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OLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (BP)--Focus on the Family's Love Won Out conferences, which equip the church to reach out to homosexuals, are being transferred to Exodus International, the longtime partners have announced. The transitioning of the conferences from Colorado-based Focus on the Family to Florida-based Exodus comes 11 years after the first Love One Out conference was held. Exodus International speakers always have been featured prominently at the conferences, and Focus on the Family says it will continue to provide speakers and financial support to the conferences. A joint press release Aug. 11 said the transition was a "logical step for...

Focus on the Family announced on Tuesday that it will be passing the reigns of its Love Won Out conferences on homosexuality to another ministry. he move is a logical step, the Colorado Springs-based evangelical organization said, especially as it faces a "serious" budget shortfall. "Everyone knows these are challenging times for organizations and individuals all across the globe," said Gary Schneeberger, vice president of media and public relations for Focus on the Family, in a statement. "It is not an inexpensive undertaking to put on a Love Won Out event; and contrary to what our detractors say, the conferences...

Imagine you're at Focus on the Family to watch founder James Dobson formally step down from the board after three decades. The newly powerful ministry president—the micro-managerial Dobson is now officially powerless—steps to the mic and says: "What we want to see are more families like Barack Obama's."Would never happen, right?Well, it already has. The Denver Post reports on Focus's newish CEO, Jim Daly, who wants to trade Focus's image as a Christian right group in for one of as a family-focused ministry. After all, apolitical, family-focused work still absorbs the vast majority of Focus's resources.A few key graphs...

President George W. Bush assistant Tim Goeglein interviewed by Dr. James Dobson, on Dobson's Focus on the Family radio broadcast. Three day broadcast. Goeglein present an articulate defense of President Bush as wartime president and pro-life president. Listen for the long list of pro-life accomplishments of Bush in the 2nd hour. I do not see a transcript yet. Radio Show site: http://listen.family.org/daily/A000002029.cfm Focus on the Family site: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/

Tim Goeglein, a former special assistant to President George W. Bush, offers an insider's perspective on the Bush administration. Goelein emphasizes President Bush's daily prayer and guidance from God while a war-time president. Three day interview. http://www.focusonthefamily.com/about_us/dr_dobson_shows.aspx

In a move that will surprise gay activists and liberals, a spokesperson for Focus on the Family, a top religious right group, tells me that his organization has no problem with GOP Senator Jeff Sessions' claim today that he's open to a Supreme Court nominee with "gay tendencies." The spokesperson confirms the group won't oppose a gay SCOTUS nominee over sexual orientation. "We agree with Senator Sessions," Bruce Hausknecht, a spokesperson for Focus on the Family, which was founded by top religious right figure James Dobson, told me a few minutes ago. "The issue is not their sexual orientation. It's...

James Dobson claims the culture war has been lost! In a message to his staff at Focus on the Family that was never meant to be heard by the outside world, Dr. James Dobson, in his own words, stated that the culture war had been lost. After the tape of his talk was leaked to the public, he began damage control, going on Sean Hannity's program (he went on no other programs despite numerous offers by other programs to have him on) since Hannity would never challenge him, claiming the "media took him out of context." The fact is, the...

<p>America's religious Right has conceded that the election of US President Barack Obama has sealed its defeat in the cultural war with permissiveness and secularism.</p> <p>Leading evangelicals have admitted that their association with George W. Bush has not only hurt the cause of social conservatives but contributed to the failure of the key objectives of their 30-year struggle.</p>

Before a backdrop of soaring stained glass and the 6,000 gleaming pipes of a Ruffatti pipe organ, Tullian Tchividjian on March 15 preached one of the pivotal sermons of his life. Tchividjian, 36, pastor of New City Presbyterian Church in Margate, Fla., was preaching 12 miles down the road in Fort Lauderdale. The occasion: Tchividjian's nomination to succeed D. James Kennedy as senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. There had been some dissent in the congregation over who would fill Kennedy's sizable shoes. Kennedy founded the church in 1959 and pastored it for 47 years. In 1974, he launched...

Here's the Associated Press story. It says there's no hint of anything untoward behind the move. The 72-year-old founder of the conservative evangelical group "will continue to host Focus on the Family's flagship radio program, write a monthly newsletter and speak out on moral issues." Focus on the Family says Dobson's resignation as chairman "lessens his administrative burden" and is the latest step in a succession plan that he put in place six years ago, when he stepped down as president and CEO.

Conservative evangelical leader James Dobson has resigned as chairman of Focus on the Family but will continue to play a prominent role at the organization he founded more than three decades ago.

