God: (And so do R.C. Sproul and J.I. Packer, both of whom endorsed the book.)
"There is only one cure for the cancer of bitterness, that is to forgive the perceived offender. Once and for all, with God's help, as strange as it seems, I am suggesting that some of us need to forgive God for those heartaches that are charged to His account . You've carried resentment against Him for years. Now it's time to let go of it. [Dobson now tries to escape the blasphemy he's just uttered, but he is unsuccessful.] Please don't misunderstand me at this point. God is in the business of forgiving us, and it almost sounds blasphemous [it is!] to suggest that the relationship could be reversed. He has done no wrong and does not need our approbation. But the source of bitterness must be admitted before it can be cleared. There is no better way to get rid of it than to absolve the Lord of whatever we have harbored . ... It is the only way you will ever be entirely free. ...
"Corrie ten Boom forgave an SS guard who shared responsibility for the deaths of her family members. [False analogy.] Surely we can forgive the King of the Universe Who sent His only Son to die as an atonement for our sin." (Emphasis added.)
The very fact that we would have anger towards God, the One Who can do no wrong and is perfect in every way, and that we would feel like we need to forgive Him, is wickedness and a blasphemous affront to His holy, righteous character! [See the March-April 1995, PsychoHeresy Awareness Letter , "Dobson's Blasphemies?," pp. 4-5, for a more thorough analysis of Dobson's book.) [Amazingly, When God Doesn't Make Sense won two Evangelical Christian Publishing Association awards: the Gold Medallion award in the Christian Living category, and "Christian Book of the Year" award.]
- Often cited are Dobson's "good works" in opposing abortion, pornography, etc., and in supporting various moral causes, particularly family causes, as evidence of his spiritual "fruit" and, thereby, his Biblical Christianity. However, his moralism is steeped in ecumenism, in most cases being totally devoid of God and basic Biblical principles. This "end justifies the means" strategy, however, is not Biblical--joining the ungodly in promoting moralism (a system which is in actuality no better than humanism) is not what the Bible calls Christians to do. It is not our job to transform society, nor to attempt to "Christianize" its institutions, nor to pressure the ungodly to live like saints, but instead to call out of the world those who will respond to the gospel, that they might live wholly for God. (Witness FOTF's 4/14/92 full-page newspaper ad in USA Today titled "In Defense of a Little Virginity," in which Dobson's old song is resung: 'Let's clean up the world's behavior,' without attempting to get at the root cause--SIN! The ad promotes pre-marital sexual abstinence to a culture without Christ, and which therefore, has neither the resources nor the power to abstain.) Dobson appears to be so caught up in the social aspect of good causes that he tends to forget that the soul must be placed before the body; i.e., he has ended up promoting a social, psychological, middle-class American moralistic gospel that cannot save !--it can't save the home, the family, or the nation, but can certainly stand in the way of the true Gospel. [See also the attached analysis of Focus on the Family's 1994 Video, "Sex, Lies & The Truth," another worldly, "moralistic" production that ignores the sin issue, and, moreover, is soft-core "pornographic" in its own right! See also the 10/95 issue of Focus on the Family magazine, wherein rock music star CeCe Winas is featured in an advertisement with a very low neckline and a bare stomach. Apparently for Dobson, only hard-core pornography is wrong.]
- One wonders how lewd something has to be for Dobson to disapprove of it. In Dobson's 1978 book Preparing for Adolescence , a book obviously targeted at 10-13 year-olds, Dobson says, "... we need to talk very plainly about the subject of sexual intercourse. ... I'm going to be treating you like adults and withholding no subject that is relevant to you." Dobson then goes on to graphically describe the act and feelings of a man and woman engaged in sexual intercourse (p. 82). (Is sexual intercourse really a subject that is relevant to a pre-teen "preparing for adolescence"? Would a Christian parent want to have their adolescents read this material?) Though promoting abstinence in Preparing for Adolescence , Dobson also condones masturbation, describes the "tingly feeling" one gets from it, and claims it's a "normal part of adolescence." Moreover, since it doesn't cause disease nor produce babies, Dobson believes it "is not much of an issue with God"! (pp. 86-87).
- Dobson wrote an article for Billy Graham's October 1988, Decision magazine, in which Dobson stated, "We are sexual creatures , and the physical attraction between males and females provides the basis for every dimension of marriage and parenthood." (Emphasis added.) The Bible knows nothing of this evolutionary, humanistic theology. [Dobson and wife Shirley also shared their testimonies at the 6/94 Graham Crusade in Cleveland before a crowd of 55,000 at Cleveland Stadium.]
- Dobson supports and encourages participation in Operation Rescue and other avenues of civil disobedience. (Although there are numerous cases of civil disobedience in the Scriptures, it was never engaged for the purpose of forcing an ungodly society to obey Biblical principles.) Since Operation Rescue's stated purpose is to create social upheaval, and thereby pressure governments into changing the abortion laws, Dobson's philosophy seems to be one of "the end justifies the means."
- Dobson has frequently welcomed Roman Catholics and Mormons on his radio show, welcoming all as members of "the family of God." In late 1989, Dobson offered a calendar with a peculiarly Mormon phrase, "Families Are Forever," which summarizes the Mormon doctrine of eternal progression of Mormon "temple-sealed" families (4/15/91, Calvary Contender ). Dobson is also the possessor of an honorary doctorate from the Roman Catholic (Franciscan) University of Steubenville in Ohio, and was featured in a 9/90 five-page article (with cover photo) in the Catholic charismatic magazine New Covenant . (Reported in The Fundamentalist Digest , November-December 1991.)
- Protestant turned Catholic Scott Hahn, a theology professor at Franciscan University, and a very popular guest on evangelical radio programs across the country, began one interview by gushing over the fact that his Catholic school has impressed leading evangelicals James Dobson and Chuck Colson. He quoted Dobson as noting that "he had never seen a campus where the students take the Lordship of Jesus Christ so seriously." Hahn then added that Colson had nominated the Catholic university for membership in the Evangelical College Coalition because, "it really is a dynamic orthodox Catholic university that is as evangelical as it is Catholic." (Source: Scott Hahn interview, "Pittsburgh Talks," WORD-FM; as reported in the 4/96, The Berean Call .)
- More evidence of Dobson's close and uncritical relationship with Roman Catholicism was the 11/89 issue of FOTF's Clubhouse magazine for children--smiling "Mother" Teresa was on the cover, and the lead article was entitled, "Teresa of Calcutta: Little Woman with a Big Heart." The readers of this magazine were made to think that Mother Teresa is a genuine New Testament Christian and that she is doing a great work for God through her Sisters of Charities mission. "Mother" Teresa is, in reality, a New Age pantheist who considers Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and other religions all to be acceptable ways to God. This is a great deception. She also preaches the false sacramental gospel of Rome and has given multitudes of people a false comfort by encouraging them to place their hopes in such vanities as the Roman Catholic mass and the Roman Catholic Mary. It is an abomination before God for Dobson to feature this woman in his magazine.
- In early-1993, Rabbi Howard Hirsch of Temple Shalom in Colorado Springs, and the Catholic Bishop of Colorado Springs, Richard C. Hanifen were outraged that "Jewish and Catholic youth were being evangelized at school." They met with "Christian" leaders in Colorado Springs (there are 72 national and international "Christian" associations headquartered there) and agreed that such evangelization was improper ! Christian students were rebuked for trying to rescue their school friends from a Christless eternity (11/95, The Berean Call ).
In April of 1993, a "Covenant of Mutual Respect" was drawn up in which the parties agreed to respect one another's diverse beliefs and to avoid "polarization"! Dobson/FOTF (along with Hirsch and Hanifen) was a signator to this agreement. (Imagine Peter, James, and John, when forbidden by the Sanhedrin to preach the gospel, signing an agreement to cease such activities out of respect for diverse beliefs among Roman citizens!) The "Covenant" read that a network of organizations in the Colorado Springs area "are heralding an entirely new form of socialistic Christianity" (i.e., ecumenism for social activism), and that those in the organization "seek to share insights and learn from each other in a spirit of goodwill and mutual respect, thus living out this scriptural heritage. It is our hope and prayer that in so doing we will provide a positive model of public discourse that stands upon the foundation of our common Judeo-Christian heritage. ... a willingness to listen and learn from each other, to the end that we may manifest the ministry of reconciliation." Hanifen was quoted as saying his hope for the future is to "explore all kinds of issues to learn the values of various faiths and how they view the Scripture." Bottom line, Dobson is not only ignoring fundamental differences of belief in order to unite for common causes, but has now become a party to muzzling the gospel.
- Issuing a call for them to gather in Orlando, Florida, 12/5/94-12/7/94, as guests of Campus Crusade to fast and pray for revival was an Invitation Committee made up of a hodgepodge of 72 liberals, new evangelicals, and charismatics. Included were: Robert Schuller, Charles Colson, E.V. Hill, Jack Hayford, James Dobson , W.A. Criswell, Charles Stanley, Paul Crouch, Luis Palau, Bill Gothard, Pat Robertson, Kay Arthur, and Larry Burkett. CCC's Bill Bright cites "a great sense of urgency to link arms and unitedly call upon God for help in the spirit of King Jehoshaphat (2 Chr. 20)." This ecumenical "linking" is in the "spirit of Jehoshaphat" indeed, but the Jehoshaphat of 2 Chr. 18 (instead of 2 Chr. 20) where he "linked" with wicked King Ahab and incurred the wrath of God. (Reported in the 11/15/94, Calvary Contender .) [Another three-day "Fasting & Prayer" conference was held in 11/95 in Los Angeles. The Invitation Committee for this event included most of those listed above, plus Dick Eastman, Chuck Smith, Bill McCartney (Promise Keepers), Tim and Beverly LaHaye, Shirley Dobson, Paul Cedar (E-Free), Ted Engstrom (World Vision), Joseph Stowell (Moody), and Joseph Aldrich (Multnomah). A third conference is scheduled for 11/96 in St. Louis.]
- More evidence of Dobson's ecumenical mindset came when workers for Dr. Dobson's Focus on the Family "cast their theological distinctives aside in order to achieve a common objective--to help families," FOTF vice president Rolf Zettersten has said. The Alabama insert for Dobson's 6/90 Focus on the Family Citizen promoted a local ministry "dedicated to promoting unity within the body of Christ by uniting Christians in prayer together. [The "Christians" include Roman Catholics.] ... Right doctrines shouldn't be an issue " if you are born into "that" family. Furthermore, "an emphasis in doctrinal purity has been drilled into so many people that it has become a real obstacle and hindrance " (7/15/90, Calvary Contender ). (Emphasis added.) [Another indication of Dobson's expanding ecumenism is an editorial in the 1/90 Citizen , which calls Pope John Paul II, "the most eminent religious leader who names the name of Jesus Christ"--a strange accolade for a man who denies that Christians can go directly to God with their petitions.]
- In 1995, Dobson's Focus on the Family was involved in sponsoring two conferences which featured highly ecumenical speakers:
(a) 3/95 Attorney's Conference -- Judge Robert Bork; Gary Bauer; Bill Bright (Campus Crusade); Ron Blue; and Dobson.
(b) 7/95 International Congress on the Family -- William Bennett (Catholic); E.V. Hill (charismatic); Adrian Rogers (SBC); Gary Smalley (psychologizer); Larry Crabb (psychologist); Jill & Stuart Briscoe (psychologizers); Robert McGee (psychologizer); Frank Minirth & Paul Meier (Freudian psychiatrists); and Dobson.
- In response to a letter-writer's question concerning Dobson's views on salvation and Christ's second coming, Dobson responded in October 1989 that his ministry has made a deliberate decision to direct the attention of the ministry "away from matters of biblical interpretation and theology, choosing instead to concentrate our efforts exclusively on family-related topics." This further affirms critic's claims that Dobson's ministry is not only not Biblically based, but in fact there is a deliberate effort to turn away from the Bible and get wisdom from somewhere else . Dobson is in effect saying, 'I'm no theologian, so don't nail me with this Biblical stuff; I'm giving you what works.' "However, such a decision does not free an avowed Christian ministry to the family from basing its teachings on Scripture. It is an admission to placing the Bible in a secondary position to the psychological wisdom of men . Apparently Dobson does not agree that the Bible is sufficient for understanding human nature and guiding behavior" (Prophets II , p. 146). [Notwithstanding Dobson's theological disclaimer, he does have a theology "... he teaches a doctrine of man which is both psychological and theological ... man [according to Dobson] is central and God serves to help people overcome inferiority and develop self-esteem and self-acceptance" (Prophets II , p. 142).]
- The primary basis of Dobson's "ministry" is his belief in the false gospel of self-esteem/self-worth. Though research clearly indicates, and the Bible clearly teaches, that both children and adults tend to esteem themselves more highly than they ought, Dobson believes just the opposite; he believes that feelings of inferiority (i.e., low self-esteem) and self-hatred (i.e., poor self-image) run rampant in society and are the basic causes of virtually every social malady. In the November 1988 issue of Focus on the Family magazine, Dobson says:
"Feelings of inferiority even account for outbreak of wars and international hatred. ... inferiority is the major force behind the rampaging incidence of rape today ... How about aggressive violence in American classrooms? ... Can it be attributed to the frustration of low self-esteem? I'm inclined to believe so. ... The examples are legion. That is why I have contended that social chaos in all its forms is increased when citizens feel inadequate and inferior. There are numerous other causes of course, but none so powerful." (Emphasis added.)
