James Dobson has stepped away from Focus on the Family, but he hasn't retired entirely.

Dobson announced on his Facebook fan page that he will begin a nonprofit and radio show with his son called James Dobson on the Family, which will be based in Colorado Springs. Dobson wrote that the organization will deal with the following: marriage, child-rearing, family finances, medical and psychological concerns, national issues, the sanctity of human life, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Dobson asks for donations as he estimates operating costs to be at $2 million. “We are in a moral decline of shocking dimensions,” Dobson writes. “I have asked myself how I can sit and watch the world go by without trying to help if I can.”

The Gazette reports that Focus on the Family’ budget dropped from $160 million in 2008 to $139 million in 2009 while its workforce went from 1,400 in 2002 to 860 in 2009.

Reporter Mark Barna writes more about Dobson's son, Ryan, who has not been on staff at Focus on the Family.

Since 2003, Ryan Dobson has written several edgy faith books, such as “Be Intolerant” and “2 Die 4,” and he has spoken regularly at Christian youth events.

But in interviews, he has never expressed interest in following in his father’s footsteps. In a 2005 biography of James Dobson, Dale Buss writes that Ryan “doesn’t feel called to succeed his father as head of Focus on the Family and doubts he ever will.”

Ryan Dobson leads KOR World Ministries, designed “to build passion and identity in Christ’s followers,” according to its Web site. On the site, he hosts a daily podcast similar to his father’s radio show in that both discuss current events and religion.

In November, Barna suggested that former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin would take over for Dobson as a leader for conservative Christians. Dobson responded, saying he has no intention of retiring.

I expect to be back on the radio in the near future, and I have just completed a new book, Bringing Up Girls, which will be released in April. We are also preparing a new film series on the family that will be coming this fall.

As long as God gives me breath, I will be working to defend and promote the things in which I believe.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at December 31, 2009 3:17PM | Comments (39)

Here's what readers clicked on the most at christianitytoday.com/ct.

Earlier we posted the top 10 Liveblog posts, top 10 CT politics blog posts and the top 10 women's blog posts. Now, here are the top read Christianity Today articles for 2009 (You can see 2008's most read here).

1. The Case for Early Marriage
Amid our purity pledges and attempts to make chastity hip, we forgot to teach young Christians how to tie the knot.
By Mark Regnerus

2. The Gospel and the Gosselins
Evangelicals and the making of Jon & Kate Plus Eight.
By Julie Vermeer Elliott

3. Is The Gay Marriage Debate Over?
What the battle for traditional marriage means for Americans—and evangelicals.
By Mark Galli

4. Five Streams of the Emerging Church
Key elements of the most controversial and misunderstood movement in the church today.
By Scot McKnight

5. How Tim Keller Found Manhattan
The pastor of Redeemer Church is becoming an international figure because he's a local one.
By Tim Stafford

6. What You Need to Know about David Wilkerson's 'Urgent Message'
How people are responding to his warning of riots, fires, and economic collapse in NYC.
By Ted Olsen

7. Q & A: Rick Warren
The megachurch pastor who faced backlash for praying at the President's inauguration talks to CT about politics, a new magazine, and the economy.
Interview by Sarah Pulliam

8. Q+A: Carrie Prejean
The former Miss California contestant says that she is 'still standing,' and called a recent video of her 'the worst mistake of my life.'
Interview by Sarah Pulliam Bailey

9. Not All Evangelicals and Catholics Together
Protestant debate on justification is reigniting questions about Rome.
By Collin Hansen

10. ELCA Assembly: Was God in Either Whirlwind?
Tornado touches convention center as Lutherans approve sexuality statement by the exact margin it needed to pass.
Ted Olsen

We'll give you a bonus and offer five more:

11. Augustine's Origin of Species
How the great theologian might weigh in on the Darwin debate.
By Alister McGrath

12. Q & A: 'Joe the Plumber'
The man who became a metaphor for the average American in the 2008 election tells CT about his Christian faith and the future of the Republican Party.
Interview by Sarah Pulliam

