Focus on the Family’s mission is “to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in disseminating the Gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible.” The organization is interested in preserving traditional Christian values and the institution of the family which they define as marriage between a man and a woman. It is the largest international Religious-Right group in the United States and includes its own “campus” and zip code in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Founder James Dobson served as the President and CEO of the organization from 1977 until he stepped down in 2003. He still serves as the Chairman of the Board and is the host of Focus on the Family radio broadcasts. As an “expert” on family values, he has been heavily involved with Republican administrations, including President Ronald Reagan’s and President George H. Bush’s. He also helped establish a conservative lobbying force for the Christian Right called Family Research Council that eventually became an arm of Focus on the Family.
Focus on the Family earns $100 million in annual revenue and communicates with 2.3 million subscribers to ten monthly magazines which are affiliated with 36 state groups and 74 international ministries. Dobson can be heard daily on more than 3,400 radio stations in North America, 6,300 radio stations in countries outside of North America and 80 daily television stations in the U.S.
Focus on the Family has been a leading voice in support of the Defence of Marriage Act. They also fight against “special rights” for homosexuals, the “homosexual agenda” and hate crime legislation. Focus on the Family supports “reparative therapy,” claiming that homosexuality can be cured, and believe that sexual celibacy is a viable option for people who cannot successfully become “ex-gay.” They interrogate sex education curricula in public schools if it is not anti-choice, anti-gay and abstinence only and encourage teachers to establish Christian prayer groups.