Angry Like Christ

A biblical basis for anger against religious leaders

By Brian Elroy McKinley

I must be evil because of my mistreatment of James Dobson in my article, "Why Focus on the Family is of the Devil." I must be evil -- many of those who responded declared -- because I, as a fellow believer, had the gall to attack a respected Christian organization and its leader. I must be evil because Christ is of love, and by attacking Focus on the Family, I was not showing love.

What many people forget, however, is that I am merely following Christ's example. Christ was the one who first modeled anger toward self- righteous religious leaders. Christ was the one who openly condemned the very religious leaders that most people revered. Christ was the one who not only condemned such leaders, but who used violence to remove religious merchandising from a place of worship.

The proof of this is no further away than your nearest Bible. Take a look.

In Matthew 23 Jesus, speaking before a large crowd, begins to publicly denounce the religious leaders of his day:

"The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses....But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men....And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called by men, Teacher. But do not be called Teacher; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. and do not call anyone on earth your father, for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whomever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted."
Matthew 23:2,5,6-12
Christ was arguing against religious leaders who set themselves up as authorities over their followers. He argued against those who liked the limelight of being considered an honored community leader as well. When we watch James Dobson, we can see many of these same qualities.
  • Dobson has openly claimed that his organization is a primary moral authority for today's believers. This is carefully discussed in the article, "James Dobson: Focusing on Himself."

  • Dobson revels in his role as a Ph.D., espousing his brand of child psychology and religious morality to millions who call him "teacher."

  • Dobson enjoys being seen with the nation's political leaders. All but one of the Republican hopefuls made a trek to Colorado Springs to have an audience with Dobson. In September, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph and the Colorado Springs Independent, Bob Dole called on Dobson, and the two sat elbow to elbow at the large First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs, in seats set aside for the candidate and the renowned Christian leader.

  • Dobson wants the Republican leadership to bow to his pressure. If they refuse, Dobson says, he'll ask his followers not to vote for them because to do so would "squander our influence on decision makers." A position that Dobson admonishes because "They will be more likely to court our support in the future, especially if they lost the last election. That's the way the game is played." (FOF March 1995 Newsletter).
  • Christ continues in his diatribe against the religious leaders of his day:
    "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel about on sea and land to make one convert....Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness, but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence....Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."
    Matthew 23:15,23-25,27-28
    Christ is arguing against religious leaders who appear righteous on the outside, but who fail to extend the grace of God to others. Christ argues against religious leaders who are more concerned about appearances than with truth. Consider the following:
  • Dobson likes the appearance of being a ministry, but the reality is Focus on the Family is a business. Because of their tax-free status, they cannot openly sell their products. Rather, they use a nice little device called a "suggested donation." Each newsletter contains more advertising than editorializing. Over and over we see the suggested donations for their products.

  • Even products designated for those with little money come with a price tag. In his November 1994 newsletter, Dobson writes about a new publication he is promoting: "Unfortunately, many of the single parents who are most in need of this publication aren't able to afford even the modest donation we have requested. We've tried to address this problem. Although it costs Focus $18 to place a family on our mailing list and send the new magazine for one year, we have asked single parents for a donation of only $12." Isn't it nice how Dobson lowered the price in order to minister to the needy. Now the needy only need "donate" six dollars less.

  • In his July 1995 newsletter Dobson asks an interesting question: "Why did a family actually give up boxed cereal for a month in order to send Focus on the Family of gift of $17?" Indeed why? This family obviously hasn't visited Focus on the Family's offices in Colorado Springs. It rivals five-star hotel The Broadmoor in its grandeur and elegance. So much money went into making it that the city of Colorado Springs actually has freeway signs indicating the exits for the "Focus on the Family Visitor Center."

  • Dobson has bashed the gay community repeatedly, treating them as if they were the devil himself. Regardless of whether or not we believe homosexuality is a sin, how we treat people, even the least among us, is a yardstick for our own spiritual disposition. By bashing gays, Dobson becomes no better than the slave in Jesus' parable who was unwilling to forgive his fellow slave after he, himself, had been forgiven. He also makes himself into one of the religious leaders in another of Jesus' parables: the Good Samaritan. In that story, a Godless half-breed heathen (the Samaritan) was the true hero of the story and the "righteous" religious leaders failed to give mercy.
  • Finally, let's look at the violent reaction of Christ to the religious merchandising of his day:
    "And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers seated. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the moneychangers, and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, `Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a house of merchandise.'"
    John 2-14-16
    Jesus was mad, fighting mad. He made himself a kind of whip and began violently purging the temple of those using it to make money. You would think verses as strong as this would make Christian merchants nervous that they are making a buck from what God feels is holy. Sadly, though, Christian products, trinkets, books, tapes, and jewelry are growing at a very steady rate. And Focus on the Family is right in the middle of it, month after month asking for "suggested donations" for all of its products.

    So yes, I'm angry. I'm angry at a "ministry" whose leader proclaims his opinions as the Gospel truth while enjoying the high life of being pals with the nation's political leaders, sitting with them in reserved seats while taking money from poor people who don't see him in his ritzy office writing books that he merchandises deceptively as "suggested donations." I'm angry that so many people blindly follow him, calling him "teacher," giving weight to his political agendas. I'm angry, but, unlike what many readers have proclaimed, it is not an anger of the devil. Rather, I have Christ, himself, as my model. It is with this example that I proclaimed then as I do now that "Focus on the Family is of the Devil."

    About the Author

    Why Focus on the Family is of the Devil

    A Christian Perspective

    James Dobson: Focusing on Himself

    How James Dobson, leader of Focus on the Family, sets himself up as the moral authority of the nation -- taken from his own words and from other media reports

    To Confess or Not to Confess

    A response to the assertion that the leaders at Focus on the Family actually confess their failures to their followers.

    Related Writings

    Family Values: a biblical view
    Terrorism as a Means of Self-actualization
    Three Easy Steps to Losing Your Faith
    The Unofficial Eleventh Commandment
    Breaking Windows in the House of God
    The Fascism of Modern Churches
    Why Abortion is Biblical

    Email: el@elroy.com

    Copyright © 1995-2008 Brian Elroy McKinley