In fact, Dobson even goes to the extreme of attributing the attempted genocide of Jews in Germany to an inferiority complex! (As an indication that Dobson's teaching on this subject has not changed in over 15 years, see Dobson's 1979 book, Hide or Seek , p. 165, and the 2/94 Focus on the Family Bulletin , for almost word-for-word renditions of the above 1988 quote.) [In the 10/94 FOTF magazine, Dobson made another incredible statement about self-esteem: "... some things in life are more important than academic excellence, and self-esteem is one of them. A child can survive, if he must, without knowing a noun from a verb, but if he doesn't have some measure of self-confidence and personal respect, he won't have a chance in life."]
- The Bobgans accurately portray Dobson's worldview as, "a psychological viewpoint influenced by underlying ideologies of the Freudian unconscious, Adlerian inferiority, and the humanistic belief in the intrinsic goodness of man and the universal victimization of the individual by parents and society. The culprit is society (mainly parents) and the diagnosis is low self-esteem with feelings of inferiority and inadequacy. In fact, those feelings are presented as overwhelming and uncontrollable and thus causing rebellion. Therefore, the universal solution to personal problems, rebellion, unhappiness, and hostility presented throughout Dobson's books is raising self-esteem" (Prophets II , pp. 24 -25).
- All one has to do is read Hide or Seek to understand Dobson's total reliance on the false gospel of self-esteem:
"... whenever the keys to self-esteem are seemingly out of reach for a large percentage of the people, as in twentieth-century America, then widespread 'mental illness,' neuroticism, hatred, alcoholism, drug abuse, violence, and social disorder will certainly occur. Personal worth is not something human beings are free to take or leave. We must have it , and when it is unattainable, everybody suffers. ... a sizable proportion of all human activity is devoted to the task of shielding us from the inner pain of inferiority . I believe this is to be the most dominant force in life " (Hide or Seek , pp. 20-21, 152). (Emphasis added.)
The Bible teaches that sin is "the most dominant force" in human life (Rom. 3:10-18,23; 7:18,24; Jer. 17:9, Eph. 2:1-3; 5:15-16, 1 Jn. 5:19), not "the pain of inferiority." Nevertheless, Dobson thinks he has the answer: "The heart of this book ... is devoted to a description of ten comprehensive 'strategies' for building self-esteem" (Hide or Seek , p. 21). Evidently, Christ is not all we need. We also (according to Dobson) need "self-esteem." What was Paul's answer to anyone who adds anything to the gospel (i.e., anything to Christ)?--Galatians 1:9,10--anathema!
- In case there is still any question as to Dr. Dobson's perspective and teaching on self-esteem:
"If I could write a prescription for the women of the world, I would provide each one of them with a healthy dose of self-esteem and personal worth ... I have no doubt that this is their greatest need" (What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew about Women , p. 35).
"Feelings of self-worth and acceptance ... provide the cornerstone of a healthy personality. ... it is apparent that emotional problems usually originate from ... an inability to gain acceptance and respect from peers. ... I have observed the most powerful influence to emanate from ego needs" (Dr. Dobson Answers Your Questions , pp. 168, 191, 435).
- Walt Disney Pictures' The Lion King sold 20 million copies in its first week of release for retail on video, and has become one of the best-selling videos ever. But millions of children who watch it will be at great risk. Though it is artistically amazing, its New Ageism, Neo-paganism, Hinduism, pantheism/environmentalism, astrology, and occult imagery is devastating! Adding insult to injury is a subtle but definite promotion of homosexuality. An admitted homosexual produced parts of the soundtrack, and two "outcasts" (Timon and Pumbaa) represent homosexuals and the "intolerant discrimination" they experience in our society. Sodomite Ernie Sabell, the voice of the Wart Hog in the film (Pumbaa) admitted: "These are the first homosexual Disney characters ever to come on the screen." (Reported in the 4/15/95, Calvary Contender. ) [The Disney Senior V.P. who played a major role in marketing The Lion King died in 1/95 of AIDS. His obituary asked that donations be made to a homosexual group (10/95, Perilous Times , p. 8).]
Al Dager, editor of Media Spotlight , says this about Disney's 1994 occult/New Age "children's animation" film:
"The Lion King packs powerful New Age symbolism and philosophy. Its theme, the 'Circle of Life,' is a variation on the cycles of nature: life, death, and rebirth, particularly as it relates to the theory of evolution. The film presents this theme from the perspective of nature religion more so than Disney films of the past--'We are all connected in the great circle of life.' The accoutrements of shamanistic ritualism is graphically portrayed in the dedication of the baby Simba to the spirits of the earth" (Media Spotlight , Vol. 15, No. 2, p. 3).
Dobson, on the other hand, encourages parents to take their children to see The Lion King ! The 8/15/94 issue of Parental Guidance (a magazine published and edited by FOTF) says:
"The lion's share of this movie focuses on positive themes that can be used to teach children a variety of valuable, at times biblical, lessons. ... These two film favorites [including Pinocchio] share one other commonality--a mild dose of magic. ... The Lion King does include a few crude moments--munching on bugs and worms ... large belch[es] ... comical references to the warthog's flatulence problem [gas]. They are minor, but parents will want to discourage children from imitating these behaviors. ... Despite a few slight imperfections, The Lion King is a wholesome, brilliantly animated picture relating the importance of family and responsibility."
"A few slight imperfections"? Like the teaching of shamanistic ritual, necromancy, spiritualism, and occult fantasy? One wonders if Dobson has any discernment at all. [The cover story in the 4/95 Focus on the Family magazine also promotes The Lion King as a good family movie! Also, the 11/95 issue of Brio (published by FOTF for teen girls) had an article on the "Christian" girl who was the singing voice of the young Nala in the movie; this very favorable article appears to be saying that it's okay to see the movie because a Christian helped out on it.]
- How much of the true gospel message is promoted through Focus on the Family? "The Garden Song" was handed out to the people in the FOTF distribution center (1993) to be sung. Some of the words of this song are: "Grain for grain sun and rain; find my way in nature's chain; Tune my body and my brain; to the music of the land." The phrase "find my way in nature's chain" seems to be a reference to evolution! [Of course, this shouldn't surprise anyone, since Dobson is a "theistic evolutionist" (see section on Hugh Ross).]
Another verse in "The Garden Song" states: "Plant your rows straight and long; season with a pray'r and song; Mother Earth will make you strong; if you give her loving care." The mention of Mother Earth is a clear indication of the pagan/New Age orientation of this song. There is no credit given to God who makes all things to grow, but instead it's "Mother Earth" who will "make you strong."
Other New Age items have been promoted through FOTF. For instance, in the 1/93 Focus on the Family magazine, there was an advertisement for a new publication entitled A Better Tomorrow . This magazine marketed to Christian seniors advocated yoga, biofeedback, affirmations, imagery, etc., and had an article by Norman Vincent Peale (the late New Ager, 33rd degree Mason, and publisher of Guideposts magazine) in its very first issue! Dobson has also endorsed The Natural Childbirth Book . On the cover is a picture of the occult yin/ yang symbol. (Reported in "Is Dr. Dobson Focusing On Your Family?," an article by Dr. Cathy Burns, which was also printed in the 10/9/95, Christian News , pp. 10-11.)
- On Dobson's 1/15/94 radio program, FOTF highly recommended The Healing Journey for Adult Children of Alcoholics by Daryl E. Quick, which was available through FOTF. This book advocates visualization, which is a form of creating your own reality. Llewellyn New Times , a New Age magazine which openly promotes witchcraft and all kinds of occultic practices, writes: "Visualization is the essence of the ability of bending reality to will. Do you know people who have extraordinary luck? Things always seem to work out for them. That is because whether they are conscious of it or not, they create their own reality with Creative Visualization." Another issue of this magazine reminds us that visualization "is a simple yet potent form of magick. All it requires is the use of your mind."
- Quest International is a nonprofit educational organization that has placed its Quest program in thousands of public schools. Quest also goes by the names: "Skills for Adolescence," "Skills for Growing," and "Skills for Living." Quest utilizes the techniques of visualization and guided imagery, and is very humanistic in its approach to learning. But this doesn't bother Dr. Dobson. Dobson, although not condemning nor endorsing Quest, claims that if Quest's techniques are used by professionals, they are okay. (Reported in "Little Known Facts About Focus on the Family," a 1/96 article by Dr. Cathy Burns, pp. 22-27.)
- Besides visualization and guided imagery, FOTF promotes various other occultic techniques, such as hypnosis and progressive relaxation. In the 3/95 issue of Breakaway , a magazine produced by FOTF for teen boys, a reader wrote in to ask if hypnosis was a sin. The editor answered that it depended on the situation, but was probably okay if done by a "well-qualified Christian therapist"! (sounds like "situation ethics").
In the 11/95 issue of Focus on the Family magazine, an article titled, "My Child Isn't Learning!," teaches an occult technique known as progressive relaxation, a Yoga method of relaxation which was derived from Hinduism, a pagan religion that worships literally millions of gods, including one's self.
- FOTF is also training its employees in the occult through its various Certification programs. FOTF employees are required to complete 15 hours of core courses in order to develop new competencies for career growth and development. At the end of the course descriptions, there is a list of 17 books located in the FOTF Human Resource Library. One of the books, The Encyclopedia of Group Activities , by J. William Pfeiffer, teaches over 150 activities dealing with fantasy exploration, sensory deprivation, gestalt, psychodrama, "values clarification," and many other occult-/New Age-oriented concepts. Another course offered in 1995, "The Fine Art of Managing Change," is raw New Ageism. All these things relate to each other in that they all involve altered states of consciousness, the highway into the occult. (Reported in "Little Known Facts About Focus on the Family," a 1/96 article by Dr. Cathy Burns, pp. 8-19.) [Not part of the Certification program, but also offered to FOTF employees, are various "On-Site Opportunities," which include Weight Watchers, Massage Therapy, Aerobics, Anorexia/Bulimia Recovery Support groups, and Karate (whose roots are in Zen Buddhism)!--1/96, FOTF Health and Wellness News .]
- Dobson obviously believes in the "medical model" (which treats people as victims rather than sinners) as evidenced by his statements that everything from pornography and child molesting to love of one's own spouse, is or can become, addictive. In fact, in his 1/23/89 interview with convicted child murderer, Ted Bundy, the night before Bundy's execution, Dobson would not allow Bundy to accept any personal responsibility for his sin; according to Dobson, Bundy's behavior was due to an uncontrollable addiction to pornography, which was caused by an immoral society that permitted his exposure to it.
- On a FOTF radio program aired 1/29/96, Dobson conducted a program on "Addictive Behaviors." Guests were H.B. London, FOTF Pastoral Ministries head, and Dr. Ralph Earl of Psychological Counseling Services, Scottsdale, AZ (Ph.D. Pastoral Psych/MDiv. Harvard Divinity School). Dobson introduced Dr. Earl as one who "specializes in sex therapy and other addictions." (Dobson, himself, was introduced as he always is on the program-- "psychologist and author, James Dobson"--not even FOTF wants to call Dobson a Christian.) Some of the most outrageous, unbiblical, unChristian statements were made on this program:
Dobson: "Gambling is only one addictive behavior; of course there are many others in addition to drugs, alcohol--addictions to spending and to shopping, and addictions to food ... because of the cultural environment in which we live, and the list is almost endless. ... a problem that is gripping humanity... sexual addiction. It is rampant in our society at this time."
Trout: "It gets a hold of you [sexual addiction] and sometimes it just doesn't let go."
Dobson: "It does! ... Pornography, I believe, is one of the most addictive forces in human experience. ... For some 13 year-old boys, one exposure to pornographic material can grab and hold him for a lifetime, every bit as much as cocaine and heroine or some of the drugs ... the matter of sexual addiction among pastors, because it's a serious problem there.
Earl: "There's an epidemic... One thing about sex addiction, it's progressive ... it's always in intimacy disorders, always about hurting somebody else and self."
During Earl's 25 years of practice, he claims to have treated more than 200 pastors with "sexual addictions of various sorts." Pastors with "sexual addictions "? Are these perverse men not aware of what the Bible teaches about slavery (a.k.a. addiction) to sin (cf. Rom. 6)? Sexual immorality and/or perversion is not an addiction or disease, it is SIN! Earl makes it very clear that these pastors will never overcome their "sexual addiction" until they get into therapy. And then the best they can hope for is to have the "addiction" go into "remission ... just as those who have cancer ... go to a physician."
