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Thompson’s staff fact-checked Dobson, saying that “he was baptized into the Church of Christ.” To which a Focus on the Family staffer told US News that Christian only “refer[s] to people who are evangelical Christians” for Mr. Dobson.Focus on the Family founder James Dobson appeared to throw cold water on a possible presidential bid by former Sen. Fred Thompson while praising former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is also weighing a presidential run, in a phone interview Tuesday.
Related News“Everyone knows he’s conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for,” Dobson said of Thompson. “[But] I don’t think he’s a Christian; at least that’s my impression,” Dobson added, saying that such an impression would make it difficult for Thompson to connect with the Republican Party’s conservative Christian base and win the GOP nomination.
Dobson is going on the attack. His phone call to US News was unsolicited — he proactively accused Fred Thompson of not being a Christian. The beneficiary of Dobson’s attack seems to be Newt Gingrich.
Gingrich admitted to having an extramarital affair during the Clinton impeachment on Dobson’s radio show. That move was rewarded by another conservative leader, Jerry Falwell, with a speaking gig at Falwell’s Liberty University. Dobson is also a member of the Arlington Group, a collection of conservative leaders who are vetting some of the Republican contenders for endorsement. Gingrich is one of the candidates who has been interviewed and is in contention for their bulk endorsement.While making it clear he was not endorsing any Republican presidential candidate, Dobson, who is considered the most politically powerful evangelical figure in the country, also said that Gingrich was the “brightest guy out there” and “the most articulate politician on the scene today.”
Gingrich has Dobson playing the role of attack-dog surrogate already, which is surely a sign that Dobson’s endorsement could follow Gingrich’s entrance into the race. Gingrich says he’s waiting until after September 30, 2007 to make a decision. Right now I doubt he’ll wait that long. Fred Thompson could be a threat to take old school conservative voters and I think Gingrich wants to be in this race more than he wants to play Republican savior this fall.
Technorati Tags: Fred Thompson, James Dobson, Newt Gingrich
3 Responses to “Dobson: F. Thompson’s Not A Christian”
Why are republicans such hypocrites?
I enjoy reading Dobson’s articles and listening to his radio show on occasion. He often teaches true psychology mixed along with Biblical teaching, helping people see that the two are not polar opposites. However, I was disappointed with his statement about a member of the church of Christ not being a Christian. A comparative study of the church of Christ with the Bible will show that its members qualify as Christians. A good place to learn more is at gbntv.org, the web site for the Gospel Broadcasting Network. Soon after Mr. Dobson made this statement, Garland Elkins, a member of the church of Christ who appeared on Donahue in the 80s, stated publicly that he would be willing to debate James Dobson publicly in order to prove that a member of the church of Christ is in fact a Christian.
Something to say?
I am very frustrated with Dobson about making this a political issue. Granted, I am a conservative who has yet to support any candidate and would support Thompson in a heart beat.I am also a Christian who at one point supported Dobson and Focus on the Family. It seems as though Dobson is allowing his friendship with Dubya to go to his head and feel that his moral authority is exactly what this country needs. Dobson doesnt/shouldnt be speaking for all Christians, just as Jackson, Sharpton, etc shouldnt be speaking for all Blacks.
Left by Chris
March 29, 2007 at 2:45pm