Dobson Resigns as Chairman of Focus on the Family By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS February 27, 2009 DENVER (AP) -- Conservative evangelical leader James Dobson has resigned as chairman of Focus on the Family but will continue to play a prominent role at the organization he founded more than three decades ago, The Associated Press has learned. Dobson notified the board of his decision Wednesday, and the 950 employees of the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based ministry were informed Friday morning at a weekly worship service, said Jim Daly, the group's president and chief executive officer. Dobson, 72, will continue to host Focus...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. » A Colorado Springs-based evangelical group spent more than three times the amount spent by the Mormon church to support a California ballot initiative that outlawed gay marriage. Data released this week by the California secretary of state's office show Focus on the Family donated $657,000 in money and services to ProtectMarriage.com, a California coalition that supported Proposition 8. A September report indicated Focus on the Family had contributed $448,406. Focus vice president of media relations Gary Schneeberger says the most recent figure includes the value of non-cash contributions such as mailing costs and time on radio...

Conservative ministry Focus on the Family has removed from its website an article about the latest book (The Christmas Sweater) by former CNN host Glenn Beck in response to complaints over his Mormon ties. Even though the book has no mention of his faith, the campaign against him and his book is ongoing by Evangelicals. “Mr. Beck is a member of the Mormon church, and … we did not make mention of this fact in our interview with him,” reads a statement prepared for the ministry’s receptionists, according to Joel Campbell, the Mormon media observer for the MormonTimes. “We do...

Early in November, the popular online dating company eHarmony settled with the New Jersey Attorney General's Division on Civil Rights (DCR) over allegations that the company violated the state's anti-discrimination law by limiting its matching service to heterosexual couples. In 2005, gay New Jersey resident Eric McKinley had filed a complaint with the state, and in July 2007 the director of the DCR issued a finding of probable cause that eHarmony had violated the statute. In the face of mounting legal costs and the risk of crippling civil and administrative liabilities--stemming not only from the New Jersey investigation but other...

When Focus on the Family recently announced the deepest job cuts in its 32-year history, it was just the latest headline in a saga of a sad economy. After all, layoffs are seemingly the norm in a recession where unemployment is at a 15-year high. But supporters and critics of the Colorado Springs-based Christian ministry have been quick to question whether more is at play than hard times alone. Has its high-profile political stances hurt its public relations? Is its audience aging or shrinking? Did it reach a peak that, for some reason, has passed? Based on numbers, Focus' situation...

(Ceremony also included a protest of Dr. Dobson)Some of radio’s best gathered for the National Radio Hall of Fame ceremony Saturday night. If I start name-dropping – beyond the inductees who where there, like Art Bell, Howie Carr, Dr. James Dobson, Mickey Luckoff, Charlie Tuna – I’ll have to leave a lot of people out. So let me just paraphrase the classy remark of KGO/KSFO, San Francisco Mickey Luckoff – he just hopes he’s been as good to radio as radio’s been to him. Truth is, radio’s been good to the entire roomful of people at Chicago’s Renaissance Hotel, including...

So, President Bush throws $2.2 billion down the Planned Parenthood rathole and I'm supposed to thank him for not wasting the federal tax dollars of pro-life taxpayers? Well, yes, that's what the folks at Focus On The Family want me and others to do. The October 2008 issue of Citizen magazine has in it (page 6) a full-page article with the headline: "Thanks, Mr. President." A smaller headline reads: "Pro-life taxpayers can thank President Bush for keeping their dollars from being misspent." This article is an interview with Ashley Horne, a "federal policy analyst" for Focus On The Family Action.

The evangelical movement is fearful on many fronts, Mark Hennessy discovers in Colorado Springs QUIETLY SPOKEN, religiously and politically conservative, and living in the heartland of evangelical Christianity in the US, Daniel Lopez pondered the end of time that could come if Barack Obama becomes president. "When I think of it, it brings to mind the prophecies that the Bible tells us about," said Lopez, sitting in the shade outside Focus on the Family's headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado. "On the one hand, it is exciting for us as conservatives because we can actually see what God prophesied coming about;...

What would America look like after four years of an Obama administration? "Hardship," "persecution" and "suffering" are among the prospects in a hypothetical letter from a "Christian from 2012" released today by evangelical leader James Dobson's political activist group Focus on the Family Action. Titled "Letter from 2012 in Obama’s America," the piece clearly targets the many evangelical Christians seeking "change," particularly the young, who could tip the election in favor of the Illinois Democrat . At the end of the letter, the fictional Christian laments that these people "simply did not realize Obama's far-left agenda would take away many...