- Dobson not only believes "alcoholism" to be a "disease" (despite the fact that the Scriptures call "drunkenness" a sin), but even recommends Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) as a viable treatment option for Christians! (He even considers AA to be a place where non-Christians might find Christ!) This recommendation comes in spite of the overwhelming evidence that not only is AA largely in effective in treating over-drinking, but that the atmosphere of almost all AA centers is consistently unbiblical, if not outright anti -Christian. [AA is proud of its ability to lead men to see their need of a higher power and encourages group members to discover or define for themselves what or who that higher power is. Dobson evidently has no conception of the New Age concepts being promoted by AA that are leading AA members to accept false gods (i.e., a kind of "Star Wars Force") as a substitute for the true, living, personal God of the Bible.]
- Dobson is a primary supporter of David Seamands, the "Church's" leading proponent of Healing of the Memories/Inner Healing (which uses one or more psychological and/or occultic techniques, such as regression, visualization, guided imagery, dream analysis, and the various Gestalt therapies consisting of primal scream, ventilation, role plays, etc.). Various other "memory-healers"/"memory interpreters" have been regular contributors of articles to Dobson's Focus on the Family magazine, and have made numerous appearances on Dobson's daily radio program (e.g., Dr. Kevin Leman and Randy Carlson, authors of Unlocking the Secrets of Your Childhood Memories , a book based upon various discredited Freudian theories).
- Dobson is a primary supporter and endorser of so-called Christian psychologist, Gary Smalley, the "Church's" leading proponent of Right-Brain/Left-Brain pseudoscience. This right-brain/left-brain myth, which claims to describe personality types by brain hemisphere dominance as well as give insights to male/female communication effectiveness, has been thoroughly discredited by secular neuroscientists (to say nothing of the fact that it has no support in Scripture). The popularization of right-brain/left-brain has been largely due to the book, The Language of Love , co-authored by Smalley and fellow psychologist, John Trent. (Both also have theological degrees, but apparently believe that the Bible alone is insufficient to handle people's problems of living.) The Language of Love was published and promoted by Dobson's Focus on the Family Publishing, and Smalley and Trent have been frequent guests on Dobson's radio program (as has pop psychologist, Dr. Donald Joy, credited by Smalley and Trent as being the source of their right-/left-brain information). Similar right-brain/left-brain nonsense is frequently propagated over the Focus on the Family airways by another Dobson favorite, H. Norman Wright, former pastor turned psychologist.
[In the second edition of The Language of Love , due largely to the discrediting of the right-brain/left-brain silliness, all references to such were removed. Unfortunately, this "revision" was only cosmetic. The delusion that "emotional word pictures" are the key to relationships and spiritual growth, remains the false message of this deceptive book. (Reported in the January 1992, CIB Bulletin .) In late-1994 (11/16/94-11/18/94), Smalley and Trent appeared on Dobson's radio program for a three-day series titled "Learning to Communicate." They again promoted TheLanguage of Love and again told how to communicate effectively through the use of "emotional word pictures."]
- David Jeremiah, president of Christian Heritage College and Bible teacher on the "Turning Point" radio and television programs, appeared on James Dobson's 4/28/92 and 4/29/92 Focus on the Family radio programs to discuss Jeremiah's latest book Exposing the Myths of Parenthood . On the 4/28 program, myth #10 was examined: "To be loved is not necessarily to feel loved" ("the only love you can use is the love you can feel," according to Jeremiah). Dobson then disclosed his own "theory" of why he thought children could, by every objective standard, be loved by their parents, yet not feel loved--it is due to "hormonal influence ," like "pre-menstrual disequilibrium," which then causes most of a child's low self-esteem problems! Dobson concluded: "... if my guess is correct ... that there is a hormonal explanation for a lot of that rebellious behavior , and especially the low self-esteem ... [then] it's temporary ... this is a developmental inbalance that's going on ... this is why it is of no value whatsoever to say to [rebellious kids], 'Why are you acting this way?' ... all they know is that they feel these things passionately inside." In effect then, Dobson was saying that there is no personal responsibility for sin! Instead, 'My hormones made me doit! ' Dobson agreed with Jeremiah's conclusion: "... you accept the fact that it can be hormonal and just keep on working as hard as you can to communicate love at a feeling level."
- Dobson's Focus on the Family has endorsed and heavily promoted Hugh Ross's 1989/1991 book, The Fingerprint of God , which is a polemic for progressive creationism/theistic evolution, and thereby, is a denial of orthodox Christianity's literal/factual/historical interpretation of the first eleven chapters of the Book of Genesis. Dobson has also given Ross a forum (the Focus on the Family radio program) to espouse this heresy. For example, on April 17-18 of 1991, Ross appeared on Dobson's program, at which time Dobson boasted that Focus on the Family helped give Ross's ministry ("Reasons to Believe") the initial publicity boost it needed to get started. Dobson also said that he agrees "in an unqualified way" that the Earth is 3.5 to 4 billion years old. He also did not quarrel with Ross's claim that physical death fully existed long before Adam and that God was fully responsible for this order of things! In response to a critical letter from the Bible-Science Newsletter , a Dobson spokesperson said that since the first eleven chapters of Genesis can be taken to be a form of poetry, and not necessarily factual history , Dobson was, thereby, justified in making a figurative rather than a literal interpretation of them!
On a 9/92 FOTF program (tape:CS721), Ross was a guest along with ICR's (Institute for Creation Research) Dr. Duane Gish, in order to debate the "Origin of the Universe." Dobson posed the question of the "scientific" necessity of a distant origin, without it being theologically prescribed. Ross's response was that "No, it's important for both. I can't have the Bible consistent with a thousands of years old universe." Ross was straight forwardly saying, "The universe is billions of years old and the Bible teaches that, or I can no longer with integrity hold to the veracity of the Bible." Ross, by his own words, places science (so-called) over the Bible, rather than placing science under the Word of God where it belongs.
Ross also commented that ICR's approach to astronomy and astro-physics would absolutely never be seriously entertained by the scientific community at large (and Dobson agreed!). This was all said in a tone of voice that clearly implied the idea that ICR was ignorant, backwoods, behind the times, and an obstruction to the speeding of a more enlightened Christian scientific position.
- Consistent with Dobson's endorsement of Hugh Ross is an article by Marlo Schalesky in Dobson's 3/96, Teachers in Focus , which also seems to suggest theistic evolution. In a "Teaching Evolutionary Theory Without Scrapping Scripture" article, Schalesky explains how she taught her students to "make a distinction between the realms of science and religion." She then gave several examples. One of these examples is: "Fossils seem to indicate that species have been changing for millions of years..." She then tells her students that this is "Scientific." She adds: "After teaching in this manner, I could answer, 'Who's to say how God created everything? Did He "poof" it into existence? Or did He use some kind of evolutionary process similar to the ones we studied in class? The Bible doesn't really say one way or another.'"
Not true! The Bible clearly states that God created everything in six literal days. There was no long, drawn-out evolutionary process that took place. The viewpoint expressed by Schalesky is definitely a theistic evolution (or progressive creation) theory. Although Dobson may not be aware of each article that is printed in his magazines, his name is listed as the President and Publisher ," and he is, thereby, responsible (5/1/96, Calvary Contender and 5/20/96, Christian News .).
- Dobson is a supporter and signator of the Williamsburg Charter Foundation (WCF), an ecumenical amalgamation of professing Christians, humanists, atheists, New Agers, Eastern religionists, etc., whose stated goal is religious pluralism and tolerance in education, but all the while is promoting a new one world religion. Other "evangelical" signators and/or supporters with Dobson are Beverly LaHaye, Chuck Colson, and Billy Graham. [WCF no longer exists, but the curriculum has been passed on to a "new" organization, "The First Liberty Institute," headed by New Ager Dr. Charles C. Haynes. (First Liberty is located at George Mason University, which was originally designated as "national teacher training and out-reach center" for WCF. Its New Age/One World curriculum, "Living With Our Deepest Differences: Religious Liberty in a Pluralistic Society," is being offered to America's public schools by the National Council on Religion and Public Education, a Liberty Institute organization, and has been accepted by the California State Board of Education.)]
- The Council for National Policy (CNP), founded in 1981 by Tim LaHaye, is a conservative "educational foundation." Its purpose, according to those few in the organization who will discuss it, is to bring together top conservative leaders from across the country and allow them to hear conservative speakers give their perspective on various issues of the day. It is an educational organization which "provides an opportunity to interact, exchange information, educate on critical issues, and redistribute information to the public" (Art Kelly, Vice President CNP Action, Inc., 12/7/93). But is there more to the CNP than appears?
Meetings of the CNP are closed to the public and the media. Membership is confidential. When asked if the organization is a Christian one, Mr. Kelly explained that it is not--"There are also members of the Jewish faith." Membership is by invitation only, "one member invites another member," Kelly said. "The membership dues are $2,000 per year for regular memberships and $5,000 per year for members of the 'Board of Governors.' The CNP, and CNP Action, Inc. charge separate dues, although many hold dual membership."
James Dobson has been a member of the CNP for at least ten years (as has Marlin Maddoux, D. James Kennedy, Bill Bright, and the Christian Coalition's Pat Robertson). CNP conference speakers typically call for conservative political action, policy making, or self-betterment of some sort. FOTF's research department claimed no knowledge of this important membership. Paul Hetrick, a FOTF spokesperson, would only describe the organization as a "meeting of like-minded people."
- In 1995, there was a concert held for the employees at FOTF's headquarters in Colorado Springs. The FOTF "Events Management Memo" stated:
"This Thursday, June 15 [1995], at 12 noon there will be another great noontime concert! Focus employees and guests will have an opportunity to watch authentic Polynesian dancing performed by the Island Breeze Ministries in the Chapelteria from 12:00-1:00 pm. ... Island Breeze is a ministry of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), founded by Sosene & Becky Le'au in 1979 in American Samoa. Don't miss this great opportunity to experience another culture's way of spreading the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."
Spreading the Gospel through Polynesian dancing? The concert seemed to be more of a pagan dancing session than anything else. One person who attended this concert wrote: "This group came complete with loud music, many drums types (sic) and what they called 'kingdom fun.' The 100 plus dicibles (sic) included 'arobics' (sic) in which volunteers standing in position kicked up first one leg and then the other much like a 'chorus' line-up. Visiting kids and Focus adults took part in this event. The 'modest' grass skirts worn by four of their party became fast moving female behinds along with four males whose body movements were suggestive--all to the beat of the music." (Reported in "Is Dr. Dobson Focusing On Your Family?," an article by Dr. Cathy Burns, which was also printed in the 10/9/95, Christian News , pp. 10-11.) [At the FOTF daily devotions meeting held on 1/9/96 (attendance required), Dobson brought in John Bayley, a "Christian Reggae Artist," to perform.]
- Dobson and FOTF are also endorsers of rap music--a rap tape was produced by FOTF. As mentioned earlier, Breakaway is one of the magazines for teens published by FOTF. In 1993, there was a "Radical Rap" contest where the readers of Breakaway were supposed to send in their original rap songs. Forty winners were then chosen and their raps were placed on a cassette tape which was called "Breakaway Raps." Along with these 40 winners, the Breakaway staff did their own rap song. This tape is extremely blasphemous--especially the song by the Breakaway staff. At one point they refer to Jesus Christ as "the Big J.C." At another point they are talking about "the Word" and then one of the rappers chimes in with "Nerd." All this is done while talking about the Living Word--who is Jesus Christ.
A little later on in the tape, the Breakaway staff is talking about the so-called Christian rap group DC Talk. One of the men mentions that another one of the staff had inside information about DC Talk. They then asked him what kind of underwear one of the DC Talk boys wears. He told them that he wears "green polka dot boxers" and then another guy brags that "You heard it here first, ladies and gentlemen!" Is this even remotely Christian? (Eph. 4:29; 5:4) (Reported in "Is Dr. Dobson Focusing On Your Family?," an article by Dr. Cathy Burns, which was also printed in the 10/9/95, Christian News , pp. 10-11.)
- Chuck Colson, the ecumenical Catholic-sympathizer who co-authored the 1994 Catholic Evangelical Accord ("Evangelicals and Catholics Together"), appeared with Dobson and gave the dedication speech for FOTF's new Colorado Springs facility. An excerpt from that speech was printed in the 1/94, FOTF magazine. At the end of the article, under a picture of Dobson and Colson sitting together, FOTF says, "Chuck Colson, a longtime friend of Dr. Dobson, holds the record for being on the most 'Focus on the Family' broadcasts with 17 'appearances.'" Dobson has also promoted Colson's 1993 book, The Body: Being Light in Darkness , wherein Colson calls on evangelicals to join forces with orthodox Catholics and charismatics in the "common cause to combat cultural relativism [atheism & secularism]." [The 4/94, FOTF magazine carried a two-page article extolling the virtues of former Bush Administration official Bill Bennett (pp. 12-13). Bennett is a Roman Catholic, but this fact didn't prevent Dobson from publishing Bennett's book The Devaluing of America .]
Dobson and Colson also have big plans for cleaning up the Church. Dobson reports that at a 5/23/96 FOTF Board meeting, the Board said that "the Lord appears to have ordained two people at this time to speak to the issue of righteousness--Chuck Colson and myself"--and urged Dobson to work with Colson concerning the possibility of doing stadium rallies in 1997; Dobson said Colson was very excited about that. Dobson also said that the Focus Board has decided that the church needs cleaning up, and that he (Dobson) and FOTF intend to take charge and make it happen, with "Chuck Colson's help." (Source: May-June 1996, Foundation magazine, pp. 6-12.)
