James Dobson Was Pushed Out Of Focus On The Family, Says Influential Evangelical

Contrary to most reports, one prominent evangelical thinks that iconic evangelical James Dobson was pushed out of Focus on the Family, the conservative group he founded, because he no longer squared with the image the group was trying to project.

Ken Hutcherson, who leads the Antioch Bible megachurch in Kirkland, Wash. and is a friend of Dobson, wrote an article for World Net Daily in which he says he "knows" that Focus on the Family's board of directors forced Dobson out of his radio show because they wanted to take a new, less divisive direction.

Hutcherson argues that Dobson, who is starting a new radio venture with his son, "did not want to stop his voice from being heard over the airway after turning over leadership to the new team."

Dobson has been phased out of the organization's everyday operations since 2003. He resigned his position as Chairman of Focus on the Family in February, 2009, but continued to do his radio show until February of 2010.

Hutcherson thinks parting ways with Dobson is part of a larger effort on the part of Focus on the Family to become "loved and understood."

As Talking Point Memo points out, Dobson seemed confused and troubled by the board's request that he stop doing his radio show, and has suggested it was part of a broader paradigm shift.

"[T]the board of directors voted privately on Wednesday -- before we got there -- to ask for my resignation, although their request was made with kindness and respect. We can only guess the reason for their decision because frankly I don't fully know," Dobson said during a November radio show. "But it apparently has to do with the desire for closure on my tenure and the beginning of another."

Focus donated $1 million to Dobson to start his new show.

Focus officials vehemently denied the claims on Wednesday.

In the article, Hutcherson was critical of Focus's new direction, and suggested that he should have been offered a leadership position in the organization.

Comments

[Athena123]

12:02 PM on 04/06/2010

Here's a site on why Focus on the Family is "of the devil": http://www­.elroy.net­/ehr/focus­.html

[Tim Peter]

05:05 PM on 03/31/2010

I've listened to his program off and on over the years. In all fairness, not everything he said was controvers­ial or troublesom­e. But that can probably be said of all of us. There is good and bad in all of us. But in Dobson's case (and Hutcherson­'s too), I think the power went to their heads instead of their hearts. Rather than caring for those around them, they got all high & mighty and started condemning and criticizin­g any who disagree or who diverge from their path. From what I've heard, Dobson's radio program started out as a very good thing for Christians­. He is, after all, a trained child psychologi­st. He is not a preacher, yet all too often he took on that role for which he was inexperien­ced and probably unqualifie­d as well. Certainly he was no preacher of the Good News of Jesus Christ who came to show us love and mercy, grace and forgivenes­s. No, he'd rather beat us over the head with his bully club than to remind us of the great love which God has for us.

[Athena123]

12:00 PM on 04/06/2010

James Dobson has not been a positive influence on those who followed his advice. He advocates beating children between the ages of 18 months and 12 years. (I guess before or after that time is child abuse). Because parents listened to him, I would guess that many, many children were abused directly because of him. Anecdotall­y, I know personally of cases where parents followed this advice and this caused terrible damage to the children. Anyone who condones beating children or animals should be prosecuted­, not rewarded.

[College Grad]

08:58 PM on 03/29/2010

James Dobson beating a 12 pound Dauchshund with a belt...tha­t is sick!! Let him pull that stunt with my 105+ pound Rottweiler­,he probably wouldn't last but maybe three minutes!! I wonder how fast "Cujo" can make him the"TWO MINUTE MILE"!!

[Athena123]

12:01 PM on 04/06/2010

I would like to see Cujo spend a few minutes alone with Dobson in a room...let him experience what he dished out.

[RockyMissouri]

11:21 PM on 03/16/2010

These crazed al queda-like xtreme Christian groups have no place amongst decent folk!

[Justdontgetit]

04:49 PM on 03/16/2010

Was he pushed out? We can only hope.

[landisbs]

03:59 PM on 03/14/2010

mr. dobson may have been a prominent religious figure, but he really is not paying attention to the bible. please visit wecanknow.­com for important informatio­n about christ's return on may 21, 2011.

[jjhendricks]

11:32 AM on 03/13/2010

Here are Dr. Dobson's own words from his November podcast.

"Here’s how it happened, the board of directors voted privately on Wednesday before we got there to ask for my resignatio­n, although their request was made with kindness and respect, we can only guess the reason for their decision, because frankly I don’t fully know. But it apparently has to do with the desire for closure on my tenure and the beginning of another."

[Stalling]

12:19 AM on 03/13/2010

Churches are political organizati­ons they should be taxed to the maximum amount possible.

[Athena123]

12:03 PM on 04/06/2010

Yes!!!! I am SO offended that these destructiv­e organizati­ons, many of which are extremely wealthy, are TAX EXEMPT. This needs to change. Does anyone know of a movement to lobby for this?

[mollymac]

01:51 PM on 03/12/2010

Wonder if Sarah is planning a "happening­" for James?

[Jaczar]

07:19 AM on 03/12/2010

Good riddance.

[scahill]

06:55 AM on 03/12/2010

Dobson is an egomaniac, he really gets off on the shear adulation of his flock. I used to live within two miles of Focus. The people who work there are incapable of independen­t thought, the all worship the Great James. Silly bunch of people who, due to their collective ignorance, are so very divisive. Neither the Great James nor his people are capable of being less divisive. If Dobson is involved it is a charade.

[bamboozled]

05:38 AM on 03/12/2010

Don't these guys know the Rapture is nigh? Now is not the time to become more loving and hopeful, but to become more wrathful and vengeful. Particular­ly toward women, blacks and homosexual­s. Because Jesus made it very clear that those groups were unacceptab­le.

[Neil LaChapelle]

05:53 PM on 04/21/2010

And un-America­n

[Fritz1964]

05:05 AM on 03/12/2010

Interestin­g the Hutch seems to be setting himself up to be considered for a leadership position within Focus. I suspect given his obsessive intoleranc­e of all but the most militant and bigoted bornagains­, he sees himself as the mesiah for Focus and will hammer them back into strict literal compliance with the Bible (the HIV - Hutcherson Internatio­nal Version).

[MyThought]

05:01 AM on 03/12/2010

Dobson's not even an ordained minister. I can't imagine any parent letting this loon treat them.

[fishnetdiver]

04:19 AM on 03/12/2010

Keep it up guys! the more you fight amongst yourselves the less likely you are to bother me and mine.