13. John Calvin: Comeback Kid
Why the 500-year-old Reformer retains an enthusiastic following today.
By Timothy George

14. Rising from the Valley of Death
Steven Curtis Chapman opens up about losing his daughter, their family's arduous journey, and a new album of songs chronicling the path of pain and hope.
Interview by Mark Moring

15. In the Beginning, Grace
Evangelicals desperately need spiritual and moral renewal—on that everyone agrees. But what do we do about it?
By Mark Galli

Even though it didn't make the top 15, this recently posted article is receiving a number of hits:
Who Was Jesus' Grandfather?
What the two genealogies of Christ, found in Matthew and Luke, are really trying to say.
By Grant Osborne

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at December 31, 2009 1:12PM | Comments (0)

Christianity Today editors post a variety of news to Liveblog, and we find it interesting to see what piques your interest.

Earlier we posted the top 10 CT politics blog posts and the top 10 women's blog posts. Now, here are the top read Liveblog posts for 2009 (You can see 2008's most read here).

1. Ray Boltz Comes Out
By Mark Moring

2. Was Michael Jackson a Christian?
Initial rumors that the King of Pop had accepted Christ may have been false
By Mark Moring

3. Correcting the 'Mistakes' of TNIV and Inclusive NIV, Translators Will Revise NIV in 2011
"We fell short of the trust that was placed in us."
By Ted Olsen

4. Matt Chandler Has Mass on Frontal Lobe
Dallas area megachurch pastor suffered seizure on Thanksgiving.
By Ted Olsen

5. ELCA Approves Leaders in Same-Sex Relationships
Unlike yesterday's 2/3 vote approving a sexuality statement, resolutions today needed only a simple majority.
By Ted Olsen

6. James Dobson Resigns from Focus on the Family
Dobson will still host the radio show, write a monthly newsletter, and speak on moral issues.
By Sarah Pulliam

7. Why the Pope is Right about Condoms and HIV
In the War against HIV, condoms are a less effective strategy when epidemic-level infection rates occur.
By Timothy C. Morgan

8. Bring Out the Hankies
"I was in prison, and you visited me."
By Mark Moring

9. Dobson to Leave Focus on the Family Radio Show
The organization's founder had resigned as chairman of the board in February.
By Sarah Pulliam Bailey

10. Born-Again Atheist Makes Gradual Return to Belief
A. N. Wilson, debunking biographer of C. S. Lewis and Jesus, has had many second thoughts.
By David Neff

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at December 31, 2009 12:49PM | Comments (1)

In case you missed it when we posted the excerpt from Steve Turner's The Gospel According to the Beatles, you might be interested this week in reading about the correspondence between John Lennon and Oral Roberts and what happened next.

Posted by Ted Olsen at December 17, 2009 3:56PM | Comments (3)

Some sad news from The Village Church today:

On Tuesday, Dr. Barnett informed Matt and Lauren [Chandler] that the findings of the pathology report revealed a malignant brain tumor that was not encapsulated. The surgery to remove the tumor, the doctor said, was an extremely positive first step; however, because of the nature of the tumor, he was not able to remove all of it.

Matt, who is being released from the hospital today, is meeting with a neuro-oncologist this week to outline the next steps of the recovery process. There is a range of treatment possibilities but the exact course of action has not yet been determined. He will continue outpatient rehab.

The Lord is calling Matt and Lauren and The Village Church body to endure this trial. It will be a challenging road for Matt, his family and our church body. The gospel is our hope and the Lord is our strength. Matt and Lauren continue to find solace and hope in Christ. They weep facing this trial, but not as those without hope and perspective. The gospel clarifies their suffering and promises more of Christ through it all.

There is more at the Facebook group "What God is doing at The Village Church"

In case you missed it, this week's Theology in the News column looked at Chandler and other pastors who have faced cancer.

Posted by Ted Olsen at December 16, 2009 1:43PM | Comments (3)

Pentecostal evangelist Oral Roberts died today of complications from pneumonia. He was 91.

Roberts was hospitalized after a fall on Saturday.

