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Gary Bauer

Senior VP of Public Policy & Culture

Policy & Culture

Through the Dobson Policy & Culture Center, we focus on issues related to righteousness in the culture, such as the sanctity of human life, the God-ordained institution of marriage, parental rights, freedom of religion, and other liberties guaranteed in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Critical Issue #1

The Next Generation

There is a fierce battle being waged now in our nation’s classrooms for the hearts and souls of our children and grandchildren. Make no mistake, the left and the secular culture are manipulating the…

Critical Issue #2

The Sanctity of Human Life

All life is sacred and is a gift from Almighty God. Sadly, however, many people in our society no longer understand or acknowledge the sanctity of human life.

Critical Issue #3

Marriage & Family

Marriage serves as the foundation for every dimension of human life. Everything of value rests on it, including procreation and the care and training of children.

Critical Issue #4

Religious Liberty

The first item listed in the Bill of Rights within the U.S. Constitution addresses the issue of religious liberty.

Critical Issue #5

The Judicial System

Thomas Jefferson warned repeatedly about the emergence of an out-of-control judiciary that would destroy the Constitution and, along with it, America’s fundamental freedoms.

Critical Issue #6

Capitalism vs. Socialism

Democracy and capitalism have made our nation the most powerful and successful in the history of the world.

Critical Issue #7

The Nation of Israel

The Jews are God’s chosen people, and Israel is covenant land given to the Jews by Jehovah as an everlasting possession.

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Policy & Culture Updates

Policy & Culture

Men Who Stand Between Women and Evil

But a new day is dawning. Many now understand that, in normal terms, it is good for men to be physically capable of protecting others. In preparation for this role, the formation of a man’s godly character ordinarily begins in the home. Masculine protection is not merely to be taught on a whiteboard but modeled by a father. Neither is it about the body, first and foremost. Though the body matters, masculine protection is a spiritual commitment grounded in a man’s walk with Christ.

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Policy & Culture

Elections Matter!

Our countdown to the election is over, and the results are in. As you know, this tumultuous election year ended on November 5 with a resounding victory for the Trump-Vance ticket over Harris-Walz.

The final Electoral College count was 312 to 226, and Trump is now winning the popular vote by more than 3.2 million. No Republican president has accomplished this since 2004. In addition, he enjoys a clear majority in the US Senate and a likely narrow majority in the House of Representatives.

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Policy & Culture

Trump’s Stunning Victory and God’s Great Kindness

It is official: Donald Trump is the 47th president of the United States. The answer to the prayers of many has come. As Ronald Reagan once said, “It’s morning again in America.” The days of our nation suffering the ravages of another leftist administration are now past. The Democratic platform was essentially everything God hates—championing unlimited abortion, open borders, and “gender-affirming care.” Whether our homeland as we know it would have survived the enactment of that agenda is questionable. But God appointed a different outcome. Once again, He has shown incredible kindness to us. America is not finished.

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Policy & Culture

A Binary Election: Why We Disagree with Christianity Today

According to Christianity Today, the American presidential election does not represent a binary choice. So argued Robert Postic in a Christianity Today essay entitled, Voting Is Important to Me. That's Why, This Year, I Won't Vote. In his article, Postic cited Dr. James Dobson in support of his position. Because of the issues at stake, and because of Postic's use of Dr. Dobson's words without the full context of his longstanding view, we at JDFI feel compelled to set the record straight.

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Policy & Culture

Storming Heaven: Why We Pray and Vote in Election Season

Now, in late 2024, let us heed God’s Word. Let us pray for a president who will honor God’s vision for government—a leader who will reward good and punish evil (Romans 13:1-7). Then, having prayed, let us exercise our rights and responsibilities as citizens: let us vote according to our conscience. Acting according to our conscience does not mean doing whatever we want. To the contrary, our conscience must be marinated in Scripture. We are not free moral agents. We are Christians—God’s people living under His rule, and our faith is holistically ordered to moral action.

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Policy & Culture

Harris vs. Trump: What Each Candidate Wants Most for America

We are now in the closing argument phase of the presidential campaign. Candidates are presenting their most compelling cases for why still undecided voters should choose them.

Donald Trump is outlining what his second term would look like. He is pushing
• tax cuts for working and middle-class Americans,
• a secure border,
• ending inflation,
• energy independence, and
• protecting religious liberty and free speech.

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Policy & Culture

Game, Set, Match: No Men in Women’s Sports

Recently, four women’s collegiate volleyball teams made history by refusing to play against San Jose State University, a team with biological male Blair Fleming among its members.

A big development in this story just landed: a fifth volleyball team, from the University of Nevada, has joined them. Although university officials publicly declared weeks ago that their women’s team would play, the players recently came to a different decision.

They released this statement: “We demand that our right to safety and fair competition on the court be upheld. We refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes.”

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Policy & Culture

Inspiration That Could Save America

There is always an October surprise in every election, and we may have just experienced it. More on that later.

The presidential campaigns are deploying resources and crafting messages to clarify the choice before us. Former President Donald Trump spent half an hour as a McDonald’s employee, effectively turning it into “Donald’s” as he served Pennsylvania families burgers and fries. At a rally in the same state, steel workers gathered around him and gave him a hard hat, insisting that Trump saved the steel industry. Then Trump showed his support of the American people by attending an NFL game. The stadium erupted in chants of “USA! USA!”

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Policy & Culture

God of the Hurricane

Recently, we have been reminded that the earth we walk can be unstable ground. God speaks to this instability in Psalm 75:3: “When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars.”

This testimony is deeply relevant in our current national moment. We have watched as two consecutive hurricanes—Helene and Milton—have ravaged countless towns and cities in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee. Tragically, news outlets are reporting that Hurricane Helene caused a tremendous loss of life and around $50 billion worth of damage. The emotional, spiritual, and psychological costs of these disasters go far beyond any numerical statistic.

How do Christians respond to terrible events like these?

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Policy & Culture

To Be Salt and Light, We Must Be Involved in America’s Elections

The polls are shifting again. The race is still a toss-up, but virtually every poll shows former President Donald Trump with the momentum.

Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign has adopted a new tone. It started with a joy, joy, joy vibe. Now, the emphasis is fear, fear, fear. Harris labels Trump “dangerous.” Her surrogates compare him to Hitler. After two serious assassination attempts on Trump, this rhetoric could inspire more violence. Please pray for the safety of Trump and Harris.

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Authors

Gary Bauer

Gary has an accomplished career in the public policy field, having served in numerous leadership positions during the past several decades. He participated in the Reagan administration as Under Secretary of Education, and then White House Head of the Office of Policy Development. After leaving the Reagan White House, Gary became president of the Family Research Council and senior vice president of Focus on the Family.

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A word from Dr. James Dobson

Dr. James Dobson

“Public policy” refers in other contexts to politics, such as elections and political parties. That is not what we mean by the term. Our focus is on issues related to righteousness in the culture, such as the sanctity of human life, the God-ordained institution of marriage, parental rights, freedom of religion, and other liberties guaranteed in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. This is an incomplete list but should be illustrative. Of course, we are also opposed to policies that are anti-biblical, such as critical race theory and other efforts to propagandize and manipulate the minds of children. We oppose the entire LGBTQ ideology, as well as adultery, premarital sex, and matters that most conservative Christians view as contrary to Scripture. At the heart of our belief system is a biblical worldview, such as absolute truth and the teachings of Jesus. We are committed to the family as outlined in the Book of Genesis, a view of the family that is under vicious attack from within our culture. We are here to defend the family with every resource. Indeed, defending and promoting these beliefs and the truths in God’s Word are our raison d’etre, our reason to be.
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