- Dobson wholeheartedly recommends the books of "Christian" psychiatrists, Paul Meier and Frank Minirth, and frequently hosts them on his radio program. Minirth and Meier are perhaps the "purest" of the Freudian psychologists in the church today, who by cleverly masquerading their discredited Freudianisms as "Christian" have gained widespread acceptability. (See Prophets of PsychoHeresy I , pp. 223-334, for an excellent analysis of Minirth & Meier's Freudian teachings with respect to the unconscious, infantile sexuality, psychic determinism, defense mechanisms, ventilation therapy, birth order, five stages of grief, etc.)
- Dobson is apparently a proponent of Freud's Oedipus Complex theory--in Dobson's bookletRaising Teenagers Right , he responds to a question concerning the time in the life of a child that the sexual nature develops: "No, it occurs long before puberty. Perhaps the most important scientific fact suggested by Freud was his observation that children are not asexual. He [Freud] stated that sexual gratification begins in the cradle and is first associated with feeding" (p. 13). Such a conclusion has little to do with science. The notion that babies connect feeding with sexual gratification is merely another evidence of Freud's obsession with sex. Can Dr. Dobson really believe this nonsense? (CIB Bulletin , Sept. 1990).
- Bill Hybels, the guru of the unbiblical "church growth" movement and a psychologizer like Dobson [e.g., Hybels extols the virtues of Jungian personality theory in his book Honest to God ], is a frequent guest on Dobson's radio program. In 1993, Dobson also added Hybels to the Board of Directors of Focus on the Family.
- Promise Keepers is the gigantic new (1991) "men's movement" among professing evangelical Christians. Its roots are New Age and pagan to the core. The homosexual connections; the psychological lies promoted by Promise Keepers; the unscriptural feminizing of men; the depiction of Jesus as a "phallic messiah" tempted to perform homosexual acts; and the movement's ecumenical and unbiblical teachings should dissuade any true Christian from participating. Promise Keepers is proving to be one of the most ungodly and misleading movements in the annals of Christian history. Nevertheless, Dobson is a promoter of this ecumenical, charismatic, psychologized men's movement--FOTF has published Promise Keepers-sponsored books, radio programs featuring Promise Keepers have been aired on FOTF radio, and Dobson was a featured speaker at one of Promise Keepers National Conferences in Boulder, Colorado.
It appears that some of the nonsense associated with Promise Keepers has rubbed-off on Dobson. On 7/20/94-7/21/94, the FOTF radio program had on a "Christian" magician whose gimmick was putting handcuffs on people to "show" them about the bondage that young people were in. Dobson and co-host Mike Trout were sitting there in handcuffs, crying as they talked about drugs, homosexuality, and manhood. This is not normal behavior! [Dobson continues to endorse PK, regardless of the problems surrounding it--see Dobson's 11/95, FOTF letter. Dobson and FOTF also sponsored (on 2/14/96) a three-hour evening reception for the approximately 40,000 pastors at PK's National Clergy Conference in Atlanta.]
- In the 7/93, FOTF magazine, Dobson replied to a question from a homosexual who was writing to protest "derogatory and demeaning references to gay people." Dobson's reply to this sodomite is amazing. In typical psychologically-positive fashion, Dobson begins by saying, "More than anything else, I appreciate the respectful, conciliatory and very Christian attitude you conveyed in broaching an extremely emotional and controversial subject with me." Can an unrepentant homosexual have a "Christian attitude" about anything, let alone homosexuality? Homosexuals can certainly be saved, but they will be born again, they will be changed, they will not continue in their sin and rebellion against the Word of God (1 Cor. 6:11).
Dobson does not tell the homosexual that he disagrees with his understanding of Scripture, but instead says, "Let me simply say that the same Scriptures that condemn homosexuality and premarital heterosexuality also tell us to accept those who are in violation of these ordinances. Jesus was more compassionate toward the woman caught in the very act of intercourse--a capital offense in those days--than He was toward the hypocrites in the church. This is our model and our mandate." This is amazing! It is true that Christ was compassionate toward the woman caught in adultery, but Dobson fails to clarify that Christ instructed the adulterous woman to "go and sin no more." The adulterer, the homosexual, the thief, the murderer--all can be saved. But God's Word to all sinners is "repent" and "go and sin no more," not acceptance! Why does Dobson refuse to preach this? (O Timothy , Vol. 10, Issue 10, 1993).
- In 1992, Dobson formed a new team to minister to pastors and to help them "balance their competing roles as spouses, parents and spiritual leaders." This outreach is headed by Dobson's cousin, H.B. London, Jr., who also was Dobson's pastor at the First Church of the Nazarene in Pasadena, California, before assuming the new position in Dobson's organization. In an interview from his office at Focus on the Family headquarters in Colorado Springs, London said, "Every pastor deserves the right to be a father or a mother , a husband or a wife , along with their duties as a pastor ." This reveals the compromise attitude of Focus on the Family toward Biblical teaching. God forbids a woman to be a pastor (1 Tim. 2:12), yet Focus on the Family refuses to require what God requires in pastoral leadership. Instead, they will "minister" to female pastors and encourage them in their rebellious positions in ruling over men. (Excerpted from O Timothy , Volume 9, Issue 8, 1992, p. 26.)
- On Dobson's 4/23/92 Focus on the Family radio program, he discussed Chapters 3 and 4 from his 1987 book Love for a Lifetime . Apparently, 12-step programs were also popular back then--Dobson detailed the "12 steps to romantic bonding," originally developed by pop psychologizer Dr. Donald Joy. These 12-steps are: eye to body contact/eye to eye/voice to voice/hand to hand/hand to shoulder/hand to waist/face to face/hand to head/hand to body/ mouth to breast/hand to genitals/sexual intercourse. Dobson explained two keys to understanding this "romantic bonding" process:
(1) He got them from Scripture! (no where does he document this)
(2) No skipping of steps or getting out of order without risk of seriously damaging the later marriage relationship! (What if someone accidentally touched his girl friend's hair before he kissed her--i.e., what if "hand to head" contact were made before "face to face" contact? Would that, as Dobson believes, irrevocably damage the future marriage relationship? What utter nonsense!)
- Norman Cousins is globalist, new-age occultist and a leader in the infamous human potential movement. His book, The Healing Heart , also endorses all kinds of mind control techniques, including transcendental meditation. He is also an evolutionist and a humanist. He enthusiastically says: "We are seeing a new breed of scientific humanists and humanistic scientists." On other occasions, Cousins refers to "the gods," which should be obvious where he stands on the issue of a personal and knowable God. Cousins also helped found Planetary Citizens, an organization whose purpose is to aid the "World Servers everywhere." The purpose of the World Servers is to serve as the "vanguard for the reappearance of the Christ"--the New Age Christ.
On 9/17/84, Cousins was scheduled to be on Dobson's FOTF radio show. Many calls of protest were received at Focus and, at the last minute, the program was pulled. However, one year later this program was sneaked into the schedule. This time the program listing didn't mention Norman Cousins' name, so no one knew to protest it. Dobson played a 20-minute segment from a Cousins' four-hour tape series. The theme of this segment was the ways in which thoughts affect physical health. Much of the teaching was quite similar to that of the human potential movement and holistic health. Cousins even related a story of mind over matter, where a person used "mind control" to manage pain and control bleeding. This should have been easily recognized by Dobson and/or the Focus on the Family staff for what it was--a promotion of a New Age technique used by yogis and other occultists, and practiced by witch doctors for thousands of years! Instead, listeners were told by the announcer introducing the tape (Dobson's co-host, Gil Moegerly), "We are fully aware that Norman Cousins does not come from an evangelical Christian perspective, but all truth is God's truth . If it's true, it came from God, and the next twenty minutes we feel are true and valuable and will make a contribution in your life."
Even worse, another endorsement was given at the end of the program along with a toll-free telephone number. It supposedly had been stipulated that Dobson provide the telephone number in order to use the Cousins' segment. The number was that of the Nightingale-Conant Corporation. A catalog of their videos was sent to those calling the number. This catalog contained videos on yoga, affirmations, positive thinking, and other New Age oriented techniques. One wonders how many people received this catalog, and were subsequently led into occult techniques, thanks to the indiscretion of Dr. Dobson and Focus on the Family. (Reported in "Is Dr. Dobson Focusing On Your Family?," an article by Dr. Cathy Burns, which was also printed in the 10/9/95, Christian News , pp. 10-11.)
Conclusion : Dobson's ministry is loaded with false teaching. He has been confronted many times by Christian leaders and has rejected every rebuke. He is causing divisions by his worldly teachings that are contrary to sound doctrine and, therefore, he must be avoided (Rom. 16:17; 1 Jn. 2:15-17). Further, his works are works of darkness ("destructive heresies"--2 Pe. 2:1-4) which we should have no fellowship with, but rather reprove them (Eph. 5:11). He is a deceiver who claims to be a Christian whose mouth must be stopped, who is subverting whole houses teaching things which he ought not. He professes to know God, but in his works, he denies Him, being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate (Titus 1:10-16). He is preaching another gospel other than that which we have received; therefore, let him be accursed (Gal. 1:8,9).
Although Dobson professes to be a Christian, he continually denies Jesus Christ by adding to His Word the philosophy and false teaching of the world. He, thus, is a type of Antichrist (2 John 7). He transgresses and abides not in the doctrine of Christ. Therefore, the Scripture says he hath not God (2 John 9), and those who bid him well, support him, or sponsor him are partakers of his evil deeds (2 John 11). We are called by God to hate every false way (Psa. 119:104,127,128,163). Is Dobson's way a false way? We believe with all our hearts before God that it is.
*Must reading for anyone desiring a fuller understanding of Dobson's teachings is Prophets of PsychoHeresy II: Critiquing Dr. James C. Dobson , Martin & Deidre Bobgan, EastGate Publishers, Santa Barbara, CA, 1990, 310 pages.
- Focus on the Family (FOTF), located in Colorado Springs, Colorado (relocated there from California in 1991), was founded in 1977 by Dr. James C. Dobson, a Ph.D. in child development from the University of Southern California. (Dobson claims the Lord told his dying father that a great ministry would be fulfilled through his son.) Dobson also has honorary doctorates from Pepperdine University (1983), Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio [a Catholic university] (1988), Seattle Pacific University (1988), Asbury Theological Seminary (1989), Mid America Nazarene College (1992), and Liberty University (1993). Prior to 1977, Dobson served 14 years as associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the USC School of Medicine and a concurrent 17 years on the attending staff of Los Angeles Children's Hospital in the Divisions of Child Development and Medical Genetics. (This clinical experience supposedly gives Dobson the "authority" to advise Christians on family matters.) The 60 year-old Dr. Dobson has written 13 books; his largest seller, Dare to Discipline (a child-rearing manual first published in 1971 and reissued as The New Dare to Discipline in 1994) has sold over 2 million copies.
FOTF consists of more than 68 different "ministries" worldwide, employs more than 1,200 in its modern three-building Colorado Springs facility, and for fiscal year 1995 had an annual budget of more than $100 million and a reserve balance of over $10 million. Most funds come from contributions and FOTF spends over $4 million a year on fund raising efforts! Its 30-minute daily radio broadcast is heard on approximately 2,500 stations worldwide and is the second most widely syndicated show in America (after Paul Harvey). FOTF also produces other radio programs that hold the third, fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth spots in the syndication standings. They publish Focus on the Family magazine, the second most widely read religious magazine in America (after Guideposts ), and their videos are shown in more schools than in churches. Additionally, Dobson has a 90-second radio feature which is carried on over 100 of the largest secular radio stations in the United States, writes a nationally syndicated newspaper column, and the ministry receives on average about 8,000 letters and 3,400 telephone calls every working day.
In addition to Focus on the Family magazine, the FOTF organization produces nine more magazines (Citizen , Clubhouse , Clubhouse Jr. , Breakaway , Brio , Teachers in Focus , Physician , Parental Guidance , and Single-Parent Family ), as well as award-winning books, films, and videos. Through the use of a computer data base containing Dobson's canned views on a wide range of issues, a cadre of college-educated FOTF employees respond to all of the more than 250,000 calls and letters received each month. The so-called tougher inquiries are handled internally by one of FOTF's more than a dozen trained "professional" [i.e., psychological] counselors, or are referred to a network of 1,200 psychological therapists around the country. Dobson says his methods attempt to "'turn hearts toward home' by reasonable, biblical, and empirical [psychological] insights so that people will be able to discover the founder of homes and the creator of families--Jesus Christ" (8/93, FOTF magazine). [FOTF's Colorado Springs campus hosted more than 100,000 visitors in 1995. One of them described the FOTF operation as resembling "a cross between a crisis hotline center and Santa's workshop ..." ("Millions of Families Served, But What Is FOF's Focus?," 1/29/96, Christian News , p. 16 (Jennifer Mears:API story).]
