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Focus on the Family

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Revision as of 05:16, 3 June 2011 by Samir (talk | contribs) (Reverted edits by 209.213.221.100 (talk) to last version by Bped1985)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) For other uses, see Focus on the Family (disambiguation).
Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family logo
AbbreviationFOTF
Formation1977
HeadquartersColorado Springs, Colorado
Location
  • Worldwide
PresidentJim Daly
WebsiteFocusOnTheFamily.com

Focus on the Family (FOTF, or FotF) is an American evangelical Christian tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s. A component of the American Christian right, it is active in promoting interdenominational work toward its views on social conservative public policy. Focus on the Family is also currently the primary sponsor for Phil Vischer's JellyTelly.

Focus on the Family's mission is "nurturing and defending the God-ordained institution of the family and promoting biblical truths worldwide." Some of the core promotional activities of the organization include a daily radio broadcast by Dobson and his colleagues, providing free resources and family counseling according to Focus on the Family views, and publishing a variety of magazines, videos, and audio recordings. The organization also produces specialized programs for targeted audiences, such as Adventures in Odyssey for children, dramas, and Family Minute with James Dobson. Both Focus on the Family and Adventures in Odyssey are broadcast on Trans World Radio in the UK.

Ministries

Marriage and family

The primary ministry of Focus on the Family is to strengthen what it considers to be traditional marriages and families. Much of the underlying theory comes from the published works of Dr. James Dobson, who has written a number of books on subjects ranging from raising children to taking steps to prevent divorce by helping couples with conflict management. One key theme of this ministry is helping couples understand the negative consequences of divorce on their children. The organization maintains a toll-free telephone counseling service available to anyone in a family crisis.

National Day of Prayer

Main article: National Day of Prayer Task Force

The National Day of Prayer Task Force is an American evangelical conservative Christian non-profit organization which organizes, coordinates, and presides over Evangelical Christian religious observances each year on the National Day of Prayer. The main office of the NDP Task Force is located at the headquarters of Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The website of the NDP Task Force states that "its business affairs are separate" from those of Focus on the Family, but also that "between 1990 and 1993, Focus on the Family did provide grants in support of the NDP Task Force" and that "Focus on the Family is compensated for services rendered." Shirley Dobson, wife of James Dobson, has been chairwoman of the NDP Task Force since 1991.

Day of Dialogue

Main article: Day of Dialogue

The Day of Dialogue is a student-led event which takes place April 16. Founders describe the goal of the event, created in opposition to the anti-bullying Day of Silence, as "encouraging honest and respectful conversation among students about God's design for sexuality." It was previously known as the Day of Truth and was founded by the Alliance Defense Fund in 2005.

Other ministries

Focus on the Family has a number of additional ministries. Many are aimed at specific demographics including teenage boys and girls, children, college students, families, young adults, parents, while others are aimed at specific concerns, such as sexual problems, entertainment, and politics. Many have their own regular publications. The ministry for college students and young adults is known as Boundless Webzine.

SPLC's findings

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a liberal American civil rights organization, has described Focus on the Family as one of a "dozen major groups help drive the religious right's anti-gay crusade" but does not list it as a hate group.

Recognitions and awards

In 2008, Dobson's "Focus on the Family" program was nominated for induction into the Radio Hall of Fame. Nominations were made by the 157 members of the Hall of Fame and voting on inductees was handed over to the public using online voting. The nomination drew the ire of gay rights activists, who launched efforts to have the program removed from the nominee list and to vote for other nominees to prevent "Focus on the Family" from winning. However, on July 18, 2008, it was announced that the program had won and would be inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in a ceremony on November 8, 2008. Truth Wins Out, a gay rights group, protested the ceremony with over 300 protesters.

International associates and regional offices

New Zealand

File:Focus on the Family New Zealand logo.jpg
Focus on the Family New Zealand logo

Focus on the Family New Zealand is an organisation promoting a conservative Christian ideology. It has a similar agenda to the Focus on the Family organisation in the United States. Focus on the Family supported a Citizens Initiated Referendum on the repeal of section 59 of the Crimes Act 1961.

