(b.1936), is the founder and president of Focus on the Family, which produces a nationally syndicated radio program heard daily on over 2500 stations. He served for 14 years as an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Southern California School of Medicine and for 17 years on the Attending Staff of Children\u2019s Hospital of Los Angeles. <\/p>\n
Dr. James Dobson\u2019s books include: Hide and Seek, Self-Esteem for the Child 1974; What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew About Women, 1975; Preparing for Adolescence, 1978; The Strong-Willed Child, 1978; Love Must Be Tough, 1983; and the best seller Dare to Discipline, 1970, which has sold over 2 million copies. His film series, \u201cFocus on the Family,\u201d has been seen by over 70 million people, being rivaled in success by his later series, \u201cTurn Your Heart Toward Home.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1980, Dr. James Dobson was commended by President Carter for having served on the Task Force for the White House Conferences on the Family. In 1982 he was appointed by President Reagan to the National Advisory Commission for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. He served as chairman of the U.S. Army Task Force on Families, was appointed to Attorney General Edwin Meese\u2019s Commission on Pornography in 1985, and served on the Attorney General\u2019s Advisory Board on Missing and Exploited Children in 1987.<\/p>\n
In his January 1994 \u201cFocus on the Family\u201d newsletter, Dr. James Dobson concluded:<\/p>\n
Can there be any doubt, hearing these echoes from the culture, that a great Civil War of Values is being waged in the Western nations, or that radical anti-family forces are making dramatic alterations in the way we think and act?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve seen that upheaval coming for almost a decade, but it is now evident to anyone who watches the evening television. The family is not simply disintegrating from natural forces and pressures. Its demise is being orchestrated at the highest levels of government, and by radical special-interest groups.<\/p>\n
Am I concerned by these recent trends? Yes, the pattern of events reveals a society in dramatic decline. Indeed, the value system that has served us so well for 217 years may not survive the next decade.<\/p>\n
But before we throw in the towel, we need to look at numerous encouraging developments taking place simultaneously. There have been some exciting occurrences in the past year that may eventually lead to a better day. Let me share a few of those bright spots in what is otherwise a dismal scene:<\/p>\n
High on the list of good news from 1993 is the prayer movement that is spreading across North America. What Marshall Foster calls \u201ca quiet revolution\u201d is occurring in thousands of churches and denominations. Evangelists Luis Palau and Greg Laurie each have reported record attendance at their crusades, with thousands accepting Christ as their personal Savior. David Bryant, founder of Concerts of Prayer, reports that his organization held more than 40 citywide rallies in 1992, twice as many as in 1990. He also estimated that local churches hold perhaps 1,000 concerts of prayer every month. Dick Eastman\u2019s \u201cSchools of Prayer\u201d are experiencing similar enthusiastic acceptance.<\/p>\n
Yet another burgeoning prayer effort is spearheaded by Dr. Joe Aldrich of Northwest Renewal Ministries. Christianity Today said this: "[They have] tapped into a thirst for prayer in a region known for its high proportion of unchurched citizens. Over the past several years, the group has sponsored over 100 four-day \u2018Prayer Summits,\u2019 involving more that 3,000 pastors and church leaders from the Pacific Northwest.\u201d Associate Jerry Dirks said, \u201cWe are seeing an amazing, divinely implanted hunger for God unlike anything we\u2019ve seen.\u201d<\/p>\n
The National Day of Prayer, headed by my wife, Shirley, is also experiencing an unprecedented response. Forty-nine of the 50 state governors issued prayer proclamations last year (Gov. Lowell Weicker of Connecticut was the lone exception). Celebrations were held in cities and communities all across America. So far this year, the requests for materials and advice are running far ahead of last season. \u201cThere is obviously a new awareness,\u201d said Shirley, \u201cthat prayer is the only answer to our terrible social problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Undoubtedly reflecting the same spiritual hunger, the Promise Keepers phenomenon has become one of the most exciting developments in the history of Christendom. Never has there been anything quite like it. When I was conducting family conferences 20 years ago, husbands typically attended because their wives asked (or insisted) that they do so. But last summer in Boulder, Colo., 50,000 men jammed Folson Field to worship, sing, learn and share in Christian fellowship.<\/p>\n
They came from every continent on earth, investing their vacations and often limited resources to draw nearer to God. And this was only the beginning. Similar events are scheduled next summer in Portland, Los Angeles, Boise, Boulder, Dallas and Indianapolis. (For information, write Promise Keepers, P.O. Box 18376, Boulder, CO 80308.)<\/p>\n
Equally encouraging is the spiritual revival occurring within today\u2019s generation of students. Genuine faith is alive and well among these courageous kids who dare to defend their beliefs in a godless and often hostile environment. Huge numbers gathered around their school flags to pray last September in a program called \u201cSee You at the Pole.\u201d George Barna, of Barna Research Group, estimated that more than a million students participated nationwide.<\/p>\n
There is more good news to share. In a scientific poll commissioned by the Family Research Council, Americans were asked if they would rather live in a community \u201cthat strongly upholds traditional family values\u201d or a community \u201cthat is very tolerant of non-traditional lifestyles.\u201d The findings were released in December, showing that citizens favored traditional values by a margin of 76 percent to 19 percent. Common sense is still alive and well in the population at large.<\/p>\n
So what is going on here? How can such wholesome developments occur in the midst of almost unprecedented wickedness? Isn\u2019t that what the Scripture teaches us? Romans 5:20 says, \u201cBut where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.\u201d It is true today. As culture moves away from its Judeo-Christian roots, more and more people appear to recognize the devastation of sin and are turning to the Good News of the gospel.<\/p>\n
This means as the long night of paganism descends on Western nations, we as believers are afforded an even greater opportunity to share the faith that burns within us. Therefore, we must not yield to discouragement, even when everything we cherish appears to be eroding. God is in control, and He can bring triumph out of tragedy.3882<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(b.1936), is the founder and president of Focus on the Family, which produces a nationally syndicated radio program heard daily on over 2500 stations. He served for 14 years as an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Southern California School of Medicine and for 17 years on the Attending Staff of Children\u2019s … Continue reading “DOBSON,
\nDR. JAMES C.”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16227\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}