FOTF is heavily engaged in public policy, and Dobson himself is very politically active. FOTF has 35 affiliated political groups in 35 states under the direction of extremely strong grass roots lobbies. About 4% of FOTF's annual budget is devoted to public policy projects, voter education, and lobbying (i.e., over $4 million!). Dobson himself has served in a variety of consulting capacities to the Carter, Reagan, and Bush administrations, as was recently nominated by (then) Senate majority leader Bob Dole in the newly formed Presidential Commission on Child and Family Welfare in the Clinton administration. His influence has even gone so far as to have merited the loving attention of virtually all of the 1996 Republican presidential candidates.
- The following quote from The Christian Counselor's Manual by Dr. Jay E. Adams (pp. 82-83), best describes Dobson's child-rearing "system":
"... Dobson ... recommends strictly behavioristic methods for child raising in the name of Christianity ... His near total capitulation to behaviorism is couched in Christian terms but really introduces an equally godless system into the Christian home while purporting to be a Christian reaction to permissiveness ... Reward and punishment are prominent (particularly the former), and the need for structure is emphasized. But Dobson's approach is cold and godless . It centers upon manipulation but says nothing of biblical confrontation. Conspicuously absent in such child discipline is the use of the Scriptures, conversion, repentance, the work of the Holy Spirit, and sanctification. ... Biblical persuasion, conviction, and personal commitment are ignored." (Emphasis added.)
- In Dobson's book, Dare to Discipline , "he places a needed emphasis on discipline by structure," but he draws from a Skinnerian ideology; i.e., "according to Dobson, a child is to be 'trained' as one would [evidently] train his dog ...The presupposition (not stated, but underlying the book) is that man is but another animal," thereby leaving "no place for the work of the Holy Spirit in conversion or sanctification." Change is, thereby, assumed to "take place strictly on the horizontal level." (Excerpted from The Big Umbrella by Jay Adams, pp. 130-131.) In 1994, Focus on the Family published The New Dare to Discipline . In the Q&A section of the book, one of the questions was "Should teenage children be spanked for disobedience or rudeness? Dr. James Dobson, the self-proclaimed child-rearing expert, answers thusly:
"No. Teens desperately want to be thought of as adults and they deeply resent being treated as children. Spanking is the ultimate insult at that age and they are justified in hating it. Besides, it doesn't work."
On what authority should teens not be spanked?--Dr. Dobson's? And do we govern our lives by what teens "want" or by what the Bible teaches? If teens resent being treated like children, then they shouldn't act like children. And if spanking is the ultimate insult for a teenager, then this is evidence it must work very effectively in deterring the rebellious actions that bring the rod. And finally, by saying "it doesn't work," Dobson is calling God a liar (cf. Prov. 22:15--Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him .)! God says spanking does work (and He doesn't even give an age limit--cf. Prov. 19:18--Discipline your son, while there is hope ; do not be a willing party to his death ).
- In Dobson's 1993 book (his 13th), When God Doesn't Make Sense , Dobson makes the blasphemous suggestion that we should forgive God: (And so do R.C. Sproul and J.I. Packer, both of whom endorsed the book.)
"There is only one cure for the cancer of bitterness, that is to forgive the perceived offender. Once and for all, with God's help, as strange as it seems, I am suggesting that some of us need to forgive God for those heartaches that are charged to His account . You've carried resentment against Him for years. Now it's time to let go of it. [Dobson now tries to escape the blasphemy he's just uttered, but he is unsuccessful.] Please don't misunderstand me at this point. God is in the business of forgiving us, and it almost sounds blasphemous [it is!] to suggest that the relationship could be reversed. He has done no wrong and does not need our approbation. But the source of bitterness must be admitted before it can be cleared. There is no better way to get rid of it than to absolve the Lord of whatever we have harbored . ... It is the only way you will ever be entirely free. ...
"Corrie ten Boom forgave an SS guard who shared responsibility for the deaths of her family members. [False analogy.] Surely we can forgive the King of the Universe Who sent His only Son to die as an atonement for our sin." (Emphasis added.)
The very fact that we would have anger towards God, the One Who can do no wrong and is perfect in every way, and that we would feel like we need to forgive Him, is wickedness and a blasphemous affront to His holy, righteous character! [See the March-April 1995, PsychoHeresy Awareness Letter , "Dobson's Blasphemies?," pp. 4-5, for a more thorough analysis of Dobson's book.) [Amazingly, When God Doesn't Make Sense won two Evangelical Christian Publishing Association awards: the Gold Medallion award in the Christian Living category, and "Christian Book of the Year" award.]
- Often cited are Dobson's "good works" in opposing abortion, pornography, etc., and in supporting various moral causes, particularly family causes, as evidence of his spiritual "fruit" and, thereby, his Biblical Christianity. However, his moralism is steeped in ecumenism, in most cases being totally devoid of God and basic Biblical principles. This "end justifies the means" strategy, however, is not Biblical--joining the ungodly in promoting moralism (a system which is in actuality no better than humanism) is not what the Bible calls Christians to do. It is not our job to transform society, nor to attempt to "Christianize" its institutions, nor to pressure the ungodly to live like saints, but instead to call out of the world those who will respond to the gospel, that they might live wholly for God. (Witness FOTF's 4/14/92 full-page newspaper ad in USA Today titled "In Defense of a Little Virginity," in which Dobson's old song is resung: 'Let's clean up the world's behavior,' without attempting to get at the root cause--SIN! The ad promotes pre-marital sexual abstinence to a culture without Christ, and which therefore, has neither the resources nor the power to abstain.) Dobson appears to be so caught up in the social aspect of good causes that he tends to forget that the soul must be placed before the body; i.e., he has ended up promoting a social, psychological, middle-class American moralistic gospel that cannot save !--it can't save the home, the family, or the nation, but can certainly stand in the way of the true Gospel. [See also the attached analysis of Focus on the Family's 1994 Video, "Sex, Lies & The Truth," another worldly, "moralistic" production that ignores the sin issue, and, moreover, is soft-core "pornographic" in its own right! See also the 10/95 issue of Focus on the Family magazine, wherein rock music star CeCe Winas is featured in an advertisement with a very low neckline and a bare stomach. Apparently for Dobson, only hard-core pornography is wrong.]
- One wonders how lewd something has to be for Dobson to disapprove of it. In Dobson's 1978 book Preparing for Adolescence , a book obviously targeted at 10-13 year-olds, Dobson says, "... we need to talk very plainly about the subject of sexual intercourse. ... I'm going to be treating you like adults and withholding no subject that is relevant to you." Dobson then goes on to graphically describe the act and feelings of a man and woman engaged in sexual intercourse (p. 82). (Is sexual intercourse really a subject that is relevant to a pre-teen "preparing for adolescence"? Would a Christian parent want to have their adolescents read this material?) Though promoting abstinence in Preparing for Adolescence , Dobson also condones masturbation, describes the "tingly feeling" one gets from it, and claims it's a "normal part of adolescence." Moreover, since it doesn't cause disease nor produce babies, Dobson believes it "is not much of an issue with God"! (pp. 86-87).
- Dobson wrote an article for Billy Graham's October 1988, Decision magazine, in which Dobson stated, "We are sexual creatures , and the physical attraction between males and females provides the basis for every dimension of marriage and parenthood." (Emphasis added.) The Bible knows nothing of this evolutionary, humanistic theology. [Dobson and wife Shirley also shared their testimonies at the 6/94 Graham Crusade in Cleveland before a crowd of 55,000 at Cleveland Stadium.]
- Dobson supports and encourages participation in Operation Rescue and other avenues of civil disobedience. (Although there are numerous cases of civil disobedience in the Scriptures, it was never engaged for the purpose of forcing an ungodly society to obey Biblical principles.) Since Operation Rescue's stated purpose is to create social upheaval, and thereby pressure governments into changing the abortion laws, Dobson's philosophy seems to be one of "the end justifies the means."
- Dobson has frequently welcomed Roman Catholics and Mormons on his radio show, welcoming all as members of "the family of God." In late 1989, Dobson offered a calendar with a peculiarly Mormon phrase, "Families Are Forever," which summarizes the Mormon doctrine of eternal progression of Mormon "temple-sealed" families (4/15/91, Calvary Contender ). Dobson is also the possessor of an honorary doctorate from the Roman Catholic (Franciscan) University of Steubenville in Ohio, and was featured in a 9/90 five-page article (with cover photo) in the Catholic charismatic magazine New Covenant . (Reported in The Fundamentalist Digest , November-December 1991.)
- Protestant turned Catholic Scott Hahn, a theology professor at Franciscan University, and a very popular guest on evangelical radio programs across the country, began one interview by gushing over the fact that his Catholic school has impressed leading evangelicals James Dobson and Chuck Colson. He quoted Dobson as noting that "he had never seen a campus where the students take the Lordship of Jesus Christ so seriously." Hahn then added that Colson had nominated the Catholic university for membership in the Evangelical College Coalition because, "it really is a dynamic orthodox Catholic university that is as evangelical as it is Catholic." (Source: Scott Hahn interview, "Pittsburgh Talks," WORD-FM; as reported in the 4/96, The Berean Call .)
- More evidence of Dobson's close and uncritical relationship with Roman Catholicism was the 11/89 issue of FOTF's Clubhouse magazine for children--smiling "Mother" Teresa was on the cover, and the lead article was entitled, "Teresa of Calcutta: Little Woman with a Big Heart." The readers of this magazine were made to think that Mother Teresa is a genuine New Testament Christian and that she is doing a great work for God through her Sisters of Charities mission. "Mother" Teresa is, in reality, a New Age pantheist who considers Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and other religions all to be acceptable ways to God. This is a great deception. She also preaches the false sacramental gospel of Rome and has given multitudes of people a false comfort by encouraging them to place their hopes in such vanities as the Roman Catholic mass and the Roman Catholic Mary. It is an abomination before God for Dobson to feature this woman in his magazine.
- In early-1993, Rabbi Howard Hirsch of Temple Shalom in Colorado Springs, and the Catholic Bishop of Colorado Springs, Richard C. Hanifen were outraged that "Jewish and Catholic youth were being evangelized at school." They met with "Christian" leaders in Colorado Springs (there are 72 national and international "Christian" associations headquartered there) and agreed that such evangelization was improper ! Christian students were rebuked for trying to rescue their school friends from a Christless eternity (11/95, The Berean Call ).
In April of 1993, a "Covenant of Mutual Respect" was drawn up in which the parties agreed to respect one another's diverse beliefs and to avoid "polarization"! Dobson/FOTF (along with Hirsch and Hanifen) was a signator to this agreement. (Imagine Peter, James, and John, when forbidden by the Sanhedrin to preach the gospel, signing an agreement to cease such activities out of respect for diverse beliefs among Roman citizens!) The "Covenant" read that a network of organizations in the Colorado Springs area "are heralding an entirely new form of socialistic Christianity" (i.e., ecumenism for social activism), and that those in the organization "seek to share insights and learn from each other in a spirit of goodwill and mutual respect, thus living out this scriptural heritage. It is our hope and prayer that in so doing we will provide a positive model of public discourse that stands upon the foundation of our common Judeo-Christian heritage. ... a willingness to listen and learn from each other, to the end that we may manifest the ministry of reconciliation." Hanifen was quoted as saying his hope for the future is to "explore all kinds of issues to learn the values of various faiths and how they view the Scripture." Bottom line, Dobson is not only ignoring fundamental differences of belief in order to unite for common causes, but has now become a party to muzzling the gospel.
- Issuing a call for them to gather in Orlando, Florida, 12/5/94-12/7/94, as guests of Campus Crusade to fast and pray for revival was an Invitation Committee made up of a hodgepodge of 72 liberals, new evangelicals, and charismatics. Included were: Robert Schuller, Charles Colson, E.V. Hill, Jack Hayford, James Dobson , W.A. Criswell, Charles Stanley, Paul Crouch, Luis Palau, Bill Gothard, Pat Robertson, Kay Arthur, and Larry Burkett. CCC's Bill Bright cites "a great sense of urgency to link arms and unitedly call upon God for help in the spirit of King Jehoshaphat (2 Chr. 20)." This ecumenical "linking" is in the "spirit of Jehoshaphat" indeed, but the Jehoshaphat of 2 Chr. 18 (instead of 2 Chr. 20) where he "linked" with wicked King Ahab and incurred the wrath of God. (Reported in the 11/15/94, Calvary Contender .) [Another three-day "Fasting & Prayer" conference was held in 11/95 in Los Angeles. The Invitation Committee for this event included most of those listed above, plus Dick Eastman, Chuck Smith, Bill McCartney (Promise Keepers), Tim and Beverly LaHaye, Shirley Dobson, Paul Cedar (E-Free), Ted Engstrom (World Vision), Joseph Stowell (Moody), and Joseph Aldrich (Multnomah). A third conference is scheduled for 11/96 in St. Louis.]
