Dobson's people respond

After Dr. James Dobson's bizarre comments on the question of whether or not Fred Thompson is a Christian, I sent the following email to his organization, "Focus on the Family:"

Dr. Dobson is reported as having made the public statement that former Sen. Fred Thompson "is not a Christian," based upon Sen. Thompson's failure to speak about his faith often enough to satisfy him.

If these reports are true, Dr. Dobson needs to publicly repent of the false witness he has borne against Sen. Thompson, as well as of the presumption by which he dares pontificate upon the content of another's heart. An idiosyncratic use of the term "Christian" as a synonym for "evangelical Christian" is no excuse; rather, that inappropriate and arrogant usage itself is a bearing of false witness against all believers in Christ who fail to identify with that movement, or manifest whatever behaviors or vocabulary Dr. Dobson may presume to insist upon.

Dr. Dobson, if the reports are true, is guilty of a grave sin against charity, as well as against Sen. Thompson. His repentence needs to be both public and immediate, lest he bring further dishonor upon the Name of Christ.

Sincerely,
Rev. Robert E. Waters

Since I remain on the roster of the Lutheran Ministerium and Synod-USA (and even did a wedding a few years ago), I'm still a "reverend," even though I'm not serving a parish.

I received a response a couple of days later informing me that there had been so many emails sent to the site lately that replies were a bit backlogged, and that they would be responding shortly. While I don't know this for sure, I surmise that mine was hardly the only message of protest they received!

Yesterday, the following response arrived:

Thanks, Rev. Waters, for your e-mail.

We welcome the opportunity to reply to your comments regarding Dr. Dobson’s remarks that were first reported in Dan Gilgoff’s online article titled “Dobson Offers Insight on 2008 Republican Hopefuls: Focus on the Family Founder Snubs Thompson, Praises Gingrich” (_U.S. News & World Report_, March 28, 2007). At the outset, it’s important to note that this headline is an outright mischaracterization of the views Dr. Dobson expressed. His words weren’t intended as a disparagement of Senator Fred Thompson.

In fact, we can assure you that Dr. Dobson appreciates Senator Thompson’s solid, pro-family voting record and his position that _Roe v. Wade_ was wrongly decided. In his conversation with Mr. Gilgoff, Dr. Dobson, speaking as a private citizen, was attempting to highlight that to the best of his knowledge, Senator Thompson hadn’t clearly communicated his religious faith, and many evangelical Christians might find this a barrier to supporting him. Dr. Dobson told Mr. Gilgoff that he had never met Senator Thompson and wasn’t certain that his understanding of the former Senator’s religious convictions was accurate. Unfortunately, these qualifiers weren’t reported by Mr. Gilgoff. We were, however, pleased to learn from his spokesperson that Senator Thompson professes to be a believer.

Also, it may be of interest to know that Dr. Dobson received a cordial e-mail from Senator Thompson saying that he was surprised initially upon reading the article by Mr. Gilgoff, but then concluded that Dr. Dobson’s remarks had been grossly misrepresented. He urged Dr. Dobson to dismiss the matter and added that he intended to do the same.

In conclusion, let us caution you not to believe what you read about Dr. Dobson in the secular media today. Never in the 30-year history of Focus on the Family has there been more misreporting and outright distortion of his beliefs and teachings. It is apparent that those who represent a liberal worldview seek to marginalize him and confuse our friends. If you ever have a question concerning what you read about Dr. Dobson or our organization, please do contact us for clarification. The chances are you have been misinformed.

Again, thanks for writing. Please pray for Dr. Dobson and this ministry in the days ahead. Grace and peace to you!

Amy Campbell
Focus on the Family Action

Today I responded as follows:

Dear Ms. Campbell,

Thank you for your response, which I find very reassuring.

I feel compelled, however, to observe that if Dr. Dobson's exact words were accurately reported by the media, the misunderstanding you describe was not only understandable, but inevitable. I hope that Dr. Dobson will be more careful with his choice of words in the future.

Blessings on you, Dr. Dobson, and your ministry.

In Christ,
Rev. Robert Waters

Enough said.