“If God had not, in His sovereign will, raised up the ministry of Oral Roberts, the entire charismatic movement might not have occurred," Jack Hayford, president of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, said in a statement. "Oral shook the landscape with the inescapable reality and practicality of Jesus’ whole ministry. His teaching and concepts were foundational to the renewal that swept through the whole church. He taught concepts that spread throughout the world and simplified and focused a spiritual lifestyle that is embraced by huge sectors of today’s church.”

The Tulsa World has a lengthy obituary and special section on Roberts, who founded Oral Roberts University.

He was a pioneer of the healing evangelism movement in the 1940s and ’50s and of radio and television ministry, which made his a household name to generations of Americans.

Roberts’ life was fashioned by what he described as a call to take “God’s healing power” to his generation, and every major effort he undertook was to that end.

Charisma magazine has a round-up of reactions from the Charismatic/Pentecostal community:

Born Jan. 24, 1918, north of Ada, Oklahoma, Roberts survived a raging flu epidemic that wiped out more Americans than World War I. Before his life ended, he had written more than 120 books, pioneered American television evangelism, bolstered belief in divine healing and founded his trademark university.

"He's one of the most significant figures in American religious history," said Pentecostal historian Vinson Synan. "I think he planted the seeds publicly of what became the charismatic renewal after 1960 because the American public first saw Pentecostalism in their living rooms through his televised tent crusades."

Posted by Administrator at December 15, 2009 3:28PM | Comments (2)

Saddleback pastor Rick Warren has denounced the proposed legislation in Uganda that would execute homosexuals who are infected with HIV, a law Warren says "I had nothing to do with, completely oppose and vigorously condemn."

Several media outlets have connected Warren to the bill because of his work combating AIDS, partnering with a pastor named Martin Ssempa. He responds in what he calls an "encyclical video."

"As a pastor, I’ve found the most effective way to build consensus for social change is usually through direct quiet diplomacy and behind-the-scenes dialogue, rather than through media. But because I didn’t rush to make a public statement, some erroneously concluded that I supported this terrible bill, and some even claimed I was a sponsor of the bill," Warren said in a statement. "You in Uganda know that is untrue."

A tweet from Warren earlier today suggests he had been working to kill the bill. "DThanks Bob! It seem our quiet effort helped kill part of the Uganda b so it was worth being misjudged, but our job isnt done yet."

On December 4, Warren had tweeted, "DJoe,I feel no need to tell reporters &bloggers what I've done behind the scenes on this.They never admit their misreporting anyway.Pr.15:12"

Bloomberg is reporting that Uganda will drop the death penalty and life imprisonment for gays in a refined version of the bill.

The Ugandan government supports the bill because homosexuality and lesbianism are “repugnant to the Ugandan culture,” Buturo said. Still, it favors a more refined set of punishments, he said.

In addition to formulating punishments for the gay people, the bill will also promote counseling to help “attract errant people to acceptable sexual orientation,” said Buturo.

The Daily Monitor reports that at least 200 clerics from the Inter-religious Council of Uganda, which includes Bishops from the Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox, Seventh Day Adventist, and Muslim leaders agreed to defend the bill.

The Secretary General of IRC, Mr Joshua Kitakule told Daily Monitor that development partners should not interfere in the process of legislation in Uganda.

“Those countries should respect our spiritual values. They shouldn’t interfere,” he said. “All senior religious leaders have been given copies of the Bill to read and educate people in the churches and mosques,” he added.

Grove City psychology professor Warren Throckmorton has been covering this bill for several months. Throckmorton has set up a Facebook group titled "Speak out against Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009," which has almost 10,000 members. In October, he received a statement from Warren about his connection to Ssempa.

Martin Ssempa does not represent me, my wife Kay, Saddleback Church, nor the Global PEACE Plan strategy. In 2007, we completely severed contact with Mr. Ssempa when we learned that his views and actions were in serious conflict with our own. Our role, and the role of the PEACE Plan, whether in Uganda or any other country, is always pastoral and never political. We vigorously oppose anything that hinders the goals of the PEACE Plan: Promoting reconciliation, Equipping ethical leaders, Assisting the poor, Caring for the sick, and Educating the next generation.

Uganda MP David Bahati defended the legislation in an interview with the BBC.