- More evidence of Dobson's ecumenical mindset came when workers for Dr. Dobson's Focus on the Family "cast their theological distinctives aside in order to achieve a common objective--to help families," FOTF vice president Rolf Zettersten has said. The Alabama insert for Dobson's 6/90 Focus on the Family Citizen promoted a local ministry "dedicated to promoting unity within the body of Christ by uniting Christians in prayer together. [The "Christians" include Roman Catholics.] ... Right doctrines shouldn't be an issue " if you are born into "that" family. Furthermore, "an emphasis in doctrinal purity has been drilled into so many people that it has become a real obstacle and hindrance " (7/15/90, Calvary Contender ). (Emphasis added.) [Another indication of Dobson's expanding ecumenism is an editorial in the 1/90 Citizen , which calls Pope John Paul II, "the most eminent religious leader who names the name of Jesus Christ"--a strange accolade for a man who denies that Christians can go directly to God with their petitions.]
- In 1995, Dobson's Focus on the Family was involved in sponsoring two conferences which featured highly ecumenical speakers:
(a) 3/95 Attorney's Conference -- Judge Robert Bork; Gary Bauer; Bill Bright (Campus Crusade); Ron Blue; and Dobson.
(b) 7/95 International Congress on the Family -- William Bennett (Catholic); E.V. Hill (charismatic); Adrian Rogers (SBC); Gary Smalley (psychologizer); Larry Crabb (psychologist); Jill & Stuart Briscoe (psychologizers); Robert McGee (psychologizer); Frank Minirth & Paul Meier (Freudian psychiatrists); and Dobson.
- In response to a letter-writer's question concerning Dobson's views on salvation and Christ's second coming, Dobson responded in October 1989 that his ministry has made a deliberate decision to direct the attention of the ministry "away from matters of biblical interpretation and theology, choosing instead to concentrate our efforts exclusively on family-related topics." This further affirms critic's claims that Dobson's ministry is not only not Biblically based, but in fact there is a deliberate effort to turn away from the Bible and get wisdom from somewhere else . Dobson is in effect saying, 'I'm no theologian, so don't nail me with this Biblical stuff; I'm giving you what works.' "However, such a decision does not free an avowed Christian ministry to the family from basing its teachings on Scripture. It is an admission to placing the Bible in a secondary position to the psychological wisdom of men . Apparently Dobson does not agree that the Bible is sufficient for understanding human nature and guiding behavior" (Prophets II , p. 146). [Notwithstanding Dobson's theological disclaimer, he does have a theology "... he teaches a doctrine of man which is both psychological and theological ... man [according to Dobson] is central and God serves to help people overcome inferiority and develop self-esteem and self-acceptance" (Prophets II , p. 142).]
- The primary basis of Dobson's "ministry" is his belief in the false gospel of self-esteem/self-worth. Though research clearly indicates, and the Bible clearly teaches, that both children and adults tend to esteem themselves more highly than they ought, Dobson believes just the opposite; he believes that feelings of inferiority (i.e., low self-esteem) and self-hatred (i.e., poor self-image) run rampant in society and are the basic causes of virtually every social malady. In the November 1988 issue of Focus on the Family magazine, Dobson says:
"Feelings of inferiority even account for outbreak of wars and international hatred. ... inferiority is the major force behind the rampaging incidence of rape today ... How about aggressive violence in American classrooms? ... Can it be attributed to the frustration of low self-esteem? I'm inclined to believe so. ... The examples are legion. That is why I have contended that social chaos in all its forms is increased when citizens feel inadequate and inferior. There are numerous other causes of course, but none so powerful." (Emphasis added.)
In fact, Dobson even goes to the extreme of attributing the attempted genocide of Jews in Germany to an inferiority complex! (As an indication that Dobson's teaching on this subject has not changed in over 15 years, see Dobson's 1979 book, Hide or Seek , p. 165, and the 2/94 Focus on the Family Bulletin , for almost word-for-word renditions of the above 1988 quote.) [In the 10/94 FOTF magazine, Dobson made another incredible statement about self-esteem: "... some things in life are more important than academic excellence, and self-esteem is one of them. A child can survive, if he must, without knowing a noun from a verb, but if he doesn't have some measure of self-confidence and personal respect, he won't have a chance in life."]
- The Bobgans accurately portray Dobson's worldview as, "a psychological viewpoint influenced by underlying ideologies of the Freudian unconscious, Adlerian inferiority, and the humanistic belief in the intrinsic goodness of man and the universal victimization of the individual by parents and society. The culprit is society (mainly parents) and the diagnosis is low self-esteem with feelings of inferiority and inadequacy. In fact, those feelings are presented as overwhelming and uncontrollable and thus causing rebellion. Therefore, the universal solution to personal problems, rebellion, unhappiness, and hostility presented throughout Dobson's books is raising self-esteem" (Prophets II , pp. 24 -25).
- All one has to do is read Hide or Seek to understand Dobson's total reliance on the false gospel of self-esteem:
"... whenever the keys to self-esteem are seemingly out of reach for a large percentage of the people, as in twentieth-century America, then widespread 'mental illness,' neuroticism, hatred, alcoholism, drug abuse, violence, and social disorder will certainly occur. Personal worth is not something human beings are free to take or leave. We must have it , and when it is unattainable, everybody suffers. ... a sizable proportion of all human activity is devoted to the task of shielding us from the inner pain of inferiority . I believe this is to be the most dominant force in life " (Hide or Seek , pp. 20-21, 152). (Emphasis added.)
The Bible teaches that sin is "the most dominant force" in human life (Rom. 3:10-18,23; 7:18,24; Jer. 17:9, Eph. 2:1-3; 5:15-16, 1 Jn. 5:19), not "the pain of inferiority." Nevertheless, Dobson thinks he has the answer: "The heart of this book ... is devoted to a description of ten comprehensive 'strategies' for building self-esteem" (Hide or Seek , p. 21). Evidently, Christ is not all we need. We also (according to Dobson) need "self-esteem." What was Paul's answer to anyone who adds anything to the gospel (i.e., anything to Christ)?--Galatians 1:9,10--anathema!
- In case there is still any question as to Dr. Dobson's perspective and teaching on self-esteem:
"If I could write a prescription for the women of the world, I would provide each one of them with a healthy dose of self-esteem and personal worth ... I have no doubt that this is their greatest need" (What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew about Women , p. 35).
"Feelings of self-worth and acceptance ... provide the cornerstone of a healthy personality. ... it is apparent that emotional problems usually originate from ... an inability to gain acceptance and respect from peers. ... I have observed the most powerful influence to emanate from ego needs" (Dr. Dobson Answers Your Questions , pp. 168, 191, 435).
- Walt Disney Pictures' The Lion King sold 20 million copies in its first week of release for retail on video, and has become one of the best-selling videos ever. But millions of children who watch it will be at great risk. Though it is artistically amazing, its New Ageism, Neo-paganism, Hinduism, pantheism/environmentalism, astrology, and occult imagery is devastating! Adding insult to injury is a subtle but definite promotion of homosexuality. An admitted homosexual produced parts of the soundtrack, and two "outcasts" (Timon and Pumbaa) represent homosexuals and the "intolerant discrimination" they experience in our society. Sodomite Ernie Sabell, the voice of the Wart Hog in the film (Pumbaa) admitted: "These are the first homosexual Disney characters ever to come on the screen." (Reported in the 4/15/95, Calvary Contender. ) [The Disney Senior V.P. who played a major role in marketing The Lion King died in 1/95 of AIDS. His obituary asked that donations be made to a homosexual group (10/95, Perilous Times , p. 8).]
Al Dager, editor of Media Spotlight , says this about Disney's 1994 occult/New Age "children's animation" film:
"The Lion King packs powerful New Age symbolism and philosophy. Its theme, the 'Circle of Life,' is a variation on the cycles of nature: life, death, and rebirth, particularly as it relates to the theory of evolution. The film presents this theme from the perspective of nature religion more so than Disney films of the past--'We are all connected in the great circle of life.' The accoutrements of shamanistic ritualism is graphically portrayed in the dedication of the baby Simba to the spirits of the earth" (Media Spotlight , Vol. 15, No. 2, p. 3).
Dobson, on the other hand, encourages parents to take their children to see The Lion King ! The 8/15/94 issue of Parental Guidance (a magazine published and edited by FOTF) says:
"The lion's share of this movie focuses on positive themes that can be used to teach children a variety of valuable, at times biblical, lessons. ... These two film favorites [including Pinocchio] share one other commonality--a mild dose of magic. ... The Lion King does include a few crude moments--munching on bugs and worms ... large belch[es] ... comical references to the warthog's flatulence problem [gas]. They are minor, but parents will want to discourage children from imitating these behaviors. ... Despite a few slight imperfections, The Lion King is a wholesome, brilliantly animated picture relating the importance of family and responsibility."
"A few slight imperfections"? Like the teaching of shamanistic ritual, necromancy, spiritualism, and occult fantasy? One wonders if Dobson has any discernment at all. [The cover story in the 4/95 Focus on the Family magazine also promotes The Lion King as a good family movie! Also, the 11/95 issue of Brio (published by FOTF for teen girls) had an article on the "Christian" girl who was the singing voice of the young Nala in the movie; this very favorable article appears to be saying that it's okay to see the movie because a Christian helped out on it.]
- How much of the true gospel message is promoted through Focus on the Family? "The Garden Song" was handed out to the people in the FOTF distribution center (1993) to be sung. Some of the words of this song are: "Grain for grain sun and rain; find my way in nature's chain; Tune my body and my brain; to the music of the land." The phrase "find my way in nature's chain" seems to be a reference to evolution! [Of course, this shouldn't surprise anyone, since Dobson is a "theistic evolutionist" (see section on Hugh Ross).]
Another verse in "The Garden Song" states: "Plant your rows straight and long; season with a pray'r and song; Mother Earth will make you strong; if you give her loving care." The mention of Mother Earth is a clear indication of the pagan/New Age orientation of this song. There is no credit given to God who makes all things to grow, but instead it's "Mother Earth" who will "make you strong."
Other New Age items have been promoted through FOTF. For instance, in the 1/93 Focus on the Family magazine, there was an advertisement for a new publication entitled A Better Tomorrow . This magazine marketed to Christian seniors advocated yoga, biofeedback, affirmations, imagery, etc., and had an article by Norman Vincent Peale (the late New Ager, 33rd degree Mason, and publisher of Guideposts magazine) in its very first issue! Dobson has also endorsed The Natural Childbirth Book . On the cover is a picture of the occult yin/ yang symbol. (Reported in "Is Dr. Dobson Focusing On Your Family?," an article by Dr. Cathy Burns, which was also printed in the 10/9/95, Christian News , pp. 10-11.)
- On Dobson's 1/15/94 radio program, FOTF highly recommended The Healing Journey for Adult Children of Alcoholics by Daryl E. Quick, which was available through FOTF. This book advocates visualization, which is a form of creating your own reality. Llewellyn New Times , a New Age magazine which openly promotes witchcraft and all kinds of occultic practices, writes: "Visualization is the essence of the ability of bending reality to will. Do you know people who have extraordinary luck? Things always seem to work out for them. That is because whether they are conscious of it or not, they create their own reality with Creative Visualization." Another issue of this magazine reminds us that visualization "is a simple yet potent form of magick. All it requires is the use of your mind."
- Quest International is a nonprofit educational organization that has placed its Quest program in thousands of public schools. Quest also goes by the names: "Skills for Adolescence," "Skills for Growing," and "Skills for Living." Quest utilizes the techniques of visualization and guided imagery, and is very humanistic in its approach to learning. But this doesn't bother Dr. Dobson. Dobson, although not condemning nor endorsing Quest, claims that if Quest's techniques are used by professionals, they are okay. (Reported in "Little Known Facts About Focus on the Family," a 1/96 article by Dr. Cathy Burns, pp. 22-27.)
- Besides visualization and guided imagery, FOTF promotes various other occultic techniques, such as hypnosis and progressive relaxation. In the 3/95 issue of Breakaway , a magazine produced by FOTF for teen boys, a reader wrote in to ask if hypnosis was a sin. The editor answered that it depended on the situation, but was probably okay if done by a "well-qualified Christian therapist"! (sounds like "situation ethics").
In the 11/95 issue of Focus on the Family magazine, an article titled, "My Child Isn't Learning!," teaches an occult technique known as progressive relaxation, a Yoga method of relaxation which was derived from Hinduism, a pagan religion that worships literally millions of gods, including one's self.
- FOTF is also training its employees in the occult through its various Certification programs. FOTF employees are required to complete 15 hours of core courses in order to develop new competencies for career growth and development. At the end of the course descriptions, there is a list of 17 books located in the FOTF Human Resource Library. One of the books, The Encyclopedia of Group Activities , by J. William Pfeiffer, teaches over 150 activities dealing with fantasy exploration, sensory deprivation, gestalt, psychodrama, "values clarification," and many other occult-/New Age-oriented concepts. Another course offered in 1995, "The Fine Art of Managing Change," is raw New Ageism. All these things relate to each other in that they all involve altered states of consciousness, the highway into the occult. (Reported in "Little Known Facts About Focus on the Family," a 1/96 article by Dr. Cathy Burns, pp. 8-19.) [Not part of the Certification program, but also offered to FOTF employees, are various "On-Site Opportunities," which include Weight Watchers, Massage Therapy, Aerobics, Anorexia/Bulimia Recovery Support groups, and Karate (whose roots are in Zen Buddhism)!--1/96, FOTF Health and Wellness News .]
