I may get blasted here....but I think NRTL was right in what they did to the Colorado group. The Colorado group blasted Dr Dobson publicly. The letter was posted on FR, I believe. If you find it and reread it you may see it in a different light.
I have trouble with the letter for several reasons.
1 - The author who wrote the article should have gone directly to Dr Dobson. If that approach did give them understanding, the next step, biblically would be to take a brother with and confront again. If that does not gain the insight, then bring it to the church. Where does it say to publicly tear down a brother in the Lord, in scripture??? It doesn't.
2 - If, in fact, this letter were meant to bring correction to a straying brother or sister, it would not have been written in the form it was written in. It was written with detailed, nearly line by line, tearing apart! Whenever that is being done, it is NEVER being done in the interest of Christian admonition.
3 - Dr Dobson did not write the Supreme Court response, nor did he say it meant everything was all over. His words were carefully chosen and spoken. The letter tries to apply blame to Dr Dobson that is not his to take. The real 'anger' should have been vented in a more appropriate direction. They were upset with the ruling and its verbage...then hold those who wrote it responsible.
4 - The other issue that concerned me was their need to include other Pro-Life names and organizations in this attack, as if it were picking sides. They even wrote it in such as a way as to lead the public to thinking that everyone whose name was attached to the letter was supporting it. To the best of my knowledge that was not so. A major figure speaking against parts of the Supreme Court's written decision does not qualify as support for the letter they wrote!
I was proud of Dr Dobson's letter that came out a week or two later. He never publicly attacked the Colorado Right To Life, but he did address some of the issues they questioned by quoting his previous words, so people knew what was said. Then he went on to further explain that this was a step in the right direction but not the end of it all.
I truly believe that the letter was instigated, on a spiritual level, to cause further division in the Pro-Life movement. It has happened here in South Dakota, and is now occurring at the national level, as well, being supported by letters such as this! "A house divided against itself will surely fall!" When the enemy can cause division within the ranks of the opponent, the enemy WINS!
The NRTL took a stand and said that one of their state organizations should not act in such a way as to write a public letter tearing down another Pro-Life leader. They did what was right, IMHO.
There have been times in the past where I have questioned the moves of certain Pro-Life organizations. After doing further research, I find there were good reasons for such decisions. Sometimes those organizations do not come out with the full explanation, putting themselves in a complicated position. The public doesn't know all the ins and outs of the issues as well as others working on it for years, and we only see or hear what little is put out there for us. Because of this, the public makes judgments and has perceptions that are not necessarily true because they are made on bits and pieces of information rather than full disclosure.
I am watching as the Devil is splitting the Pro-Life movement. Will we wake up in time to see what he is doing and to correct it? Will we take a stand against the division? Will we be able to take our own personal hurts, stop coddling them and let them go to forgive those who have caused the hurt, and bring healing?
The Pro-Life movement is made up of many organizations. Each organization has a key role to play, reaches a certain target group, and has its specified means to reach the goal. HOWEVER, the goal, the end goal for all of these organizations is the SAME! Can we not focus on the goal, and the fact that we are all trying to keep it moving in the same direction? Only this will bring the movement back together...with a unified front against the abortion industry.
What will each of you choose? To sit on the sidelines, complain and do nothing? Cause further division? Or will you take an active role, and be a part of the healing and restoration of unity in the movement?
Again,
"A house divided against itself will surely fall."
FOTF had the open letter sent to them with the
request to agree to meet so that the letter
wouldn’t have to be published.
They chose to ignore it.