Focus on the Family Radio Theatre Father Gilbert Oneplace the Silver Cord

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The graphic identity of Focus on the Family is intended to recall old time traditional values.

Focus on the Family (FOF, FOTF, or FotF), founded in 1977, is a Christian non-turn a profit system based in the United States. The arrangement describes itself as "defended to nurturing and defending families worldwide". The group was founded past Dr. James Dobson and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family unit is one of a number of evangelical para-church organizations whose stated aim is not to start a new church or denomination, simply to work interdenominationally to protect and promote their definitions of traditional family and family values. Some of the cadre promotional activities of the organization include a daily radio broadcast by Dobson and his colleagues, providing free counseling and resources for those facing family difficulties, and publishing a variety of magazines, videos and sound recordings.

In response to perceived threats to the family from changing globe views in society, Dobson and his associates take go more politically active, and are regarded equally a major voice in the Christian right, promoting socially conservative policies. Recently it began publishing a new political magazine called Denizen which addresses political concerns, specially on bug where current public policies are seen as threatening to conservative families.

Contents

• one History and facilities
• 2 Leadership
• 3 Adventures in Odyssey
• four Radio Theatre
  • iv.1 Begetter Gilbert Mysteries
• 5 Political positions and activities
• 6 Controversy and criticism
• seven International affiliates
• viii See besides
• 9 References
• x External links

[edit] History and facilities

Focus on the Family unit began on March 26, 1977 out of a small office in Arcadia, California. It soon outgrew that facility and began acquiring space in both Arcadia and in nearby Monrovia as its radio programme grew in listenership. By 1990, the grouping needed even more space, and relocated to a new office complex in Pomona, California, that was supposed to last the organization for many years. Further growth caused by increased listenership of the radio plan and readership of its books and magazines caused the organization to look for fifty-fifty more. In September 1993, having relocated to temporary quarters in diverse locations in Colorado Springs in the previous months, Focus on the Family dedicated its main building on an expansive 49 acre (200,000 grand²) site.

Currently its three function buildings have a combined infinite of over 526,000 square feet (49,000 m²) housing over 1,300 employees. I of the buildings is largely used for receiving telephone calls from listeners and providing requested aid; this activeness engages the largest segment of its employees. The organization'south facilities are open for tours by the public Monday through Sat, excepting certain holidays. A bookstore and cafeteria are onsite, as is the child-oriented Whit's Terminate Soda Shoppe which serves ice cream and "Wodfamchocsod" (chocolate soda) made famous past the Adventures in Odyssey children's radio theatre testify produced past Focus on the Family.

[edit] Leadership

Leadership for the organization was provided past Dobson alone until 2003. In 2003, Donald P. Hodel became president and chief executive officer, tasked with the day-to-day operations. This left Dobson every bit chairman of the Board of Directors, with chiefly artistic and speaking duties. A old leader was John Paulk.

In March 2005, Hodel retired and Jim Daly, formerly the Vice President in charge of Focus on the Family's International Sectionalization, assumed the role of president and main executive officer.

[edit] Adventures in Odyssey

FOTF also produces a children'due south radio drama entitled Adventures in Odyssey. It began in 1987 as Family Portraits, starring an elderly Christian gentleman named John Avery Whittaker (aka "Whit"), who runs a popular ice foam store/"discovery emporium" called Whit's Stop; and he imparts Christian wisdom to the children of the boondocks of Odyssey. Information technology was renamed "Odyssey USA" in Nov 1987 and took on its present proper name, "Adventures in Odyssey" in April 1988.

[edit] Radio Theatre

Focus on The Family Radio Theatre is a subsidiary visitor of Focus on the Family, which adapts archetype literature, mystery mini-series' and biographical productions, extending its reach to the mainstream as well as the Christian audience. At its peak, the weekly broadcasts aired on 240 stations nationwide, reaching audiences in excess of 350,000.

Radio Theatre began with historical biographies of Squanto ("The Fable of Squanto"), Jesus ("The Luke Reports") and Dietrich Bonhoeffer ("Bonhoeffer: The Price of Freedom"), and in 1996, a xc-minute radio drama based on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol was produced and aired as a broadcast special. In 1986, they broadcasted a radio edition of Tilly, a book by evangelical writer Frank Peretti.

In 2005, Focus on the Family Radio Theatre released an audio dramatization of C. Southward. Lewis' epic novel series The Chronicles of Narnia, with David Suchet providing the voice of Aslan, and a host of English actors rounding out the cast. Lewis' stepson, Douglas Gresham, served as host for the daily broadcasts of the series.

Radio Theatre was awarded the Peabody Honor for Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom.