- Dobson obviously believes in the "medical model" (which treats people as victims rather than sinners) as evidenced by his statements that everything from pornography and child molesting to love of one's own spouse, is or can become, addictive. In fact, in his 1/23/89 interview with convicted child murderer, Ted Bundy, the night before Bundy's execution, Dobson would not allow Bundy to accept any personal responsibility for his sin; according to Dobson, Bundy's behavior was due to an uncontrollable addiction to pornography, which was caused by an immoral society that permitted his exposure to it.
- On a FOTF radio program aired 1/29/96, Dobson conducted a program on "Addictive Behaviors." Guests were H.B. London, FOTF Pastoral Ministries head, and Dr. Ralph Earl of Psychological Counseling Services, Scottsdale, AZ (Ph.D. Pastoral Psych/MDiv. Harvard Divinity School). Dobson introduced Dr. Earl as one who "specializes in sex therapy and other addictions." (Dobson, himself, was introduced as he always is on the program-- "psychologist and author, James Dobson"--not even FOTF wants to call Dobson a Christian.) Some of the most outrageous, unbiblical, unChristian statements were made on this program:
Dobson: "Gambling is only one addictive behavior; of course there are many others in addition to drugs, alcohol--addictions to spending and to shopping, and addictions to food ... because of the cultural environment in which we live, and the list is almost endless. ... a problem that is gripping humanity... sexual addiction. It is rampant in our society at this time."
Trout: "It gets a hold of you [sexual addiction] and sometimes it just doesn't let go."
Dobson: "It does! ... Pornography, I believe, is one of the most addictive forces in human experience. ... For some 13 year-old boys, one exposure to pornographic material can grab and hold him for a lifetime, every bit as much as cocaine and heroine or some of the drugs ... the matter of sexual addiction among pastors, because it's a serious problem there.
Earl: "There's an epidemic... One thing about sex addiction, it's progressive ... it's always in intimacy disorders, always about hurting somebody else and self."
During Earl's 25 years of practice, he claims to have treated more than 200 pastors with "sexual addictions of various sorts." Pastors with "sexual addictions "? Are these perverse men not aware of what the Bible teaches about slavery (a.k.a. addiction) to sin (cf. Rom. 6)? Sexual immorality and/or perversion is not an addiction or disease, it is SIN! Earl makes it very clear that these pastors will never overcome their "sexual addiction" until they get into therapy. And then the best they can hope for is to have the "addiction" go into "remission ... just as those who have cancer ... go to a physician."
- Dobson not only believes "alcoholism" to be a "disease" (despite the fact that the Scriptures call "drunkenness" a sin), but even recommends Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) as a viable treatment option for Christians! (He even considers AA to be a place where non-Christians might find Christ!) This recommendation comes in spite of the overwhelming evidence that not only is AA largely in effective in treating over-drinking, but that the atmosphere of almost all AA centers is consistently unbiblical, if not outright anti -Christian. [AA is proud of its ability to lead men to see their need of a higher power and encourages group members to discover or define for themselves what or who that higher power is. Dobson evidently has no conception of the New Age concepts being promoted by AA that are leading AA members to accept false gods (i.e., a kind of "Star Wars Force") as a substitute for the true, living, personal God of the Bible.]
- Dobson is a primary supporter of David Seamands, the "Church's" leading proponent of Healing of the Memories/Inner Healing (which uses one or more psychological and/or occultic techniques, such as regression, visualization, guided imagery, dream analysis, and the various Gestalt therapies consisting of primal scream, ventilation, role plays, etc.). Various other "memory-healers"/"memory interpreters" have been regular contributors of articles to Dobson's Focus on the Family magazine, and have made numerous appearances on Dobson's daily radio program (e.g., Dr. Kevin Leman and Randy Carlson, authors of Unlocking the Secrets of Your Childhood Memories , a book based upon various discredited Freudian theories).
- Dobson is a primary supporter and endorser of so-called Christian psychologist, Gary Smalley, the "Church's" leading proponent of Right-Brain/Left-Brain pseudoscience. This right-brain/left-brain myth, which claims to describe personality types by brain hemisphere dominance as well as give insights to male/female communication effectiveness, has been thoroughly discredited by secular neuroscientists (to say nothing of the fact that it has no support in Scripture). The popularization of right-brain/left-brain has been largely due to the book, The Language of Love , co-authored by Smalley and fellow psychologist, John Trent. (Both also have theological degrees, but apparently believe that the Bible alone is insufficient to handle people's problems of living.) The Language of Love was published and promoted by Dobson's Focus on the Family Publishing, and Smalley and Trent have been frequent guests on Dobson's radio program (as has pop psychologist, Dr. Donald Joy, credited by Smalley and Trent as being the source of their right-/left-brain information). Similar right-brain/left-brain nonsense is frequently propagated over the Focus on the Family airways by another Dobson favorite, H. Norman Wright, former pastor turned psychologist.
[In the second edition of The Language of Love , due largely to the discrediting of the right-brain/left-brain silliness, all references to such were removed. Unfortunately, this "revision" was only cosmetic. The delusion that "emotional word pictures" are the key to relationships and spiritual growth, remains the false message of this deceptive book. (Reported in the January 1992, CIB Bulletin .) In late-1994 (11/16/94-11/18/94), Smalley and Trent appeared on Dobson's radio program for a three-day series titled "Learning to Communicate." They again promoted TheLanguage of Love and again told how to communicate effectively through the use of "emotional word pictures."]
- David Jeremiah, president of Christian Heritage College and Bible teacher on the "Turning Point" radio and television programs, appeared on James Dobson's 4/28/92 and 4/29/92 Focus on the Family radio programs to discuss Jeremiah's latest book Exposing the Myths of Parenthood . On the 4/28 program, myth #10 was examined: "To be loved is not necessarily to feel loved" ("the only love you can use is the love you can feel," according to Jeremiah). Dobson then disclosed his own "theory" of why he thought children could, by every objective standard, be loved by their parents, yet not feel loved--it is due to "hormonal influence ," like "pre-menstrual disequilibrium," which then causes most of a child's low self-esteem problems! Dobson concluded: "... if my guess is correct ... that there is a hormonal explanation for a lot of that rebellious behavior , and especially the low self-esteem ... [then] it's temporary ... this is a developmental inbalance that's going on ... this is why it is of no value whatsoever to say to [rebellious kids], 'Why are you acting this way?' ... all they know is that they feel these things passionately inside." In effect then, Dobson was saying that there is no personal responsibility for sin! Instead, 'My hormones made me doit! ' Dobson agreed with Jeremiah's conclusion: "... you accept the fact that it can be hormonal and just keep on working as hard as you can to communicate love at a feeling level."
- Dobson's Focus on the Family has endorsed and heavily promoted Hugh Ross's 1989/1991 book, The Fingerprint of God , which is a polemic for progressive creationism/theistic evolution, and thereby, is a denial of orthodox Christianity's literal/factual/historical interpretation of the first eleven chapters of the Book of Genesis. Dobson has also given Ross a forum (the Focus on the Family radio program) to espouse this heresy. For example, on April 17-18 of 1991, Ross appeared on Dobson's program, at which time Dobson boasted that Focus on the Family helped give Ross's ministry ("Reasons to Believe") the initial publicity boost it needed to get started. Dobson also said that he agrees "in an unqualified way" that the Earth is 3.5 to 4 billion years old. He also did not quarrel with Ross's claim that physical death fully existed long before Adam and that God was fully responsible for this order of things! In response to a critical letter from the Bible-Science Newsletter , a Dobson spokesperson said that since the first eleven chapters of Genesis can be taken to be a form of poetry, and not necessarily factual history , Dobson was, thereby, justified in making a figurative rather than a literal interpretation of them!
On a 9/92 FOTF program (tape:CS721), Ross was a guest along with ICR's (Institute for Creation Research) Dr. Duane Gish, in order to debate the "Origin of the Universe." Dobson posed the question of the "scientific" necessity of a distant origin, without it being theologically prescribed. Ross's response was that "No, it's important for both. I can't have the Bible consistent with a thousands of years old universe." Ross was straight forwardly saying, "The universe is billions of years old and the Bible teaches that, or I can no longer with integrity hold to the veracity of the Bible." Ross, by his own words, places science (so-called) over the Bible, rather than placing science under the Word of God where it belongs.
Ross also commented that ICR's approach to astronomy and astro-physics would absolutely never be seriously entertained by the scientific community at large (and Dobson agreed!). This was all said in a tone of voice that clearly implied the idea that ICR was ignorant, backwoods, behind the times, and an obstruction to the speeding of a more enlightened Christian scientific position.
- Consistent with Dobson's endorsement of Hugh Ross is an article by Marlo Schalesky in Dobson's 3/96, Teachers in Focus , which also seems to suggest theistic evolution. In a "Teaching Evolutionary Theory Without Scrapping Scripture" article, Schalesky explains how she taught her students to "make a distinction between the realms of science and religion." She then gave several examples. One of these examples is: "Fossils seem to indicate that species have been changing for millions of years..." She then tells her students that this is "Scientific." She adds: "After teaching in this manner, I could answer, 'Who's to say how God created everything? Did He "poof" it into existence? Or did He use some kind of evolutionary process similar to the ones we studied in class? The Bible doesn't really say one way or another.'"
Not true! The Bible clearly states that God created everything in six literal days. There was no long, drawn-out evolutionary process that took place. The viewpoint expressed by Schalesky is definitely a theistic evolution (or progressive creation) theory. Although Dobson may not be aware of each article that is printed in his magazines, his name is listed as the President and Publisher ," and he is, thereby, responsible (5/1/96, Calvary Contender and 5/20/96, Christian News .).
- Dobson is a supporter and signator of the Williamsburg Charter Foundation (WCF), an ecumenical amalgamation of professing Christians, humanists, atheists, New Agers, Eastern religionists, etc., whose stated goal is religious pluralism and tolerance in education, but all the while is promoting a new one world religion. Other "evangelical" signators and/or supporters with Dobson are Beverly LaHaye, Chuck Colson, and Billy Graham. [WCF no longer exists, but the curriculum has been passed on to a "new" organization, "The First Liberty Institute," headed by New Ager Dr. Charles C. Haynes. (First Liberty is located at George Mason University, which was originally designated as "national teacher training and out-reach center" for WCF. Its New Age/One World curriculum, "Living With Our Deepest Differences: Religious Liberty in a Pluralistic Society," is being offered to America's public schools by the National Council on Religion and Public Education, a Liberty Institute organization, and has been accepted by the California State Board of Education.)]
- The Council for National Policy (CNP), founded in 1981 by Tim LaHaye, is a conservative "educational foundation." Its purpose, according to those few in the organization who will discuss it, is to bring together top conservative leaders from across the country and allow them to hear conservative speakers give their perspective on various issues of the day. It is an educational organization which "provides an opportunity to interact, exchange information, educate on critical issues, and redistribute information to the public" (Art Kelly, Vice President CNP Action, Inc., 12/7/93). But is there more to the CNP than appears?
Meetings of the CNP are closed to the public and the media. Membership is confidential. When asked if the organization is a Christian one, Mr. Kelly explained that it is not--"There are also members of the Jewish faith." Membership is by invitation only, "one member invites another member," Kelly said. "The membership dues are $2,000 per year for regular memberships and $5,000 per year for members of the 'Board of Governors.' The CNP, and CNP Action, Inc. charge separate dues, although many hold dual membership."
James Dobson has been a member of the CNP for at least ten years (as has Marlin Maddoux, D. James Kennedy, Bill Bright, and the Christian Coalition's Pat Robertson). CNP conference speakers typically call for conservative political action, policy making, or self-betterment of some sort. FOTF's research department claimed no knowledge of this important membership. Paul Hetrick, a FOTF spokesperson, would only describe the organization as a "meeting of like-minded people."
- In 1995, there was a concert held for the employees at FOTF's headquarters in Colorado Springs. The FOTF "Events Management Memo" stated:
"This Thursday, June 15 [1995], at 12 noon there will be another great noontime concert! Focus employees and guests will have an opportunity to watch authentic Polynesian dancing performed by the Island Breeze Ministries in the Chapelteria from 12:00-1:00 pm. ... Island Breeze is a ministry of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), founded by Sosene & Becky Le'au in 1979 in American Samoa. Don't miss this great opportunity to experience another culture's way of spreading the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."
Spreading the Gospel through Polynesian dancing? The concert seemed to be more of a pagan dancing session than anything else. One person who attended this concert wrote: "This group came complete with loud music, many drums types (sic) and what they called 'kingdom fun.' The 100 plus dicibles (sic) included 'arobics' (sic) in which volunteers standing in position kicked up first one leg and then the other much like a 'chorus' line-up. Visiting kids and Focus adults took part in this event. The 'modest' grass skirts worn by four of their party became fast moving female behinds along with four males whose body movements were suggestive--all to the beat of the music." (Reported in "Is Dr. Dobson Focusing On Your Family?," an article by Dr. Cathy Burns, which was also printed in the 10/9/95, Christian News , pp. 10-11.) [At the FOTF daily devotions meeting held on 1/9/96 (attendance required), Dobson brought in John Bayley, a "Christian Reggae Artist," to perform.]