Amid a blizzard of disheartening polls a month out from the general election, the John McCain-Sarah Palin Republican ticket got some great news this afternoon: A clear go-ahead signal to millions of evangelicals across the country from Dr. James Dobson, founder and chairman of FocDr James Dobson founder and chairman of Focus on the Family who radio program and newsletters reach millions of evangelicals approves a vote for the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palinus on the Family, to vote for the GOP ticket. It couldn't have come at a better time given more polls showing a Democratic...

Dr. James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family issued the following statement: "In the 32-year history of Focus on the Family, we have offered prayer, counseling and resource assistance to tens of thousands of parents and children in the same situation the Palins are now facing. We have always encouraged the parents to love and support their children and always advised the girls to see their pregnancies through, even though there will of course be challenges along the way. That is what the Palins are doing, and they should be commended once again for not just talking about their...

Dr. James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family issued the following statement: "In the 32-year history of Focus on the Family, we have offered prayer, counseling and resource assistance to tens of thousands of parents and children in the same situation the Palins are now facing. We have always encouraged the parents to love and support their children and always advised the girls to see their pregnancies through, even though there will of course be challenges along the way. That is what the Palins are doing, and they should be commended once again for not just talking about their...

<p>"In the 32-year history of Focus on the Family, we have offered > prayer, counseling and resource assistance to tens of thousands of > parents and children in the same situation the Palins find themselves > in. We have always encouraged the parents to love and support their > children and always advised the girls to see their pregnancies > through, even though there will of course be challenges along the way. > That is what the Palins are doing and they should be commended for > once again not just talking about their pro-life and pro-family > values, but in living them out even in the midst of trying circumstances. > > "Being a Christian does not mean you're perfect. Nor does it mean that > your children are perfect. But it does mean that there is forgiveness > and restoration when we confess our imperfections to the Lord. I've > been the beneficiary of that forgiveness and restoration in my own > life countless times, as I'm sure the Palins have." > > "The media is already trying to spin this as evidence that Gov. Palin > is a 'hypocrite,' but all it really means is that she and her family are human. > They are in my prayers and those of millions of Americans."</p>

Call it the Palin effect -- John McCain's choice of Alaska's governor Sarah Palin has motivated many conservatives previously reluctant to support his candidacy to surrender their enthusiastic support. Notably among them is Dr. James Dobson, the very influential conservative leader, who heads the nationwide Focus on the Family organization. Dr. Dobson, who has flatly declared that he would not vote for McCain now says he will, and attributes his change of mind to the senator's choice of solidly conservative pro-life Gov. Palin to be his running mate. Earlier this year, Dr. Dobson had announced on the nationally syndicated “The...

Earlier this year Dr. Jim Dobson, President of Focus on the Family made news when he announced on “The Dennis Prager Show” that he “cannot and will not vote for Senator John McCain.” Today, on The Dennis Prager Show, the conservative leader changed course and announced his enthusiastic support on the heels of the announcement by Senator McCain of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate. Dennis Prager: I have a guest here who’s extremely significant in American life, whether you call it American political, certainly American religious life, one of the best known Christians in America—...

  Dr. James Dobson: McCain’s Choice of Palin 'Outstanding'   Focus Action founder cites 'bravery and integrity' of Alaska governor Colorado Springs, Colo. – Focus on the Family Action founder and chairman James C. Dobson, Ph.D., issued the following statement today after learning that Sen. John McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, had selected Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate:“Sen. McCain’s selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is an outstanding choice that should be extremely reassuring to the conservative base of his party. She is a strong executive who hates corruption and puts principle above politics.  After floating the...

New video feature will zero in on the issues and events - an online video series to keep you up to date on the election. Host Stuart Shepard gets insights on the presidential race from Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and public policy at Focus Action. Family advocates from across the nation will appear in upcoming episodes. "This is a challenging year for Christian conservatives to sort through where the leading candidates stand on pro-family issues," Shepard said. "We'll cut through the hype and the campaign ads and shine a light on how they view the sanctity of...

A Christian fundamentalist group is praying for a deluge to drown out Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention in two weeks' time. Focus on the Family is asking for "abundant, torrential" downpours to flood Denver and silence Senator Obama when he accepts the Democratic Party's presidential nomination on August 28....

CHICAGO, August 1, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The National Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago has drawn the wrath of homosexual activists who object to the induction of Dr. James Dobson, a major figure in the US Christian pro-life and family movement. Wayne Besen, a homosexual activist, organised a campaign against the Hall of Fame that resulted in several hundred emails demanding that Dr. Dobson be removed from the list of nominees.  Dr. Dobson is the founder and head of Focus on the Family, one of the most prominent US Protestant evangelical organisations. According to homosexual activist Wayne Besen, Dr. Dobson...

