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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

Featured

Rededicating America to God

We believe, as did our founder, Dr. James Dobson, that America’s only hope for the future is that we turn our hearts back to God. That’s one of the reasons we are excited about a historically significant worship event scheduled for this year. It is part of the celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The White House has announced a day of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving for May 17, 2026, including a special event on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Every American is invited. To RSVP, go here. The date of this event has historical roots. In 1776, the American colonies were facing the likelihood of a war with the British Empire. Armed conflict between colonial patriots and British troops had already exploded in 1775 in the Battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill. More British troops were headed across the Atlantic. In January 1776, a firebrand “patriot” named Thomas Paine published a pamphlet titled Common Sense. In it, he called for complete independence rather than reconciliation with England. While all this was happening, the Second Continental Congress was meeting in Philadelphia. The delegates were confronted with monumental life-and-death decisions. They were divided by regional disagreements. Tempers often flared. Fear ...

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Featured

Wake Up, Church: The Lessons of Cities Church

On January 18, radical leftists invaded Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. They shouted down the pastor’s sermon, intimidated the congregation, harassed women, and told children that their parents were Nazis. The disgusting attack prevented Christians from worshipping Jesus on Sunday morning in America! This invasion of a peaceful church service must not be forgotten. Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said the event should be “a wake-up call for the church.” He added, “Fear-mongering is not a faithful option, but denial is not an honest strategy.”1 He is right, of course. We are not to fear, but we also must face the threat that persecution of Christians is a growing reality. During the Civil Rights movement, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., black churches were vandalized, and worse. Those attacks drew widespread condemnation by all decent people. Thankfully, instead of stopping the Civil Rights movement, the attacks increased public support for it. Today, attacks on American churches are increasing, but they often are ignored by the biased media. Even outright violence, including murder of Christians, is downplayed. After a demon-possessed killer murdered two children and injured eighteen others at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis last summer, ...

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Featured

God’s Gift of Life

Dr. James Dobson was an articulate advocate for the sanctity of life every day of his life. He loved the annual March for Life and was always inspired by the young participants. This year’s right-to-life march in Washington, DC, took place just as a massive winter storm was building and heading east. In spite of the threatening weather, 100,000 brave souls descended on the nation’s capital to speak for our preborn children.

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Martin Luther King Jr. and the God of Life

Every third week of January since 1983, a person and cause have been honored. In 1983, President Reagan signed the Martin Luther King Act, which set aside the third Monday of January to honor the civil rights leader. The following year, Reagan declared the third Sunday of January as National Sanctity of Human Life Day to recognize the humanity and personhood of the unborn child.

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Featured

Saving America by Saving the Family

The Heritage Foundation, a major conservative think tank in Washington, D.C., is rolling out a set of public policy ideas aimed at encouraging marriage and childbirth, both of which are in serious decline. The agenda is expansive, ranging from larger tax credits for children to taking on the cultural malaise that discourages marriage and childbirth.

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Featured

George Washington v. Socialist Mayor Mamdani

This is an important year in American history—the 250th anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence. Major celebrations and ceremonies are planned all over America. They began on New Year’s Eve here in Washington, D.C., where the Washington Monument, named after our first president, dominates the skyline. As night fell on December 31, 2025, a spectacular multimedia display of patriotic themes and images was projected onto the monument. Even in divided Washington, D.C., there was praise for this inspirational celebration of American history.

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Featured

God in America’s Founding

The year 2026 promises to be an extraordinary one for America and for every patriot who loves our country. This is the year we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Declaration, in my view, is the most extraordinary, significant political document ever written.

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Featured

Jesus Is Welcomed in Washington, D.C.

Our nation’s capital is joining the rest of America in celebrating Christmas. Carol and I were blessed to represent the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute (JDFI) at one of the White House Christmas parties a few days ago. It was packed with various “VIPs,” including congressmen, corporate CEOs, and media talking heads. I was surprised when President Trump gave me a “shout-out” as he and the First Lady retired for the evening. JDFI’s reputation is strong in this White House. The National Christmas Tree stands proudly on the National Mall in Washington, where loads of tourists snap photos. A few weeks ago, President Trump dedicated the tree, and First Lady Melania Trump turned on the lights. In his remarks, the president used the moment to present the truth that all Christians believe: Jesus is the Son of God, and through Him we can receive forgiveness and eternal life. There was none of the usual political correctness that has replaced the Christ Child in too many Christmas events. The president will issue the traditional Christian proclamation the week of December 25, and I have no doubt that he will make it clear that Jesus is the reason for the season. The ...

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Featured

The Evil of Antisemitism

The massacre of Jews this week on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia has sent shockwaves across the global Jewish community. Sydney’s Jews had gathered at the iconic beach to celebrate the beginning of Hanukkah—the “Festival of Lights.” The celebration quickly turned into darkness, death, and suffering when two radical Islamists launched a terror attack. This father and son team sprayed the beach with bullets, killing fifteen and wounding forty others (one of the gunmen also was killed by police). Among the dead were children, at least two rabbis, and an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor.

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Featured

Christ On the Mall

Earlier this month, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump participated in the annual lighting of the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse in President’s Park. This event has become part of our “civic religion.” Its Christian roots are obvious, but the gospel of Jesus Christ has faded a bit into the background. As America has become more diverse, a consensus has grown suggesting it would be inappropriate to be too overtly Christian at the tree lighting. In December 2024, then-President Biden lit the tree and dedicated it to “A Season of Peace and Light.” He spoke of “the peace we feel as we pause and reflect on our blessings and the light—the light we see as we gather with loved ones that cherish our time together.” He then referred to a phrase in the Christmas carol “O Holy Night” that says, “His law is love, and His gospel is peace.” The “His” in the song obviously refers to Jesus, but apparently saying the name of Christ would be in bad taste in diverse America. At the very end, God did get a shout-out. Biden ended with the exhortation, “And may God bless you all. And may God protect—may God ...

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Gary Bauer

Gary currently serves as senior vice president of Public Policy and Culture at JDFI, president of American Values, and chairman of Campaign for Working Families PAC. Previously, he served in the Reagan administration as Under Secretary of Education and Head of the Office of Policy Development. Gary became president of the Family Research Council, senior vice president of Focus on the Family, and was appointed by President Trump to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

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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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