Another example of the contact hypothesis in action. This is what's possible when culture war enemies put down their swords and dialogue rather than demonize:
When I first met Jim Daly (it was at the 2011 edition of the Faith Angle Forum), I found him disarmingly likeable. The man who succeeded [James] Dobson as the head of Focus on the Family, Daly exudes none of the stern disapproval of my ilk that I associate with his predecessor.
Jim Daly
What [impressed] me...were the comments he made to the assembled journalists when his turn came to speak at the conference. Worshiping the "idol of political power," Daly confessed, was "one of the errors that we've made, to be forthright and honest. ... Christian leadership has become about the victory, and that's led to us becoming the predator and the world our prey. That's not a Christian doctrine. I'm very concerned about the politicization of the faith."
The president of Focus on the Family said that? ....
I will use this article to add a note of personal apology. "Focus on the Negative" -- this would well describe my earlier writings and public comments about Focus, which tended to ignore the non-controversial and helpful work Focus has long undertaken. For that I am sorry.
Even though I disagree with Focus' position on gay rights and many other issues, I contend that the good done by Focus on the Family -- whether it's consoling and counseling a family in crisis, whether it's motivating evangelical church members to adopt unwanted orphans, whether it's teaming up with the publisher of a liberal alt-weekly to raise money for wildfire victims -- is still good. And while I hope for the day when Focus stands up for marriage equality, I can appreciate the steps it has taken to treat gay people and their allies with a new respect and kindness.