Focus on the Family is speaking out against a new pro-Obama radio ad airing on Christian radio. The ad calls for "a better Christian witness in politics." The new liberal political action committee Matthew 25 is running pro-Barack Obama ads on Christian radio. Salem Radio affiliate KBIQ 102.7 FM in Colorado Springs, Colorado -- home to Focus on the Family -- aired an ad that came in response to Dr. James Dobson’s recent criticism of the presidential candidate's theological views. Following is an excerpt from the radio ad: "You know it’s an election year when certain people start grabbing headlines...

In January, Focus on the Family’s James Dobson ruled out voting for John McCain, if he won the Republican nomination. “Speaking as a private individual, I would not vote for John McCain under any circumstances,” Dobson said in a statement. In February, just as McCain was wrapping up the GOP nod, Dobson reiterated that McCain was unacceptable. As recently as April, Dobson told the WSJ, “I have seen no evidence that Sen. McCain is successfully unifying the Republican Party or drawing conservatives into his fold. To the contrary, he seems intent on driving them away.” Dobson added that McCain has...

<p>There seems to be a kumbaya moment occurring on the conservative front, and it’s one that would apply a salve to Senator John McCain’s uneven, unsettled relationship with the religious right.</p> <p>Enter James Dobson, who has at times been blistering in his criticisms of Mr. McCain. The religious right’s more favored candidates — from former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to even former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson — are no longer options.</p>

Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family -- who has stayed unusually quiet in this election cycle likely due to his loathing of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. -- will tomorrow attack Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, on Tuesday for a speech the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee delivered in 2006 to the liberal Christian group Call to Renewal. The AP was given an advance copy of Dobson's 18-minute radio segment, which has already been taped, and will air Tuesday. In it, Dobson hammers Obama's views of religion, and says the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is trying to...

(also) Having a "Fruitcake" Interpretation of the ConstitutionDr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family -- who has stayed unusually quiet in this election cycle likely due to his loathing of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. -- will tomorrow attack Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, on Tuesday for a speech the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee delivered in 2006 to the liberal Christian group Call to Renewal. The AP was given an advance copy of Dobson's 18-minute radio segment, which has already been taped, and will air Tuesday. In it, Dobson hammers Obama's views of religion, and says the...

"Hate crimes" laws were defeated in Congress just a few months ago. Just a few weeks ago, Frank Wright of the National Religious Broadcasters Association warned, "We must be one in Christ to face the days ahead" because "hate crimes" laws would create untold new liability for Christians. Now a major Christian ministry has confirmed that such "hate crimes" laws already are setting limits on what it can broadcast. The issue is "hate crimes" laws in Canada, and they are affecting U.S. Christian ministries that broadcast into that nation. WND reported just a week ago on a Christian ministry based...

James Dobson, one of the nation’s most prominent evangelical Christian leaders, backed Mike Huckabee’s presidential bid Thursday night, giving the former Arkansas governor a long-sought endorsement as the Republican field narrowed to a two-man race. In a statement first obtained by The Associated Press, Dobson reiterated his declaration on Super Tuesday that he could not in good conscience vote for John McCain, the front-runner, because of concerns over the Arizona senator’s conservative credentials. Dobson said given the situation at that point, he was reluctant to choose between “two pro-family candidates whom I could support” — Huckabee and former Massachusetts Gov....

One final bleat for attention, a finger in the eye of the party that’s about to cross him by nominating someone not to his liking and a last-ditch bid to embarrass McCain by mobilizing evangelicals into giving Huck an upset victory somewhere next week. To fully appreciate this you have to listen to the snippet of audio from Dennis Prager in the update to this post from two days ago. He doesn’t endorse in primaries, he says, because it’s up to the people to separate the gold from the dross. Oh, wait — Mitt Romney’s dropped out? Really? Well, that’s...

James Dobson, one of the nation's most prominent evangelical Christian leaders, is about to endorse former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, The Associated Press has learned. Dobson, founder of Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Focus on the Family, talked to the GOP presidential hopeful Thursday and later was to release a statement explaining his choice, said Gary Schneeberger, a spokesman for Dobson. Huckabee had long sought Dobson's endorsement, believing he is the best fit to advance Dobson's conservative, moral worldview. Until now, Dobson had never endorsed a GOP presidential hopeful during the primary campaign. But he ruled out front-runner John McCain in a...

