Transplant Ministries FOCUS on Focus on the Family
A Transplant Spotlight...Being a "Media Ministry" I think it is good to spotlight good Christian Media. I figured this is a safe blog to write as the lack of Good Christian Media is lacking, so this will not keep me very busy. The sad part about this blog is that of all the top notch Christian Media I can think of most of them come back to days when I was a Child. Remember the episodes of McGee and Me? What about the very first episodes of Veggie Tales? As we grow up we started to find a lack of quality entertainment that appealed to our Youth Culture and our extended spiritual growth and depth. However that being said there is still one quality form of Christian Entertainment that heavily impacted my spiritual growth, and sadly, I forgot about it. It wasn't until my iPod broke and I was forced to scavenge the airwaves of my radio that I remembered something that dramatically impacted my spiritual development as a Child. Adventures in
Odyssey.OK I will pause here to allow you to take a moment to reflect on Whit's End, the Imagination Station, Eugene and the room of Consequences...
Are we done?
You see AIO did something that no other form of Christian Media has yet been able to do, and that is capture your imagination, place you into that circumstance and teach complex biblical theology like sacrificial atonement, and imputation. Of course they never use those words but the idea's are there. In fact as I try and look back at my walk and try to think back to significant moments as a child that affected my salvation and growth there is one moment that clicks more then any other and it has everything to do with a certain episode of Adventures in Odyessy.
Episode 190/191 "Moses The Passover Part 1 & 2"
Jimmy and George Barclay travel in the Imagination Station back in time to Moses and the Passover. To make a long story short George and Jimmy get separated, leaving George vulnerable to death because he is the First Born. The father leaves the security of the blood stained door to find his son who is with the Pharaoh. The Angel of death comes and kills all the first born son's, but George and Jimmy are miraculously still alive , even though they had no protection from the Lamb's Blood, or so they thought. At the end Whit explains to them that they have the blood of Jesus as the permanent sacrificial lambs blood. So they had no need in worrying about the Angel of Death.
There as a child sitting in my bunk bed during nap time at summer camp, for the first time figured out the meaning of Christ's death on the Cross, that's when it all made sense...Sure I knew about it, I believed it and I trusted it but I think that was the first time I "Got It."
There are several other episodes that come into mind. Eugene goes to Hell stuck with me...See "The Mortal Coil 1 and 2"
The thing is that although I have not followed AIO in years, the stories are still there with me. They are also still on the air.
This is my challenge to Focus on the Family. Tuning into "The Radio" is a really hard task to do nowadays. But I always have my iPod with me (Except for when it is broken). I did a search for AIO on iTunes and noticed you have a good amount of PodCast's for AIO available but I am by nature greedy and selfish and would like a lot more. I want to catch up, I just found out that Eugene got Married!!! Can you Put them for sale in the iTunes Store?
What a great masterpiece Adventures in Odyssey is and I hope it continues to be for years more, I hope my Kid's are able to enjoy the adventures of Eugene, Jimmy, Mr. Whitaker uh but you can call him Whit and Condie...
Thanks Focus on the Family for the brilliant, production, story telling, voice acting and biblical truth that you have brought to many children over the years...
Proof that you can blend Spiritual Truth and Entertainment without giving up a thing....
posted by Marcus Pittman at
1:24 PM
7 Comments:
Sorry Marcus, we don’t know each other (yet), but I’ve got to throw in a big word of warning to everyone who will listen. Stay away from Focus on the Family! The ministry is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I don’t say that lightly. I live 12 miles from the FOTF campus, go to church with people who work there and “institute” attendees, and at one time almost all of my friends either worked there or had worked there. That gives me a unique perspective on the ministry. The number one problem with the “ministry” is that it promotes the idea that it is possible to integrate the wisdom of fallen man (secular clinical psychology) with the Christian faith. The result is the promotion of neo-liberalism (similar to that of Rob Bell). The ministry is filled with “evangelical feminists” who ultimately deny the gospel since Biblically the relationship between Christ and the church is tied so closely to the relationship of husbands and wives. Many of the books and resources coming out of Focus, including those by Dr. Dobson, promote a “gospel” of self-worth/self-esteem which runs completely contrary to the Biblical gospel. On top of that, I know three people who have either worked with or hung out with Ryan Dobson, which gives ample evidence that Dr. Dobson had absolutely no business writing a book on “Bringing Up Boys.” Sorry folks, but I can give only one bit of advice about Focus on the Family. Run, get rid of any of their books and media, don’t listen to the program, and don’t believe them when they talk about having a “Christian worldview.” Their view is more of the world than Christian.
...because someone uses Modern Science and uses it to Glorify God, (IE psychology) in no way makes him a heretic. Answers in Genesis uses modern Science to do the same.
Now, if James Dobson really is a heretic, that will come out in the near future. I cannot and will not allow a Ministry to be bashed based on hearsay.
The review I gave for Adventures in Odyssey still stands, and always will because those episode were far from heresy and solid.
It's funny because I am usually the first to call someone a heretic.
Marcus,
Clinical psychology (as opposed to psychological research, which can be a science) is not a science. Not, at least using the same definition of science as you would physics, chemistry, or biology. Those are empirical sciences, clinical psychology isn’t. All clinical psychology except that which is based entirely on the Bible is existential. In other words it is based on the subjective opinions of men. It is based on the same theory of knowledge as postmodernism (emergent) and modern mainline liberal theology (neo-orthodoxy) and if you look closely at integrationist “Christian” psychology it is nothing more than the old liberalism with a new face. Carl Rogers, the father of humanistic psychology and client centered counseling, went to seminary at Union Seminary in New York City (liberalism central),and trained pastors in his methods. Rollo May, the father of existential psychology, was good friends with, and wrote a biography of liberal (I don’t believe in a personal God) theologian Paul Tillich (who also taught at Union Seminary). Psychologists wrote the new age bible “A Course in Miracles” and have greatly influenced the “theology” of Robert Schuller. All of the major false doctrines of clinical psychology are supported by James Dobson and Focus on the Family. (existential worth, self-esteem, needs, etc.) My original warning stands. If you play with FOTF you are playing with fire!
For more information from reliable sources see the following:
http://www.psychoheresy-aware.org/jdgbk_online.html
http://www.christiandiscernment.com/home.htm
Even more informative links for reliable sources
http://www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/rediscoveringbc1.htm
http://www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/cando.htm
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12220485341
http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/biblicalcounseling.html
http://nanc.org/editor/filemanager/upload/asp/UserDocs/32evangelism01--goode.pdf
http://nanc.org/editor/filemanager/upload/asp/UserDocs/37gods_truth--goode.pdf
http://www.tms.edu/tmsj/tmsj9d.pdf
You see, lots of people have seen Dobson and his ilk as heretics for a long time.
This is one area where I even agree with Dave Hunt!
http://www.thebereancall.org/node/5949
Another good Dave Hunt link:
http://www.thebereancall.org/node/5913
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