From: RMVLUG_4@FLINT.MINES.COLORADO.EDU (FRANK BERNDT)
Subject: Focus on the Family
Followup-To: amend2-discuss@cs.colorado.edu
Originator: doherty@ucsu.Colorado.EDU
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 02:49:22 GMT

Los Angeles Times 12/19/92

New Hub for Family Values Movement

Ministries: Colorado Springs is home to 40 evangelical groups that have 
brought thousands of jobs and millions in tax dollars. But not everyone is 
happy about their clout.

(from Associated Press)
Colorado Springs, Colo.- When president Bush spoke to a group of 
conservative state legislators from around the country this fall, he made 
one side trip.

Bush went to a refurbished bank building to talk on a radio program that 
was beamed to thousands of radio stations nationwide, part of a network 
established Focus on the Family, an organization founded by James 
Dobson.

Bush's visit underscored the significance of Colorado Springs' role in the 
family values movement.

The city is home to 40 international evangelical ministries, making it a 
major force in the family values movement nationwide.

"Colorado Springs is a conservative place to begin with. The para-church 
groups that have come in have simply added to the conservative 
atmosphere," said the Rev. James W. White, pastor of the First 
Congregational Church and a critic of the conservative ministries.

"We're not living Murphy Brown down here. They're trying to prevent 
Murphy Brown, and Focus is certainly trying to do that in their narrow 
definition of what family is."

The political clout of one group based here - Colorado for Family Values - 
was demonstrated on Election Day. Amendment 2, a ballot initiative 
sponsored by the group, outlaws civil rights laws protecting gays, 
lesbians and bisexuals in Colorado.

Local officials, who have watched defense contracts dry up because of 
federal budget cuts, are ecstatic about the new jobs and the estimated 
$300 million the ministries generate annually for the city's economy. 

Focus on the Family, the largest ministry in Colorado Springs with an 
annual income of $77 million, moved here a year ago from the Los 
Angeles area. The organization brought with it more that 950 jobs and 
generated millions of dollars in city and county tax revenues. A $24-
million headquarters is being built on 47 acres north of the city and is 
expected to be finished in June.

Colorado Springs has always been politically conservative because of the 
strong military presence, but the number of ministries that have settled 
here - especially Focus on the Family - has alarmed some who see the 
religious conservatives as a threat to the city's cultural diversity, schools 
and civil liberties.

"A chunk of the community is in love with them. A chunk of the 
community thinks they're responsible for everything that happens," said 
Amy Divine, a resident.

Divine, her husband, Doug Triggs, and several other residents launched 
the Citizens Project in May in an attempt to show another side to the 
city's conservative bent.

"In the Pike's Peak area, we are seeing a push toward prayer in the 
schools, pressure to modify school curriculum to reflect religious views, 
the rise of extremist candidates in elections, increased anti-gay activity 
and growing religious intolerance," said Freedom Watch, the Citizens 
Project newsletter.

Focus on the Family officials said they don't want to get involved in local 
politics and moved here only to save money. The group, with its more 
than 11,000 weekly airings of Dobsons' program, and magazines and 
newsletters distributed nationally, said it preaches and teaches 
"principled persuasion."

We're not trying to lead a great crusade here - to recapture Jerusalem," 
said Tom Minnery, a spokesman for the organization. We're just trying to 
get people to offer what they can offer in a humble, constructive fashion 
and to be part of the process."

According to one story that made the rounds here, Focus on the Family 
tried to obtain a list of single teachers in certain school districts as part 
of an effort to get rid of any gays or lesbians. Focus on the Family 
confirmed that some principals called to say they had been approached 
by people claiming to belong to the religious group.

The religious movement's growing influence is evident through these 
recent developments.

*Colorado for Family Values, the group that was successful in passage of 
the anti-gay rights amendment, was created out of a local group that had 
quashed an ordinance that would have prohibited discrimination against 
gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. The group is not tied to Focus on the 
Family, but Minnery said his organization has offered advice to CFV and 
that they share the goal of Amendment 2. Several Focus on the Family 
employees sit on CFV advisory boards.

*In April, one school district barred gay and pagan participants from a 
diversity symposium after teaching Greek and Roman mythology 
without also teaching the Bible. The suit also sought to have the schools 
teach the Bible as the only source of American morality. A judge 
dismissed the case.

*At least two small businesses have documented harassing calls from 
people who identified themselves with Focus on the Family. Regina's 
Unique Boutique was criticized for selling "scanty" clothing. The Rocky 
Mountain Men's Center, led by therapist Greg Snyder, simply left town.

Most of the Colorado Springs ministries are considered "evangelical," not 
an easy term to define. The ministries "cut across denominational lines 
but share a commitment to conservative values and Bible-based 
theology," said Steve Rabey, religion editor for the Colorado Springs 
Gazette Telegraph.

Most are donor-supported, non-profit ministries, and are exempt from 
federal and state income taxes.

Focus on the Family officials bristle when described as fundamental, or 
even religious right. That, they said, lumps them with television 
evangelists such as Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson.

"Sometimes when Christian people get involved," Minnery said, "they do 
so in a way that frightens other people because it makes other people 
think, 'Well, they're just trying to shove their religion down my throat.'"

Instead, the group tries to "frame issues in a way that appeals to 
common sense, not to any narrow religious doctrine," he said.



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