[edit] Father Gilbert Mysteries

Radio Theatre also had a successful original miniseries, the Father Gilbert Mysteries, which tell of the strange spiritual mysteries encountered by Louis Gilbert, a cop-turned-Anglican-priest, who lives in Stonebridge, an English language hamlet in the shire of Sussex, and ministers to the people of the town from St. Marker's Church. Nine episodes accept been produced in iv volumes available on cassette and CD:

Book Ane

• "A Soul In Torment", in which Male parent Gilbert investigates a vision he has of a young homo who confesses to murder and its odd implications to reality.
• "Where The Center Is", in which Father Gilbert and Lori Peters (who turns out to exist a con artist) search for the long-lost Esselton Chalice.
• "Dead Air", in which Father Gilbert helps the police investigate a kidnapping, and is confronted past an one-time enemy from another kidnapping example fifteen years before, when Gilbert was a Scotland G detective. The enemy turns out to be the demon Legion from Marking 5 and Luke 8. *

Book 2

• "Healing", in which Male parent Gilbert investigates the Advent Group, a healing ministry outside of the village of Storwich, led by a human being who claims to be the affections Gabriel.
• "Secrets", in which Father Gilbert aids the police in investigating the kidnapping of his friend Bill Drake, and gets to the root of the anger of Drake'south kidnapper.

Book Three

• "The Play's The Thing", in which Male parent Gilbert investigates sabotage attempts of the Stonebridge Faire, and learns that his male parent is really his uncle.
• "The Grey Lady", in which Father Gilbert and a theologically liberal chaplain investigate the claims of two soldiers on a Royal Military Base that a ghost killed their wives. *

Volume Four

• "The Silver Cord", in which Father Gilbert tries to figure out whether his dying mother is delirious or serious when she pleads with him to aid her childhood friend Edgar Graham. *
• "In Memoriam", in which Begetter Gilbert finds a photo of a girl who looks like his mother as a young daughter, only to discover that she is his daughter, conceived when he was a fellow through extramaritial copulation with a sweetheart. *

Note: Episodes marked with a * have a parental informational that these episodes are not recommended for children under the age of fifteen (or fourteen in the case of "The Grey Lady")

[edit] Political positions and activities

Every bit a 501(c)(3) corporation, Focus on the Family unit is not permitted to advocate whatever individual political candidate. However, in its radio broadcast, information technology ofttimes discusses political problems and current events, usually from a conservative point of view. Focus on the Family'due south magazine Citizen is exclusively devoted to politics. The FOF likewise has an affiliated group, Focus on the Family Action (a.k.a. Focus Activity), which engages in conservative political activism, though the two groups are legally split. As a 501(c)(4) social welfare group, Focus Activeness has fewer political lobbying restrictions.

The group supports the educational activity of what they characterize as "traditional family values". It advocates school prayer and supports corporal punishment.^[1] It strongly opposes abortion, the practice of homosexuality, pornography, and pre-marital and extra-marital sexual action. Focus on the Family also embraces and reflects the wider political agenda of its bourgeois American Christian audience, for instance promoting a religiously-centered conception of American identity and the support of Israel.[2][three]

Focus on the Family broadcasts a national talk radio program of the same name hosted by Dobson or his aides. The program has a range of themes, such as Christian-oriented assistance for victims of rape or child corruption; parenting difficulties; child adoption; husband/wife roles; family history and traditions; struggles with gambling, pornography, alcohol, and drugs; and many other themes. When programs deal with civic bug, listeners oftentimes respond to these programs by contacting political leaders.

The arrangement claims that their daily radio broadcast has over 1.5 1000000 listeners daily in the United states of america. They also have offices worldwide, and claim a worldwide audience of over 200 million for their daily radio circulate.

Focus on the Family unit likewise produces ten monthly magazines with a combined apportionment of nigh two.three 1000000 subscribers, and a wide multifariousness of books and films. Magazines include Focus on the Family unit, Plugged In, Brio, Breakaway, Clubhouse, Clubhouse Jr., and Denizen.

TheocracyWatch identifies Focus on the Family as a dominionist organisation,^[2] and contends they have become more successful than the Christian Coalition in their influence on the U.S. Congress.^[2]

Focus on the Family has been a prominent supporter of intelligent blueprint, publishing pro-intelligent design articles in its Denizen magazine and selling intelligent design videos on its website.^{[3] [4]} Focus on the Family unit co-published the intelligent design videotape Unlocking the Mystery of Life with the Discovery Institute, hub of the intelligent design movement.^[five] Focus on the Family employee Mark Hartwig is too a beau of the Discovery Constitute'southward Center for Science and Culture, a connection which has helped to publicize intelligent blueprint extensively; James Dobson often features intelligent design proponents on his Focus on the Family unit radio program. Focus on the Family'south Family unit.org is a pregnant online resource for intelligent design articles.^{[6] [7]}

