Fear Not: Dr. James Dobson's comments on Sen. Obama

Dr. James Dobson's reported comments in the Boston Herald (and elsewhere, I am certain) caused me to tackle a tough thought or two today. It's not profound, by and measure; but it is personal.

For the decade of the 90's I headed up the Idaho family policy council that worked in association with Dr. Dobson's Focus on the Family non-profit organization, once located in Pomona, Ca but then located to Colorado Springs in the autumn of 1991. After a near-decade, I left it on good terms with Dr. Dobson, his staff and with the Idaho Board's blessing to pursue a year-long (and ultimately unsuccessful) race for US Congress in 2000.

It's now been about the same amount of  years - since I became disengaged from Dr. Dobson's organization(s). How fitting to reflect back...

I've had time to revisit on my own behavior during those years; in fact, I've written publicly in this blog about some the changes. In many ways, I feel like a free man - free of fear. Not because I no longer am working with Focus on the Family, but because I've had the chance to simply focus on the God who made the family.

A subtle but significant change.

More than that, even; I'm just living differently, enjoying folks who were invisible to me in that recent past.

Is that because I was some insensitive Right-Winger connected to the Christian Conservative political movement and now I am not? Is it because I was taking "orders" from Dr. Dobson and marching to his tune? That's ridiculous, if you've ever met Jim and Shirley Dobson. Both are kind, compassionate people - both with a strong sense of purpose and a deep and honest love of Jesus.

Or could it have been something else? Hmmm. Could be all, but I hope not. I think I was just afraid.

Afraid of change, afraid that somehow God was sitting on his throne having an anxiety attack about public policy issues and culture shifts. The writer, John Eldredge, has been one of my friends for years and he's become a terrificly successful author (Wild at Heart). We met in our early Focus on the Family days; he was on staff with Focus in Pomona, CA.

What John's writings helped me do (in this past decade) was to leave conventional conservative concern behind: to stop fearing and to start living. In a sense, he became an example of un-conservative thinking, though he and I (and scores of others) were sort-of birthed out of that incredible movement.

Here's what I learned:

• God's way big. He uses our differences to show his creativity.
• His story is huge. It envelopes all of time...and it involves the purposeful "hunting" of you (YES YOU!) by the one who made the galaxies.
• God's only REAL concern with our type of politics is that all governments will eventually be "upon His shoulders." If Nazis, the Khmer Rouge and 9-11all happened during His watchful care, then His focus is not on demonizing Democrats so Republicans can "win"...it is on BIG eternal things about which we are being prepared here during our lifetimes.
• Those Americans who have embraced Jesus with a second birth are ACTUALLY dual citizens; our allegiance is first to a Kingdom and then to a Republic, as a distant second choice.
• All sin breaks God's heart. My cheap and easy lies are as deeply painful to God as are the deaths of 50 million little kiddos, whose lives were interrupted in the womb.
• God is for marriage on his terms. He is for people, as they search Him out. He wants happiness. We cheapen "faith" with our selfishness and our agenda. It's all about Him, not us.
• There's not a bunch of avenues to Him. Just one. The Hebrew street sign reads: "Yeshua".

So, is Dr. Dobson going to impact Barak Obama? Probably not. If the Democratic nominee becomes President of the United States, will God impact him? Read the Bible and see a vast assortment of men and women leaders whose knees bowed to the God who made gravity. I do not fear an Obama Presidency.

My "fear", nowadays, is not about national political folks leading us down the wrong path(s). - God's big enough to handle that -  my concern today is that I will fail to freely live my faith in a fashion that attracts others to the One who said "Fear Not" over 365 time in the Bible.

Den

Comments

[Believer]

I don't look at the individual passage but the overall trend. Think about it....When we are children, we have a very strict set of rules because that is all we are able to understand in our undeveloped thought processes. There is no variation from those rules, regardless of circumstances. As we grow, we understand that certain circumstances not necessarily negate the rule, but mitigate the breaking of the rule. Then, as we become mature, we understand that you have to look at each individual circumstance, each individual, to determine the truth of the situation. It may look like a rule was broken, but really no intent existed to break the rule.

Now let's move to Christianity....In the times of Moses, the law was necessary because of the immaturity of the followers. As time passes, and Jesus comes, He gives us more difficult commands to follow, not easier. To truly forgive is much more difficult than "an eye for an eye." An eye for an eye is simple revenge and satisfies our fleshly desire for retribution. But forgiveness is hard because it means truly letting go of the demand for a "pound of flesh." Jesus came to bring the law to a new level, rather than let it stagnate and be misused as it was and continues to be.

If God was for the death penalty, how come Cain was only banished and not killed? Seems that if He wanted that to be the response to murder, He would have established the consequence from the very beginning.

[Dennis Mansfield]

Wen,
How do you deal with Jesus' comment about himself, when he said he did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it?
Den

[Believer]

And, my friend, by your definition, I should be dead. I don't think that is God's plan for my life....Do you?

