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Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family (FOTF or FotF) is an American Evangelical Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s. As of the 2017 tax filing year, Focus on the Family declared itself to be a church, "primarily to protect the confidentiality of our donors". Traditionally, churches are entities that have regular worship services and congregants.
It prominently lobbies against LGBT rights — including those related to marriage, adoption, and parenting — labeling it a "particularly evil lie of Satan". The organization also seeks to change public policy in the areas of sex education, creationism, abortion, state-sponsored school prayer, gambling, drugs, and enforcement of their interpretation of proper gender roles.
The core promotional activities of the organization include the flagship daily radio broadcast hosted by its president Jim Daly together with co-host Focus VP John Fuller. Focus also provides free resources in line with the group's views, and publishes books, magazines, videos, and audio recordings.
The organization also produces programs for targeted audiences, such as Adventures in Odyssey, McGee and Me!, The Last Chance Detectives, and Ribbits! for children, and dramas for other audiences.
From 1977 to 2003, James Dobson served as the sole leader of the organization, which was originally based in Arcadia, California. Dobson and his organization generated significant controversy by taking a different approach to ministry than many other evangelical parachurch organizations, opting to combine its parenting programs with conservative political activism. By 1993, Focus on the Family was receiving approximately 10,000 personal letters and 3,000 phone calls per day by individuals seeking personal assistance from the organization.
The organization, and especially James Dobson, wielded significant national influence within the U.S., and particularly among politically conservative Christians and women working within the home. During the 1990s Dobson and Focus on the Family were accused by an early member of the organization of moving away from their original mission of helping families and instead becoming "too political". The organization's cornerstone items included their radio broadcasts as well as other ventures such as their film publishing arm Focus on the Family Films.
In 2003, Donald P. Hodel became president and chief executive officer, tasked with the day-to-day operations. Dobson remained chairman of the board of directors, with chiefly creative and speaking duties. In March 2005, Hodel retired and Jim Daly, formerly the vice president in charge of Focus on the Family's International Division, assumed the role of president and chief executive officer.
By 2007, the executive leadership of the organization reportedly worked to sustain the group's cultural influence by investing more heavily into family programs targeted at younger generations as opposed to only bolstering its political programs favored by James Dobson. As a result of targeting a younger demographic more frequently in digital spaces, the organization reported a decrease in donations, dropping from 755,000 donors in 2004 to 564,000 donors by September 2007.
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Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family (FOTF or FotF) is an American Evangelical Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s. As of the 2017 tax filing year, Focus on the Family declared itself to be a church, "primarily to protect the confidentiality of our donors". Traditionally, churches are entities that have regular worship services and congregants.
It prominently lobbies against LGBT rights — including those related to marriage, adoption, and parenting — labeling it a "particularly evil lie of Satan". The organization also seeks to change public policy in the areas of sex education, creationism, abortion, state-sponsored school prayer, gambling, drugs, and enforcement of their interpretation of proper gender roles.
The core promotional activities of the organization include the flagship daily radio broadcast hosted by its president Jim Daly together with co-host Focus VP John Fuller. Focus also provides free resources in line with the group's views, and publishes books, magazines, videos, and audio recordings.
The organization also produces programs for targeted audiences, such as Adventures in Odyssey, McGee and Me!, The Last Chance Detectives, and Ribbits! for children, and dramas for other audiences.
From 1977 to 2003, James Dobson served as the sole leader of the organization, which was originally based in Arcadia, California. Dobson and his organization generated significant controversy by taking a different approach to ministry than many other evangelical parachurch organizations, opting to combine its parenting programs with conservative political activism. By 1993, Focus on the Family was receiving approximately 10,000 personal letters and 3,000 phone calls per day by individuals seeking personal assistance from the organization.
The organization, and especially James Dobson, wielded significant national influence within the U.S., and particularly among politically conservative Christians and women working within the home. During the 1990s Dobson and Focus on the Family were accused by an early member of the organization of moving away from their original mission of helping families and instead becoming "too political". The organization's cornerstone items included their radio broadcasts as well as other ventures such as their film publishing arm Focus on the Family Films.
In 2003, Donald P. Hodel became president and chief executive officer, tasked with the day-to-day operations. Dobson remained chairman of the board of directors, with chiefly creative and speaking duties. In March 2005, Hodel retired and Jim Daly, formerly the vice president in charge of Focus on the Family's International Division, assumed the role of president and chief executive officer.
By 2007, the executive leadership of the organization reportedly worked to sustain the group's cultural influence by investing more heavily into family programs targeted at younger generations as opposed to only bolstering its political programs favored by James Dobson. As a result of targeting a younger demographic more frequently in digital spaces, the organization reported a decrease in donations, dropping from 755,000 donors in 2004 to 564,000 donors by September 2007.