Christian Monthly Standard

Some Things Said… (March 07) (3)

Dr. James Dobson: Fred Thompson ‘Not a Christian’

Focus on the Family founder James Dobson has dealt a potentially devastating blow to Fred Thompson’s presidential aspirations, saying the former senator is not a Christian.

“Everyone knows he’s conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for,” Dobson — considered the most politically powerful evangelical figure in the U.S. — said in a phone call to Dan Gilgoff, senior editor at U.S. News & World Report.

“[But] I don’t think he’s a Christian. At least that’s my impression.”
Thompson’s spokesman Mark Corallo took issue with the statement.

“Thompson is indeed a Christian,” he said. “He was baptized into the Church of Christ.”

Focus on Family spokesman Gary Schneeberger sought to clarify Dobson’s statement, telling Gilgoff that while Dobson didn’t believe Thompson belonged to a non-Christian faith, he “has never known Thompson to be a committed Christian — someone who openly talks about his faith.

“We use that word — Christian — to refer to people who are evangelical Christians. Dobson wasn’t expressing a personal opinion about his reaction to a Thompson candidacy.” –excerpted from a NewsMax release, 3.28.07 2:57 p.m. EDT

Growing Christian Shrinks

Psychology’s best-known personality, Sigmund Freud, may have scorned Christianity — indeed, all religious belief — as a mere “illusion.” But Christians these days are opening their minds and hearts to his teachings and to those of other psychologists, Freudian or otherwise.

At Azusa Pacific University, a Christian College northeast of Los Angeles, psychology is one of the most popular majors, and interest in the field is growing. The number of students enrolled in the psychology department has tripled in the past decade. Azusa is not alone. Psychology is one of the 10 largest majors at the more than 100 schools that are members of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, according to Ken Bussema, the council’s vice president for student programs. –excerpted from an article by Cara Marcano, in The Wall Street Journal at the Online Journal website, 3.30.07

The effects of divorce

Kenneth Lowe is a young man with a message–and a rather stark message at that. He has written a powerful essay that serves as an indictment of his parents’ generation. The issue is divorce and the emotion is intense. Writing in his college newspaper, Lowe holds nothing back in making his argument. ‘If there’s one thing I need no citation or research to prove,’ he asserts, ‘it’s that our parents have done a pretty horrendous job bringing us up. I mean this as a whole, and not necessarily every single parent individually.’ ‘I have experienced divorce myself from the child’s point of view,’ he says, ‘and it isn’t anything I’d care to inflict on anybody else.’ He went on to predict that his generation would do much harm if they ‘repeat the misbehavior’ of their parents. That is language from the heart–language meant to get attention and make a point. Did it get your attention? –Albert Mohler as quoted in The Patriot Post Vol.7 No. 13, 3.26.07