My Open Letter to Dr. Dobson

Dear Dr. Dobson:

I have always respected you and looked to your Christian leadership in this country. I have therefore been listening to views on the upcoming election. Your stance on the right to life, preserving the family and willingness to speak out against moral evils has been a beacon of light in a country that seems to grow darker by the day. And I haven’t yet mentioned Focus on the Family which has always been and continues to be a wonderful and much needed ministry. You have always stood for what is right and I know there are countless individuals blessed by your ministry.

I am confused, however, by your recent statement that you might consider supporting John McCain for President. When you first took a stance against supporting Senator McCain you mentioned several reasons including the Senator’s views on embryonic stem cell research and his unwillingness to defend the natural institution of marriage and family. In your statement released to the Laura Ingraham show you said your stance was based on “a matter of conscience.” In your latest statement you said your new consideration of endorsing McCain was based on a "constantly changing political context."

You are correct in saying the political context is constantly changing. What have not changed are John McCain’s views on allowing the ending of human life through embryonic stem cell research. He has not changed his views on defending the family. He has not apologized for refusing to support tax cuts, organizing the gang of 14 to oppose President Bush’s judicial nominees or for limiting our right to free speech through his McCain-Feingold bill.

If your original stance to not support or vote for Senator McCain was based on conscience because of the Senator’s political stances and those stances have not changed, why would you now consider voting for and possibly even endorsing McCain?

Has your position been changed because of a fear of Barak Obama? Matthew 10:28 says"… Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Psalms 56:11 says, “In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Dr. Dobson, you have always stood strong for what is right and always presented God’s Word and commands regardless of what was going on in the country. I am concerned you may now be allowing a fear of Barak Obama to allow yourself to vote for a man you know is not a true conservative and does not follow the Lord’s commands.

In 2007, you also said, “Polls don't measure right and wrong; voting according to the possibility of winning or losing can lead directly to the compromise of one's principles. In the present political climate, it could result in the abandonment of cherished beliefs that conservative Christians have promoted and defended for decades. Winning the presidential election is vitally important, but not at the expense of what we hold most dear." ("The Values Test," the New York Times, Oct. 4, 2007) We must continue to stand for what is right, even if that means not voting at all or voting for a smaller party candidate. We must continue to stand up for what is right by refusing to vote for those who will not only harm America but ignore God’s laws.

Dr. Dobson, we need you to stand strong in this election. There are so many Christians like myself who continue to look to you for leadership and guidance in difficult times. We need you to continue to remind us that we must follow God and His commands regardless of what our country does. We need leaders like yourself to remind us that when we vote for someone who will allow the slaughter of the unborn to continue (and often paid for by our tax money) that we have innocent blood on our hands.

I urge you to look again at John McCain’s record in the Senate. I urge you to look again at his stance that allows the ending of the smallest human life. Look again at his stance against tax cuts, against allowing a vote on judicial nominees, against securing our borders and against allowing our right to free speech. I know the political landscape is difficult to navigate and always changing. We should not, however, allow a changing landscape to change our God given conscience. For we know the Lord and His commands never change.

Sincerely,


Nathan Rice
Portsmouth, VA