The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America Are Winning the Culture War

*The crucial Ohio get-out-the-vote effort that lifted Bush over Kerry.

*The Terri Schiavo controversy.

*The push for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

*Attacks on Roe v. Wade.

*Intelligent design in our science curriculum.

The evangelical right has pushed all of these initiatives, led by the immense behind-the-scenes influence of Dr. James Dobson, the founder and chairman of Focus on the Family: an organization that has grown from its roots as a local parenting advice center to a powerful ministry that broadcasts Dr. Dobson each day on more than 3,000 radio and 80 television stations in the U.S. alone. Dobson has supplanted Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and Ralph Reed as the spokesman for tens of millions of American evangelical Christians--even though Dobson is not a minister, but a family therapist with a doctorate in child development.

Dobson maintains that the American political and social spectrums are firmly rooted in a centuries-old Christian tradition--one that has come under siege beginning in the 1960s, spear-headed by court rulings that have undermined the necessity of religion in public life. With the support of evangelical followers, Dobson has garnered more and support than many ever thought possible and has harnessed this power to wage a crusade in support of strengthening abortion restrictions and establishing anti-gay rights litigation.

The Jesus Machine is the first book to examine Focus on the Family as the cutting edge of the larger evangelical movement, backing what many view to be goals in common with the current political agenda of the Bush administration, as it works to become the voice of mainstream America.

Through exhaustive research, Dan Gilgoff, a Senior Reporter for US News & World Report, exposes the intricacies of the Focus on the Family's rallying cry and the drastic implications they hold for the future of America's political system.

Dan Gilgoff is a senior editor at U.S. News & World Report, where he covers national politics and the intersection of politics with religion and culture. After the 2004 election, he wrote the first in-depth profile of James Dobson and Focus on the Family. He lives in Washington, D.C. --The Ohio get-out-the-vote effort that lifted George W. Bush over John Kerry--The Terri Schiavo congressional intervention--The push for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage--Attacks on Roe v. Wade--Intelligent design in children's science curriculum The evangelical right has pushed all these initiatives under the influence of Dr. James Dobson, the founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, an organization that has grown from its roots as a Southern California radio show dispensing parenting advice to a media ministry that broadcasts Dr. Dobson each day on more than two thousand radio stations in the United States alone. Dobson has supplanted Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and Ralph Reed as the political spokesman for tens of millions of American evangelical Christians--even though Dobson is not a minister but a family therapist with a doctorate in child development. Dobson maintains that American political and social values are firmly rooted in Christian tradition--a tradition that has come under siege beginning in the 1960s, spearheaded by court rulings that undermined the importance of religion in public life. With the support of evangelical followers, Dobson has built a powerful political machine at both state and national levels and has harnessed this power to wage a crusade against abortion, gay rights, and judicial activism. The Jesus Machine is the first book to examine Focus on the Family and Dobson's vast national network as the new standard-bearers of the Christian Right, with more influence than any organization the movement has ever known. Through research and interviews with leading evangelicals, including Ted Haggard, Jerry Falwell, Ralph Reed, and James Dobson himself, along with rare access to Focus and its associated organizations, Dan Gilgoff exposes the intricacies of Focus on the Family's empire and their implications for the future of America. In the deluge of books rushing to explain the rise of conservative evangelicals' influence on American politics, Gilgoff's offering makes a unique contribution: he argues that press-shy James Dobson should be regarded as the most powerful evangelical spokesman of the last decade . . . Gilgoff traces the rise of evangelical influence in politics from the Moral Majority and Christian Coalition in the 1970s and 1980s to Focus on the Family in the 1990s and 2000s, walking readers through the backroom power brokering of everything from Roe v. Wade to Harriet Miers's nomination to the Supreme Court. This is a smart piece of investigative journalism.--Publishers Weekly Dan Gilgoff has written an excellent account of the political activities of Focus on Family and its important role in national elections. Fair and factual, this book can be profitably read by allies and adversaries alike.--John Green, Director, Bliss Institute, University of Akron After years of providing valued family counseling to millions o Americans, James Dobson has emerged as one of the most influential voices on the Christian Right and a powerful force in American politics. His story deserves to be better understood. Dan Gilgoff has written a fair, objective, and revealing book--one that offers deep insight into why Dobson seems threatening to some but appeals to so many others.--David Gergen, Editor at Large, U.S. News & World Report

Gilgoff is a writer and journalist of the first rank--dependably honest with the facts and yet able to interpret them in light of the big picture. This is a book that evangelicals, as well as the critics of our movement, should surely read.--Richard Cizik, Chief Lobbyist, National Association of Evangelicals

"In the deluge of books rushing to explain the rise of conservative evangelicals' influence on American politics, Gilgoff's offering makes a unique contribution: he argues that press-shy James Dobson should be regarded as the most powerful evangelical spokesman of the last decade (surpassing Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson). Gilgoff, a senior writer at U.S. News & World Report, boasts extensive interview time with Dobson at the sprawling Focus on the Family campus in Colorado Springs, Colo., inside access that is complemented by excellent writing and a mother lode of information. Gilgoff argues that Dobson is a political powerhouse precisely because his constituency was built on dispensing no-nonsense family advice to millions of Americans desperate for help, not on any explicit political platform. When he ventures to make political statements, he commands a public trust few policy makers enjoy. Gilgoff traces the rise of evangelical influence in politics from the Moral Majority and Christian Coalition in the 1970s and 1980s to Focus on the Family in the 1990s and 2000s, walking readers through the backroom power brokering of everything from Roe v. Wade to Harriet Miers's nomination to the Supreme Court. This is a smart piece of investigative journalism." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)