Why James Dobson Bugs Me

Two reasons:

Reason one: His efforts to bring partisan politics into the church

Dobson's been doing this for a while, but a recent LA Times article got me riled up all over again. Don't get me wrong, I believe strongly that people of faith should be political and should allow their faith to influence their politics. Pastors should not be afraid to address political matters in their sermons; and Christian educators should feel comfortable discussing the intersection of faith and public policy. It's Dobson's efforts to make the church an activist arm of the Republican Party that bothers me. Frankly, Dobson's efforts have belittled Christianity by equating it with one American political ideology.

Reason two: He feels that Republicans in office owe him something

For example:

In May, Dobson warned the GOP that trouble might lie ahead, holding a series of meetings with party strategists and members of Congress to remind them of the evangelical movement's muscle.

"There's just very, very little to show for what has happened," Dobson said on Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes" show at the time, "and I think there's going to be some trouble down the road if they don't get on the ball."

Republicans in Congress or even the White House owe Dobson and the "evangelical movement" nothing. They are elected to serve their constituents, whether their constituents be the citizens of a district, a state, or the entire nation. If evangelical Christians make up the better part of a representative's constituency, then he or she should take seriously the concerns of evangelicals; if, by acting in the best interests of his or her constituents, a representative pleases evangelicals, so be it. But our government is set up such that elected officials serve American citizens, not particular ideologies, and certainly not one guy in Colorado Springs. Additionally, Dobson is arrogant to think that Christian evangelicals automatically subscribe to his politics. Many don't.