Tag Archives: Focusing
By ‘focusing on the family,’ James Dobson helped propel US evangelicals back into politics
(The Conversation) — For decades, one name was ubiquitous in American evangelical homes: Focus on the Family. A media empire with millions of listeners and readers, its messages about parenting, marriage and politics seemed to reach every conservative Christian church and school.
And one man’s name was nearly synonymous with Focus on the Family: James Dobson.
Dobson, a primary figure of the Religious Right who died on Aug. 21, 2025, was born in 1936, when conservative Protestant Christianity was a far cry from what it is today. As a sociologist of religion who has studied American evangelicalism for 30 years, I believe Dobson’s influence and moral authority were instrumental in transforming the Religious Right into the powerful cultural and political force it has been for half a century.A household nameDobson earned a doctorate in psychology from the...
Kurl: Focusing on Chrystia Freeland’s fate? The stupid season has hit Canadian politics
Politics tamfitronics Bored politicos are speculating on the future of the finance minister and on how Mark Carney might somehow enter the Liberal cabinet. Seriously? Take a break.Published Aug 02, 2024 • Last updated 10 hours ago • 3 minute readDon't we all have better things to do than muse about whether Justin Trudeau remains loyal to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland? Photo by Adrian Wyld /The Canadian PressIf you will, a summer dispatch from a childless cat lady (except I have no cats, and I prefer the term single girl) who writes to inform that we’ve officially entered stupid season in federal politics.It’s a time when the national conversation could and should be about literally anything other than what is, or rather, what isn’t, happening in Ottawa.But for now, bored politicos (they collectively need a banana...
