Focus on the Family

About

Focus on the Family (FOTF) is a fundamentalist Protestant organization founded in 1977 by James Dobson in Southern California, now based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It emerged as one of several evangelical parachurch organizations that gained prominence in the 1980s. As of its 2017 tax filing, Focus on the Family declared itself a church, a move aimed at protecting donor confidentiality, despite traditional definitions of churches involving regular worship services and congregants.

David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons

What is the Organization Known For?

The organization is known for its strong opposition to LGBT rights, particularly regarding marriage, adoption, and parenting, which it labels as "particularly evil lies of Satan." Focus on the Family also advocates for changes in public policy on various issues, including sex education, creationism, abortion, school prayer, and the enforcement of specific gender roles. Its core activities include a daily radio broadcast hosted by president Jim Daly and vice president John Fuller, along with providing resources, publishing literature, and creating targeted programs like "Adventures in Odyssey" for children.

U.S. Department of State, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Mike Pence

On June 23, 2017, Vice President Mike Pence attended Focus on the Family's 40th anniversary celebration, where he praised founder James Dobson and affirmed President Donald Trump's support for the organization's goals, including the abolition of Planned Parenthood. Pence's presence at the event, coupled with Focus on the Family's positions on LGBT rights, drew criticism from the Human Rights Campaign, highlighting concerns over the administration's alignment with the group's controversial stances.

James Dobson Controversy

U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, an evangelical Christian, was disappointed by James Dobson's embrace of pseudoscientific and homophobic claims about AIDS, criticizing his approach during the crisis. Koop viewed the AIDS epidemic as a chance for Christian service that Dobson squandered, calling out the actions of Dobson and fellow evangelist D. James Kennedy as "reprehensible" in 1989.

In her book Jesus and John Wayne, Kristin Kobes Du Mez critiques the vision of Christian masculinity promoted by Dobson and others, arguing it promised protection for women while ultimately failing to uphold justice. Former Focus on the Family executive Gil Alexander-Moegerle similarly lambasted Dobson in his book James Dobson's War on America, portraying him as hypocritical and power-hungry. Theologian Donald Eric Capps condemned Dobson's methods of corporal punishment, arguing they exploit children's needs for love and could lead to abuse, asserting that such techniques contradict the principles of nurturing a loving parent-child relationship.