[edit] Controversy and criticism

On July 17, 2006, Soulforce, a gay rights group, "defendant Focus on the Family founder James Dobson of manipulating research data to say gays and lesbians are not good parents."[4] Judith Stacey, a sociologist at New York Academy, said Focus on the Family unit "manipulated" her work "in an attempt to testify gays and lesbians exercise non brand skillful parents."[five] Focus on the Family officially denied the allegation.[6] In December 2006, two more scientists alleged that Dobson misrepresented their research. In a guest column published in Fourth dimension Magazine titled Ii Mommies is One Too Many, Dobson argued that same-sexual practice couples are unsuitable parents, citing every bit support research by New York Academy educational psychologist Ballad Gilligan, PhD, and Dr. Kyle Pruett of the Yale school of medicine.^[8] After the article's publication, Gilligan defendant Dobson of "twisting" and "distorting" her research.^[nine] Pruett also disagreed with Dobson's representation of his work, saying in a letter of the alphabet to Dobson, "You cherry-red-picked a phrase to shore upwardly highly (in my view) discriminatory purposes.... This practice is condemned in real scientific discipline, common though it may be in pseudo-science circles. There is zilch in my longitudinal research or any of my writings to support such conclusions."^[9] It was reported that Pruett's piece of work suggests the reverse of Dobson's assertions.^[9] Truth Wins Out chosen on Time Mag to renounce Dobson'south article. Gilligan asked Focus on the Family to never quote from her work again, and to outcome an amends.^[10] Pruett requested that Focus on the Family unit seek his permission before using his work in the future.^[xi] Dobson has defended his usage of the research.^[12]

On August xi, 2006, James Dobson publicly defended Mel Gibson subsequently Gibson fabricated anti-Semitic remarks to police force officers during a DUI traffic end.[7] In a argument, Dobson announced he supported "Mel Gibson and his film, The Passion of the Christ," saying Gibson's anti-Semitic remarks had nil to do with "ane of the finest films of this era." He explained further that "we certainly do not condone that racially insensitive outburst," but added, "Mel has apologized profusely for the incident and there the affair should remainder." On the motion picture, "Our endorsement of information technology stands equally originally stated. We did not believe it was anti-Semitic in 2004, and our views have non changed," Dobson said.

[edit] International affiliates

• Commonwealth of australia: Focus on the Family Australia, Clayton, Victoria
• Kingdom of belgium: Focus on the Family Belgium, Oud-Heverlee
• Canada: Focus on the Family Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia
• Republic of costa rica: Enfoque a la Familia Costa rica, San José
• Egypt: Focus on the Family Egypt, Cairo
• Ireland: Focus on the Family Ireland, Dublin
• Japan: Family Focus Japan, Yokohama
• Korea: Open Family Korea, Seoul
• Malaysia: Focus on the Family unit Malaysia, Selangor
• Netherlands: Focus on the Family Netherlands, Dordrecht
• New Zealand: Focus on the Family unit New Zealand, Auckland
• Philippines: Focus on the Family Philippines, Makati Urban center
• Singapore: Focus on the Family Singapore
• South Africa: Focus on the Family Southern Africa, Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal
• Taiwan: Focus on the Family Taiwan, Taipei

[edit] Come across likewise

• Culture war
• Focus on the Family Action
• Focus on the Family Canada
• Focus on the Family Plant
• Family Research Quango
• Christian Right and Christian correct in United states of america politics
• James Dobson
• Adventures in Odyssey - Episode Guide

[edit] References

1. ^ Focus on the Family unit Defends Parents' Right to Discipline [one]
2. ^ ^{a b} "Dominionist Influence in The U.Due south. Congress", TheocracyWatch, Final updated: December 2005; URL accessed April 23, 2006.
3. ^ Junior Blueprint Chris Mooney. The American Prospect Online, September 2005
4. ^ Practiced Witness Report Barbara Forrest. Kitzmiller 5. Dover Area School District. (PDF file)
5. ^ Unlocking the Mystery of Life Stephen C. Meyer and Westward. Peter Allen. Center for Science and Culture July fifteen, 2004
6. ^ Feature Articles Focus On Social Bug - Origins. CitizenLink, Focus on the Family
7. ^ Recommended Reading Listing Focus On Social Issues - Origins. CitizenLink, Focus on the Family
8. ^ Dobson, James Two Mommies is Ane Too Many, Time mag, December xviii, 2006, retrieved online Dec xv, 2006.
9. ^ ^{a b c} Scientists smoke after Focus on the Family chief Dobson 'misrepresents' work on gays Raw Story, December 15, 2006.
10. ^ James Dobson Slammed Past Professor For Distorting Her Research In Time Magazine, news release from Truth Wins Out, retrieved December fifteen, 2006.
11. ^ Yale Professor Says James Dobson 'Cherry Picked' His Research in Time Magazine Article, news release from Truth Wins Out, retrieved December 15, 2006.
12. ^ While the Debate Rages on, Children Pay the Price Dr. Dobson's Monthly Letter, retrieved January 30, 2007

[edit] External links

• Official website
• http://world wide web.oneplace.com/Ministries/Focus_on_the_Family/
• Focus on the Family Radio Theatre official site.
• Plugged In Online, FOTF's picture show, video, music, and television reviews spider web site.
• Adventures In Odyssey radio
• #1 Selling Focus on the Family Radio Broadcast Fraudulent

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Source: http://www.faculty.umb.edu/gary_zabel/Courses/Phil%20108-08/Focus_on_the_Family.htm

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