A Ugandan MP accused of calling for a "gay death penalty" says he has been misrepresented and is only trying to criminalise child abusers.

David Bahati says the new offence of "aggravated homosexuality" is a penalty against "defilement" of under-18s.

"There has been a distortion in the media that we are providing death for gays. That is not true," he said.

"When a homosexual defiles a kid of less than 18 years old, we are providing a penalty for this."

Several Christian groups and individuals have denounced the bill, including the ex-gay ministry Exodus International, Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners, and Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

Charisma magazine reporter Adrienne S. Gaines also has more about how charismatic leaders are responding, including theologian Peter Wagner.

Although he commended Ugandan lawmakers for attempting to stand for biblical principles, he said legislating morality is not feasible. If Uganda wanted to legislate biblical principles, it would have to criminalize adultery and premarital sex and not single out homosexuality, he said.

"My position is that this is not a good way to do it," Wagner said. "To legislate against sexual orientation is probably crossing the line. It's like making a law whether parents can spank their children or not. It's much too much of a personal ethical issue. ... I would support raising up a national conscience against homosexuality and allowing the Holy Spirit to work that way."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at December 10, 2009 11:30AM | Comments (64)

The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles this weekend elected Mary Glasspool, an openly lesbian priest, to be one of its assistant bishops. This is sure to trigger new anxieties and power struggles in the worldwide Anglican Communion. Under limitations in effect since the election of New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson in 2003, Anglicans have more or less developed a consensus not to elect openly practicing homosexuals to the office of bishop. With this move, the consensus becomes all but unsustainable.

In my view, the election of Rev. Glasspool will fuel these power struggles:

1. Between Episcopal pragmatic traditionalists and the left wing on whether her election should be affirmed by the national church. (A majority of US dioceses must approve of this move and are likely to grant approval in this case.)

2. Between Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and TEC Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori regarding the future relationship between the American church and global Anglicanism. (Conservatives will now press more aggressively for ABC Williams to recognize the Anglican Church of North America. Church of England conservatives are also putting great pressure of Williams to hold the line.)

3. Among conservatives who remain inside the American church and the growing number of breakaway leaders. (There are still a sizable number of conservative/evangelical pastors and other leaders inside TEC -- mostly in suburban areas. These conservatives face the dilemma of what to do beyond verbal criticism of this action in Los Angeles.)

Meanwhile up North, the left-leaning Anglican Church of Canada has won a major victory when a British Columbia Supreme Court judge ruled in favor of the Vancouver-area Anglican diocese in a property fight with St. John's, Shaughnessy, one of the largest and most evangelical parishes in the national church, and several other conservative churches in the area. Some $20 million in property is at stake.

What do these developments mean for conservative Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, or non-denominational evangelicals?

Based on recent experience, here are four developing trend lines:

A. Flight, not fight. At the local level, more conservatives will become what I call "faith-based refugees." They might end up at your church!

B. Objection to homosexual conduct is equivalent to homophobia. The rhetoric of the left increasingly is that any opposition to active homosexuals in any leadership capacity is homophobia, unjust, and discriminatory. This has wide-spread implications for all of civil society, regardless of denomination.

C. Gay + Christian is emerging as a global movement. Most American Christians seem to be quite unaware of how the faith-based gay movement has strong coherence in the UK and other Euro-zone nations.

D. Conservatives remain deeply divided by politics, strategy, and theology. I continue to be surprised at how the conservative majority has had so much difficulty overcoming their disagreements over women in ministry, communion, the influence of Reformed theology, just to name a few things. These disagreements are likely to ripple far beyond Anglican borders.

Posted by Tim Morgan at December 7, 2009 9:44AM | Comments (60)

Earlier this afternoon, CT editor-in-chief David Neff interviewed journalist Jeff Sheler in a live webinar about Jeff's new biography of Pastor Rick Warren, Prophet of Purpose (Doubleday, 2009).

You can read David Neff's Christianity Today review of Sheler's book here.

You can learn more about the book at Sheler's website: www.prophetofpurpose.com.

You are welcome to post comments about the book or the live interview in the comment section below.

Posted by David Neff at December 2, 2009 1:55PM | Comments (3)