Posted on 03/28/2007 2:36:11 PM PDT by SubGeniusX
Focus on the Family founder James Dobson has dealt a potentially devastating blow to Fred Thompson’s presidential aspirations, saying the former senator is not a Christian.
"Everyone knows he’s conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for,” Dobson – considered the most politically powerful evangelical figure in the U.S. – said in a phone call to Dan Gilgoff, senior editor at U.S. News & World Report.
"[But] I don’t think he’s a Christian. At least that’s my impression.”
Thompson’s spokesman Mark Corallo took issue with the statement.
"Thompson is indeed a Christian,” he said. "He was baptized into the Church of Christ.”
Focus on Family spokesman Gary Schneeberger sought to clarify Dobson’s statement, telling Gilgoff that while Dobson didn’t believe Thompson belonged to a non-Christian faith, he "has never known Thompson to be a committed Christian – someone who openly talks about his faith.
"We use that word – Christian – to refer to people who are evangelical Christians. Dobson wasn’t expressing a personal opinion about his reaction to a Thompson candidacy.”
Thompson has said he is leaving the door open for a presidential run. A Gallup-USA Today poll released on Tuesday has the Tennessee Republican running third behind Rudolph Giuliani and John McCain among Republicans and Republican-leaning voters.
Although Dobson has not endorsed any Republican presidential candidate, he told Gilgoff that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was the "brightest guy out there” and "the most articulate politicians on the scene today.”
Gilgoff is the author of the new book "The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America Are Winning the Culture War.”
In the 2004 race, Dobson gave the first public presidential endorsement of his career, supporting George Bush. Bush got almost 6 million new white evangelical votes in 2004 that he didn’t get in 2000.
I'm normally a BIG fan of Dobson, but I sure do not think it was a good idea for him to say someone is NOT a Christian unless he KNOWS.
I cannot believe he would basically endorse Newt (over Thompson) like that after Newt has admitted to having an extramarital affair.
Neither is Rudy Giuliani. Rudy doesn't have the balls to say what his real faith is.
By the way, all people sin all the time, including born again Christians.
Why don't you do the country a favor and move to Iran or Pakistan.
Rhetorical, right? Beside liking the sound of his voice, Dobson was, wink-wink, reminding people that Thompson isn't the right kind of Christian. (But you probably already knew that...)
I have no idea what Dobson yaks about most of the time. I'm RC, so I don't pay him or falwell or any televangelist any attention.
And Dobson is relevant because?
You may be surprised to find this in the Delaware Constitution of 1776:
Art. 22. Every person who shall be chosen a member of either house, or appointed to any office or place of trust . . . shall . . . make and subscribe the following declaration, to wit: "I ________, do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God, Blessed for evermore; and I do acknowledge the holy scripture of the Old and New Testaments to be given by divine inspiration."
Exactly. Which seems to be a major pastime for some Freepers around here, too.
I know. It seems they are almost emboldened as of late. Sigh. Missing the bigger picture entirely...
They have tunnel vision, IMO.
LOL, true enough! Yaks, haha, that does some him up. I, too, am RC. I was interested in what he had to say when the big 'Focus on Family' push started years ago, my son was very young and I thought it could be good, you know, for all Christians. Sigh, it was a little while till it dawned on me that I wasn't the kind of Christian he intended to target. I don't pay him or Falwell much attention anymore. Except to wonder at some of their comments that seem decidedly divisive, cliquish and non-Christian.
Yes. And they're using it to throw the baby out with the bathwater by excluding people who aren't 'their' type of Christian.
/sarc
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