Maintaining The Focus Of Ministry Several weeks ago I had just finished working on a sermon and was heading to the gym, when I heard something disturbing on my car radio: Dr. Laura was doing her daily broadcast from James Dobson’s Focus on the Family headquarters in Colorado Springs. After listening for a while, I pulled up to the gym and then jumped out to do two quick sets so I could get back in my car and pick up where I left off. Uncharacteristically, Dr. Laura was more self-restrained than usual—even kind at times. It seemed like she was fully aware of her "Christian" environment, and that kept her from being overly antagonistic. But what struck me more than the change in her demeanor, is the fact that she was broadcasting from Focus on the Family. This may not seem like much of an issue to those who have tuned in to his program within the last decade or so, but it is demonstrative of the continued slide in Dr. Dobson’s focus which has been evident for a number of years. The more concern he has placed on moral issues in general, the more he has broadened his scope in terms of who he chooses to align himself with, believing that those individuals can help him in his social causes. This has included him working with people who flatly reject the gospel of Christ. The net result—which is where my greatest concern lies, is that Dr. Dobson—maybe unwittingly—has actually turned his attention away from ministry, to more of a social gospel. What this means, is that his work is becoming less and less defined as a "ministry," and more and more defined as that which is attempting to transform the behavior of secular culture. When I finally got through to a rep from the correspondence department at Focus to inquire about Dr. Laura, I was met with a small degree of defensiveness and an assurance that Dr. Dobson was only uniting himself with non-Christians for the greater goal of "family values." To this statement I asked, "So Dr. Dobson believes that the end justifies the means? Is that how he is able to unite himself with non-Christians?" Several seconds of silence passed before the voice answered: "Dr. Dobson believes that he can work with people of other faiths who share his burden for the family, including Dr. Laura." That said it all. No one who calls what they do "ministry," and who understands the nature of the gospel—that it is "foolish" to unbelievers (1 Cor. 1:18)—could ever justify uniting themselves—for any social cause—with those who reject the truths of Christianity. This is only possible because of the current church climate which has greatly devalued the importance of doctrinal truth. By aligning himself with Dr. Laura (and other non-Christians also), Dr. Dobson, unintentionally of course, has also aligned himself with those who Dr. Laura, in turn, has chosen to align herself with, including the three religious leaders she had on her television program not several days after broadcasting from Focus. Two of these leaders were a Baha'i and a Mormon. Dobson has confused "ministry" with social activism. When social concerns are the determining factor for who a Christian will work with, and not doctrinal beliefs, then many alliances will be formed between Christians and non-Christians that otherwise would not exist. What is taking shape here, is that the end does in fact justify the means. But is this the gospel? Is trying to moralize culture the church’s responsibility? If a "ministry" tries to moralize society apart from the gospel, for the purpose of maintaining an ideal ethical standard, then it does not understand the gospel. When this happens, the point of the gospel has been lost, and what has taken its place is an attempt to moralize a culture which has not first been spiritually transformed. Isn’t this, in a way, what Jesus spoke against in Matt. 23:26? One of the main issues with Dr. Dobson’s willingness to embrace those whose religious opinions radically differ from his own, is what David Wells describes in Whatever Happened to the Reformation. He writes: "As evangelicalism has emptied itself out theologically," it has lost the "bedrock affirmations that once characterized evangelical faith." That is to say, that when it comes to this issue here, as the church has lost its concern for doctrine, virtually anybody is embraced so long as they can help to further our social causes. There is only one verse that needs to be cited to show that this is a misplaced focus: 1 Corinthians 1:23: we are to preach Christ crucified. Our goal is inward transformation, not outward transformation. Where I agree with Dr. Dobson, is in his concern for the family. But where I disagree with him, is that he is attempting to mandate the behavior of non-Christians. Though this will be challenging to hear for those who have confused social activism with the gospel, Christ never called the church to make culture moral. What Christ called the church to do was preach His truth (Matt. 10:7; Mk. 1:4; Lk. 4:43; 2 Tim. 4:2), and through that, the most important transformation will occur: spiritual transformation.