I am deeply disappointed the Republican Party seems poised to select a nominee who did not support a Constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage, voted for embryonic stem cell research to kill nascent human beings, opposed tax cuts that ended the marriage penalty, has little regard for freedom of speech, organized the Gang of 14 to preserve filibusters in judicial hearings, and has a legendary temper and often uses foul and obscene language. I am convinced Sen. McCain is not a conservative, and in fact, has gone out of his way to stick his thumb in the eyes...

<p>Christian right leaders are abuzz today because a new online candidate guide that has been posted by Focus on the Family Action, the political arm of Jim Dobson's conservative Christian empire. The webpage offers edited excerpts of recent webcasts with the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins, explaining where the candidates stand on "pro-family issues."</p>

An executive for one of the nation's leading evangelical groups says in a video voter guide that Mitt Romney has "acknowledged Mormonism is not a Christian faith," although the GOP presidential candidate has said he follows Jesus Christ and his church insists it is Christian. Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and public policy at Focus on the Family Action, said in an interview Friday that the comment was his interpretation of Romney's December "Faith in America" speech that was meant to reassure voters about his religion. Minnery said that he spoke with the campaign after the video was...

Two of the nation’s most prominent family values organizations lambasted rising Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama as “extremely” liberal and “no friend” to values voters during an analysis this week of the New Hampshire primary. Obama, who won the Iowa caucuses and came in second in the primary, was denounced as a “fundamentalist left-winger” on social issues by Focus on the Family’s (FOTF) Tom Minnery. Minnery, FOTF’s vice president of public policy, pointed out that Obama is against the federal marriage amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman; is against the abstinence program in...

Focus on the Family Action has released the latest list of retailers that are censoring Christmas...and those that are not. Click on the link to view the PDF file.....

WASHINGTON – Some of the top leaders in Christian pro-family activism – including James Dobson of Focus on the Family – met in Salt Lake City yesterday to plot a strategy if Rudy Giuliani or another supporter of legalized abortion is nominated by the Republican Party as its presidential candidate. Not only was there a consensus among activists to withhold support for the Republican nominee, there was even discussion about supporting the entry of a new candidate to challenge the frontrunners. It's no secret that Dobson, founder of one of the largest Christian ministries in the country, has no use...

Dear Friends, You have probably heard at least a little bit in the past several days about Dr. James Dobson’s comments regarding presidential candidate Fred Thompson. It is true that Dr. Dobson, as a private citizen in an e-mail to friends, raised questions about former Sen. Thompson’s suitability to be president. What has not been true, in the days that have followed, is the media’s attempt to paint the incident as World War III among socially conservative Christians. Do some other evangelical leaders disagree with Dr. Dobson’s opinion about Sen. Thompson? Yes. But that is hardly uncommon in the realm...

Fred Thompson commented further, today, on the attack made against him by Dr. James Dobson over a week ago. Fred has said very little, despite the hateful and inaccurate attack made by Dobson in a "private" email, just privately calculated enough for all the world to see. Since the attack, clearly designed to keep Evangelical Voters from siding with Fred, Fred has been defended by other Conservative Values Leaders like Gary Bauer and Southern Baptist Richard Land. But when asked about it again today, Fred had a little more to say, and he said it very well: "Thompson again dismissed...

A well-known evangelical leader is encouraging conservative Christians to give presidential hopeful Fred Thompson and all other candidates a fair chance not long after another prominent conservative leader criticized the former senator for being too weak on key issues. Although he doesn’t endorse Thompson, former Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer contends that conservative Christians should seriously consider him if they want to avoid a “nightmare scenario” where they are forced to choose between two pro-abortion, pro-gay rights candidates – Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani. “He (Thompson)’s obviously against same-sex marriage. He doesn’t support quite the same constitutional amendment that some...

About the only thing worse than painting yourself in a corner is doing it when the floor doesn’t need painting in the first place. So I was doubly disappointed a couple of days ago when Dr. James Dobson, a one-time child psychologist who has become a leading Christian activist, absolutely skewered presidential candidate Fred Thompson in what was to me a dazzling display of dumb. I’ve long admired and adored Dr. Dobson’s “Focus on the Family” and believe he’s a genius when it comes to kids. This week, in what was called “a private e-mail to friends,” the doctor proved...

DENVER (AP) — James Dobson, one of the nation's most politically influential evangelical Christians, made it clear in a message to friends this week he will not support Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson. In a private e-mail obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, Dobson accuses the former Tennessee senator and actor of being weak on the campaign trail and wrong on issues dear to social conservatives. "Isn't Thompson the candidate who is opposed to a Constitutional amendment to protect marriage, believes there should be 50 different definitions of marriage in the U.S., favors McCain-Feingold, won't talk at all about what...