[Believer]

Den,

Didn't Jesus bring the law to fruition and completion? He knew He was to be innocently murdered, yet He did nothing to stop the event nor end the lives of those who were going to end His. As a matter of fact, He died so that those who were killing Him could live!! Many of the apostles and disciples of the New Testament were murdered, yet there is no mention of their murderers suffering the same fate. Think of Saul/Paul....If he had been condemned to death for the death of the innocent Christians for whom he was responsible for the death sentences that were passed down, we wouldn't have most of the New Testament. I still believe that Jesus summed up our responsibility very clearly in the New Testament....Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul (paraphrased) and love your neighbor as yourself. Would you kill yourself? I doubt anyone would who truly loved themselves with the love of the Lord. To me, this means that the death penalty is not from Jesus. And Jesus is part of the God-head, hence, God. Therefore, the death penalty is not from God, under the new covenant of Jesus. But I could be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time.

Wen

[Dennis Mansfield]

Believer (my friend),

The key to being pro-life AND pro death penalty is the understanding that all life is important....in fact, it is SO important and valuable that if a person takes the life of an innocent victim, HIS valuable life, itself, must be surrendered.

Think about this for a minute: You are God. You've just ended a world-wide flood. You've saved 8 people (4 couples. You release them to the "new world" (post flood). It's an important epoch in time. You are going to give them their "marching orders" for this new life. What do you say? Be fruitful and multiply? Sure. Steward the new land? Sure? How 'bout this one: if any one of you sheds innocent blood, YOU WILL BE KILLED. Wow...God's saying this to 8 people who really LOVE each other and have zero possibility of killing any of each other.

The direction for capital puishment is for all of us that followed.

Abortion stops an innocent heart.
Homocide stops an innocent heart.
Manslaughter innocently and unintentionally stops the heart...and therefore, death of the perpetrator should not occur, as the Bible clearly states.

That's how I read it. Where could I be in error? Let me know.
Den

[Dennis Mansfield]

Julie,
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I enjoy reading your blog and find your open heart and your caring attitude enjoyable. I was pleasantly surprised by the piece in the Statesman. I've come to understand that for the past two decades, my life has been lived "out loud"....since that's the case, so should the changes of all of our lives be lived out loud. The amazing power of Jesus was that his very presence challenged religious people.

May my life be lived "in relationship" with Him and not in religion.
Den

[Believer]

I have issues with both candidates.....How can you be pro-life, yet for the death penalty? That seems vastly hypocritical. I have said it before. I believe that abortion is wrong. But I don't believe that criminalizing abortion helps anyone. It merely creates criminals for actions where before there were none. And it allows for condemnation from man, which helps no one. Anyone who has had an abortion has to be convicted by God that their actions were wrong, not condemned by man. Isn't that living under the law? And as Christians, aren't we supposed to be free from that? And condemnation by man is simply another form of judgment, which we are also not supposed to do. Buy hey, that's just what my relationship with Jesus has brought me to, rather than the religious tenets of someone else's beliefs.

[Julie Fanselow]

Hi Dennis,

I try to get to your blog fairly regularly, but the Statesman's mention this morning sent me scurrying here to see what you'd written. As always, although we have theological differences, I am touched by your open heart and your open mind.

There's something going on in evangelical America. I was listening to the Ed Schultz Show yesterday afternoon when two callers within an hour called in, describing themselves as evangelicals who will be voting for Barack Obama.

I realize you are NOT saying above that you, too, will be voting for Obama. But in this post and others, you identify how many Christians have decided to live a life of fearless service, rather than one of condemning "the other." It seems that many Christians who examine their beliefs and their role in our modern world are concluding that on almost all the issues, Obama meshes better with their values. (Click my name for a long essay from another writer who describes strong ties to Focus on the Family, yet who strongly supports Obama as the best choice for Christians this year.)

Mrs. Sinta, above, shows that many fundamentalists will vote against Barack Obama solely on the abortion issue, and that is their right as citizens. But voters who study Obama's record and his statements about faith, families, and community will see that he is stronger than his opponent on many of the things evangelicals seek in the name of Jesus, including an end to poverty and caring for God's environment.

If you haven't already, I'd urge you to read Obama's 2006 speech on his own faith journey and how it's impacted his public life.

http://www.barackobama.com/2006/06/28/call_to_renewal_keynote_address.php

Thanks again, Dennis. I look forward to your continued commentary as this election unfolds, and as you watch President Obama seek a huge God in his new role next year. :)

[Dennis Mansfield]

I understand your position. It's healthy to be able to respect other people's opinions and STILL think for yourself, isn't it?

When you think of President Reagan's appointments to the Supreme Court of Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy the opposite case can well be made of any future appointees from a liberal President.

Den

[Dennis Mansfield]

I understand your position. It's healthy to be able to respect other people's opinions and STILL think for yourself, isn't it?

When you think of President Reagan's appointments to the Supreme Court of Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy the opposite case can well be made of any future appointees from a liberal President.

Den

[Mrs. Sinta]

I respect Dr. Dobson greatly, but I plan to vote for McCain since he is the only anti-abortion candidate for President. I believe that this time Dr. Dobson is misled.