See also: Christianity in New Zealand

Other countries

Headquarters

The Administration Building is one of four on the headquarters campus

The Focus on the Family headquarters is in a four building complex on a 47-acre (19 ha) plot of land, located off of Interstate 25 in northern Colorado Springs, Colorado.

As of 1998 the entire Focus on the Family headquarters property had over 77 acres (31 ha) of land. 1,300 employees work in the complex, which has its own ZIP code (80995). Christopher Ott of Salon said in 1998 that the Focus campus has "handsome new brick buildings, professional landscaping and even its own traffic signs." Ott added that "The buildings and grounds are well-maintained and comfortable. If there is any ostentatious or corrupt influence here, it is nowhere in sight."

The headquarters includes the Focus on the Family Welcome Center. While visiting the Focus on the Family complex, a couple had asked the staff if handling the sightseers in the main building was a distraction. The staff told the couple that it was a distraction; afterwards the couple donated $4 million to have a welcome center built. A visiting family donated 7 miles (11 km) of wood trim from the family's Pennsylvania lumber business so Focus on the Family could build its administration building. As of 1998, James Dobson, in his welcome center film, compares his decision to build the headquarters in Colorado Springs to the founding of the temple in Jerusalem.

References

  1. "Focus on the Family's Foundational Values". Focus on the Family. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  2. Nieves, Evelyn (August 17, 2003). "Family Values Groups Gear Up for Battle Over Gay Marriage". Washington Post. Focus on the Family, which Dobson...began 25 years ago to strengthen and promote the traditional family unit using conservative Christian interpretations of scripture.... {{cite news}}: line feed character in |quote= at position 115 (help)
  3. National Day of Prayer Task Force website -- FAQs
  4. National Day of Prayer Task Force website -- Shirley Dobson bio
  5. http://www.kentucky.com/2010/11/11/1521039/focus-on-the-family-group-to-sponsor.html
  6. Edsall, Thomas (19 December 1998). "Conservative Group Accused Of Ties to White Supremacists". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  7. Barringer, Felicity (16 March 2004). "Bitter Division for Sierra Club on Immigration". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  8. http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2005/spring/a-mighty-army?page=0,0
  9. Williams, Devon (2008-05-01). "Dr. Dobson's Broadcast Nominated to Radio Hall of Fame". Citizenlink.org. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  10. Barna, Mark (2008-07-21). "Dobson garners hall of fame honor". The Gazette. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  11. "Dr. Dobson Blasted by Gay Activist". Citizenlink.org. 2008-07-11. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  12. Besen, Wayne (2008-07-09). "TWO Launches Drive to Keep James Dobson Out of the Radio Hall of Fame". PR Newswire. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  13. Cuprisin, Tim (2008-07-20). "FCC commissioner wants more concessions in satellite merger". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-25. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. "Religion News in Brief". Associated Press. 2008-07-25. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  15. Focus on the Family (2007-05-17). "Lobby group offers help through smacking mess". Scoop. Retrieved 2008-06-30. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  16. Martin, Claire. "Fun is the focus Three-story slide gives kids a thrill." Denver Post. April 23, 2000. F-07. Retrieved on September 17, 2010. "Focus on the Family's sprawling headquarters four buildings on 47 acres of land"
  17. ^ Ott, Christopher. "God's own ZIP Code." Salon. July 9, 1998. 2. Retrieved on September 17, 2010.
  18. "What is Focus on the Family's mailing address?" Focus on the Family. Retrieved on September 17, 2010. "Focus on the Family 8605 Explorer Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80920 ."
  19. "How do I contact Focus on the Family?." Focus on the Family. Retrieved on September 17, 2010.
  20. Ott, Christopher. "God's own ZIP Code." Salon. July 9, 1998. 1. Retrieved on September 17, 2010.

External links

Media related to Focus on the Family at Wikimedia Commons

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