Running Against Sodom and Osama

Focus on the Family Action

From an Arcadia, CA radio show that began in 1977, Focus on the Family has grown to become the largest Christian Right organization in the country, with a campus of buildings on 50 acres of land in Colorado Springs, CO, an annual budget of $130 million, and its own zip code. James Dobson is its founder, a Christian conservative trained as a child psychologist. While Dobson has always emphasized the evangelical nature of the group, its mission, according to its own 2000 strategy statement, was to motivate “the people of God to practical action in their communities and our nation in defense of righteousness.”

At two points in Focus’ history, it became clear that Dobson would need a separate organization to representing the group when it wished to lobby. First came the Family Research Council in 1983, but as that group developed its own identity, Dobson founded Focus on the Family Action in 2004 to represent his own advocacy interests and once again to protect the 501 c (3) status of his parent organization.

Focus on the Family Action takes a hard line on homosexuality, whether it be same sex marriage, the ex-gay movement, or normalizing homosexuality in schools. It holds positions against gambling, pornography, and activist judges, and in October 2006 it joined forces with FRC Action to produce a voter scorecard.

Additional resources on the Christian Right:

• Christian Right: Introduction
• The Christian Right, Dominionism, and Theocracy
  by Chip Berlet
• The Christian Right Seeks Dominion
  by Sara Diamond
• Christian Reconstructionism
  by Frederick Clarkson
• Behind the Culture War to Restore Traditional Values
  by Chip Berlet & Margaret Quigley
• Who's Behind the Culture Wars?
  by Mark Schapiro
• Bibliography
  on the Christian Right

• Dances with Devils
  A PRA report
• Christian Zionism
• MP3 audio lecture
  by Chip Berlet

• Directory of Groups undermining democracy and equality:
• Directory of Groups defending democracy and equality:

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