- Dobson and FOTF are also endorsers of rap music--a rap tape was produced by FOTF. As mentioned earlier, Breakaway is one of the magazines for teens published by FOTF. In 1993, there was a "Radical Rap" contest where the readers of Breakaway were supposed to send in their original rap songs. Forty winners were then chosen and their raps were placed on a cassette tape which was called "Breakaway Raps." Along with these 40 winners, the Breakaway staff did their own rap song. This tape is extremely blasphemous--especially the song by the Breakaway staff. At one point they refer to Jesus Christ as "the Big J.C." At another point they are talking about "the Word" and then one of the rappers chimes in with "Nerd." All this is done while talking about the Living Word--who is Jesus Christ.
A little later on in the tape, the Breakaway staff is talking about the so-called Christian rap group DC Talk. One of the men mentions that another one of the staff had inside information about DC Talk. They then asked him what kind of underwear one of the DC Talk boys wears. He told them that he wears "green polka dot boxers" and then another guy brags that "You heard it here first, ladies and gentlemen!" Is this even remotely Christian? (Eph. 4:29; 5:4) (Reported in "Is Dr. Dobson Focusing On Your Family?," an article by Dr. Cathy Burns, which was also printed in the 10/9/95, Christian News , pp. 10-11.)
- Chuck Colson, the ecumenical Catholic-sympathizer who co-authored the 1994 Catholic Evangelical Accord ("Evangelicals and Catholics Together"), appeared with Dobson and gave the dedication speech for FOTF's new Colorado Springs facility. An excerpt from that speech was printed in the 1/94, FOTF magazine. At the end of the article, under a picture of Dobson and Colson sitting together, FOTF says, "Chuck Colson, a longtime friend of Dr. Dobson, holds the record for being on the most 'Focus on the Family' broadcasts with 17 'appearances.'" Dobson has also promoted Colson's 1993 book, The Body: Being Light in Darkness , wherein Colson calls on evangelicals to join forces with orthodox Catholics and charismatics in the "common cause to combat cultural relativism [atheism & secularism]." [The 4/94, FOTF magazine carried a two-page article extolling the virtues of former Bush Administration official Bill Bennett (pp. 12-13). Bennett is a Roman Catholic, but this fact didn't prevent Dobson from publishing Bennett's book The Devaluing of America .]
Dobson and Colson also have big plans for cleaning up the Church. Dobson reports that at a 5/23/96 FOTF Board meeting, the Board said that "the Lord appears to have ordained two people at this time to speak to the issue of righteousness--Chuck Colson and myself"--and urged Dobson to work with Colson concerning the possibility of doing stadium rallies in 1997; Dobson said Colson was very excited about that. Dobson also said that the Focus Board has decided that the church needs cleaning up, and that he (Dobson) and FOTF intend to take charge and make it happen, with "Chuck Colson's help." (Source: May-June 1996, Foundation magazine, pp. 6-12.)
- Dobson wholeheartedly recommends the books of "Christian" psychiatrists, Paul Meier and Frank Minirth, and frequently hosts them on his radio program. Minirth and Meier are perhaps the "purest" of the Freudian psychologists in the church today, who by cleverly masquerading their discredited Freudianisms as "Christian" have gained widespread acceptability. (See Prophets of PsychoHeresy I , pp. 223-334, for an excellent analysis of Minirth & Meier's Freudian teachings with respect to the unconscious, infantile sexuality, psychic determinism, defense mechanisms, ventilation therapy, birth order, five stages of grief, etc.)
- Dobson is apparently a proponent of Freud's Oedipus Complex theory--in Dobson's bookletRaising Teenagers Right , he responds to a question concerning the time in the life of a child that the sexual nature develops: "No, it occurs long before puberty. Perhaps the most important scientific fact suggested by Freud was his observation that children are not asexual. He [Freud] stated that sexual gratification begins in the cradle and is first associated with feeding" (p. 13). Such a conclusion has little to do with science. The notion that babies connect feeding with sexual gratification is merely another evidence of Freud's obsession with sex. Can Dr. Dobson really believe this nonsense? (CIB Bulletin , Sept. 1990).
- Bill Hybels, the guru of the unbiblical "church growth" movement and a psychologizer like Dobson [e.g., Hybels extols the virtues of Jungian personality theory in his book Honest to God ], is a frequent guest on Dobson's radio program. In 1993, Dobson also added Hybels to the Board of Directors of Focus on the Family.
- Promise Keepers is the gigantic new (1991) "men's movement" among professing evangelical Christians. Its roots are New Age and pagan to the core. The homosexual connections; the psychological lies promoted by Promise Keepers; the unscriptural feminizing of men; the depiction of Jesus as a "phallic messiah" tempted to perform homosexual acts; and the movement's ecumenical and unbiblical teachings should dissuade any true Christian from participating. Promise Keepers is proving to be one of the most ungodly and misleading movements in the annals of Christian history. Nevertheless, Dobson is a promoter of this ecumenical, charismatic, psychologized men's movement--FOTF has published Promise Keepers-sponsored books, radio programs featuring Promise Keepers have been aired on FOTF radio, and Dobson was a featured speaker at one of Promise Keepers National Conferences in Boulder, Colorado.
It appears that some of the nonsense associated with Promise Keepers has rubbed-off on Dobson. On 7/20/94-7/21/94, the FOTF radio program had on a "Christian" magician whose gimmick was putting handcuffs on people to "show" them about the bondage that young people were in. Dobson and co-host Mike Trout were sitting there in handcuffs, crying as they talked about drugs, homosexuality, and manhood. This is not normal behavior! [Dobson continues to endorse PK, regardless of the problems surrounding it--see Dobson's 11/95, FOTF letter. Dobson and FOTF also sponsored (on 2/14/96) a three-hour evening reception for the approximately 40,000 pastors at PK's National Clergy Conference in Atlanta.]
- In the 7/93, FOTF magazine, Dobson replied to a question from a homosexual who was writing to protest "derogatory and demeaning references to gay people." Dobson's reply to this sodomite is amazing. In typical psychologically-positive fashion, Dobson begins by saying, "More than anything else, I appreciate the respectful, conciliatory and very Christian attitude you conveyed in broaching an extremely emotional and controversial subject with me." Can an unrepentant homosexual have a "Christian attitude" about anything, let alone homosexuality? Homosexuals can certainly be saved, but they will be born again, they will be changed, they will not continue in their sin and rebellion against the Word of God (1 Cor. 6:11).
Dobson does not tell the homosexual that he disagrees with his understanding of Scripture, but instead says, "Let me simply say that the same Scriptures that condemn homosexuality and premarital heterosexuality also tell us to accept those who are in violation of these ordinances. Jesus was more compassionate toward the woman caught in the very act of intercourse--a capital offense in those days--than He was toward the hypocrites in the church. This is our model and our mandate." This is amazing! It is true that Christ was compassionate toward the woman caught in adultery, but Dobson fails to clarify that Christ instructed the adulterous woman to "go and sin no more." The adulterer, the homosexual, the thief, the murderer--all can be saved. But God's Word to all sinners is "repent" and "go and sin no more," not acceptance! Why does Dobson refuse to preach this? (O Timothy , Vol. 10, Issue 10, 1993).
- In 1992, Dobson formed a new team to minister to pastors and to help them "balance their competing roles as spouses, parents and spiritual leaders." This outreach is headed by Dobson's cousin, H.B. London, Jr., who also was Dobson's pastor at the First Church of the Nazarene in Pasadena, California, before assuming the new position in Dobson's organization. In an interview from his office at Focus on the Family headquarters in Colorado Springs, London said, "Every pastor deserves the right to be a father or a mother , a husband or a wife , along with their duties as a pastor ." This reveals the compromise attitude of Focus on the Family toward Biblical teaching. God forbids a woman to be a pastor (1 Tim. 2:12), yet Focus on the Family refuses to require what God requires in pastoral leadership. Instead, they will "minister" to female pastors and encourage them in their rebellious positions in ruling over men. (Excerpted from O Timothy , Volume 9, Issue 8, 1992, p. 26.)
- On Dobson's 4/23/92 Focus on the Family radio program, he discussed Chapters 3 and 4 from his 1987 book Love for a Lifetime . Apparently, 12-step programs were also popular back then--Dobson detailed the "12 steps to romantic bonding," originally developed by pop psychologizer Dr. Donald Joy. These 12-steps are: eye to body contact/eye to eye/voice to voice/hand to hand/hand to shoulder/hand to waist/face to face/hand to head/hand to body/ mouth to breast/hand to genitals/sexual intercourse. Dobson explained two keys to understanding this "romantic bonding" process:
(1) He got them from Scripture! (no where does he document this)
(2) No skipping of steps or getting out of order without risk of seriously damaging the later marriage relationship! (What if someone accidentally touched his girl friend's hair before he kissed her--i.e., what if "hand to head" contact were made before "face to face" contact? Would that, as Dobson believes, irrevocably damage the future marriage relationship? What utter nonsense!)
- Norman Cousins is globalist, new-age occultist and a leader in the infamous human potential movement. His book, The Healing Heart , also endorses all kinds of mind control techniques, including transcendental meditation. He is also an evolutionist and a humanist. He enthusiastically says: "We are seeing a new breed of scientific humanists and humanistic scientists." On other occasions, Cousins refers to "the gods," which should be obvious where he stands on the issue of a personal and knowable God. Cousins also helped found Planetary Citizens, an organization whose purpose is to aid the "World Servers everywhere." The purpose of the World Servers is to serve as the "vanguard for the reappearance of the Christ"--the New Age Christ.
On 9/17/84, Cousins was scheduled to be on Dobson's FOTF radio show. Many calls of protest were received at Focus and, at the last minute, the program was pulled. However, one year later this program was sneaked into the schedule. This time the program listing didn't mention Norman Cousins' name, so no one knew to protest it. Dobson played a 20-minute segment from a Cousins' four-hour tape series. The theme of this segment was the ways in which thoughts affect physical health. Much of the teaching was quite similar to that of the human potential movement and holistic health. Cousins even related a story of mind over matter, where a person used "mind control" to manage pain and control bleeding. This should have been easily recognized by Dobson and/or the Focus on the Family staff for what it was--a promotion of a New Age technique used by yogis and other occultists, and practiced by witch doctors for thousands of years! Instead, listeners were told by the announcer introducing the tape (Dobson's co-host, Gil Moegerly), "We are fully aware that Norman Cousins does not come from an evangelical Christian perspective, but all truth is God's truth . If it's true, it came from God, and the next twenty minutes we feel are true and valuable and will make a contribution in your life."
Even worse, another endorsement was given at the end of the program along with a toll-free telephone number. It supposedly had been stipulated that Dobson provide the telephone number in order to use the Cousins' segment. The number was that of the Nightingale-Conant Corporation. A catalog of their videos was sent to those calling the number. This catalog contained videos on yoga, affirmations, positive thinking, and other New Age oriented techniques. One wonders how many people received this catalog, and were subsequently led into occult techniques, thanks to the indiscretion of Dr. Dobson and Focus on the Family. (Reported in "Is Dr. Dobson Focusing On Your Family?," an article by Dr. Cathy Burns, which was also printed in the 10/9/95, Christian News , pp. 10-11.)
Conclusion : Dobson's ministry is loaded with false teaching. He has been confronted many times by Christian leaders and has rejected every rebuke. He is causing divisions by his worldly teachings that are contrary to sound doctrine and, therefore, he must be avoided (Rom. 16:17; 1 Jn. 2:15-17). Further, his works are works of darkness ("destructive heresies"--2 Pe. 2:1-4) which we should have no fellowship with, but rather reprove them (Eph. 5:11). He is a deceiver who claims to be a Christian whose mouth must be stopped, who is subverting whole houses teaching things which he ought not. He professes to know God, but in his works, he denies Him, being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate (Titus 1:10-16). He is preaching another gospel other than that which we have received; therefore, let him be accursed (Gal. 1:8,9).
Although Dobson professes to be a Christian, he continually denies Jesus Christ by adding to His Word the philosophy and false teaching of the world. He, thus, is a type of Antichrist (2 John 7). He transgresses and abides not in the doctrine of Christ. Therefore, the Scripture says he hath not God (2 John 9), and those who bid him well, support him, or sponsor him are partakers of his evil deeds (2 John 11). We are called by God to hate every false way (Psa. 119:104,127,128,163). Is Dobson's way a false way? We believe with all our hearts before God that it is.
*Must reading for anyone desiring a fuller understanding of Dobson's teachings is Prophets of PsychoHeresy II: Critiquing Dr. James C. Dobson , Martin & Deidre Bobgan, EastGate Publishers, Santa Barbara, CA, 1990, 310 pages.
I didn't know we were ALLOWED to make posts that long!
