See the Good in God’s Gifts of Grace

I encourage you to read “What I Wish More People Knew About American Evangelicalism,” by John Fea in the February 7, 2024 issue of The Atlantic.  Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family made a positive difference in John Fea’s upbringing. Fea also urges those who are concerned about aspects of Evangelicalism to see the good that he finds there.

Challenges to Seeing the Good

The reports that Catholic bishops covered up priests’ abuse of children and shuffled them to different parishes horrified me. This news was so terrible that it made it difficult for me to see the good that other Catholic priests were still doing.

When I just recently reviewed the perspectives of Dr. James Dobson, I found myself cringing. His perspectives clash with my values. I disagree with his views on corporal punishment, traditional gender roles in marriage, conversion therapy for LGBTQ people, and purity balls.

Even when one has a concern about a faith community/leader, John Fea’s article is an invitation to see God’s grace at work.

See the Good: John Fea and Dr. James Dobson

John Fea grew up with an abusive father. What Dr. Dobson taught his father was that he was supposed to model and teach his family about love. Fea reports that his father underwent a conversion and became a different person.

My understanding is that Dobson did not advocate spanking when a parent was violently angry or if the parent enjoyed administering punishment this way. Perhaps Fea’s father saw that his physical abuse of his children differed from what Dobson recommended. His father’s conversion made Fea’s life much better.

See the Good: Evangelicalism and Other Faith Traditions

A focus on some Evangelicals’ political involvement in the USA has distracted me from all of the good these Christians do. Though the media focuses on Christian Nationalism or a support for Trump, Fea emphasizes that many Evangelicals also help the poor and advocate for justice.

I admit that the belief that God has chosen Donald Trump to save the United States has distracted people from God’s work in the community. Plenty of Catholics supported Trump in 2016 and 2020 because of his stance on abortion, for example. Many people are not aware that there is a group called Democrats for Life or that some Republicans support LBBTQ+ rights. A lot of us live with generalizations about candidates and/or political parties.

Generalizations Obscure the Good

Generalizations are rarely accurate. Because I have read about Christian Nationalism, I have focused on one aspect of Evangelicalism over others. While I might disagree with some aspects of Evangelicalism, I should recognize recognize authentic faith and goodness.  Not all Evangelicals support Donald Trump as God’s chosen leader. Many do not support James Dobson’s approach.

The point that John Fea makes clear is that he saw a real and significant transformation in the life of his father because of James Dobson. This shift positively affected his life. We should never ignore evidence of God’s grace at work.