Rain Man

Stuart Shepard, director of digital media action at Focus on the Family, has written, recorded, posted, and subsequently pulled a video from the group's website in which he repeatedly inquires if it would be wrong to ask viewers to pray for "rain of Biblical proportions" during Barack Obama's speech at Mile High Stadium on August 28.



The removal of the video came when "about a dozen" Focus on the Family members complained. Only a dozen? Only a dozen people found the mixing of religion and politics to be a problem? Only a dozen found it immature instead of poignant? (Well, maybe they have only a dozen members who read their site.)

If it were an ordinary political or independent blogger who made the video, I believe that no harm would have been done. In fact, such videos and articles are everywhere on the internet--for both candidates--because that's how people express their opinions.

However, when a person uses their position at a Christian organization, especially one as influential as Focus on the Family (producer of my beloved childhood radio show, "Adventures in Odyssey"), to ask that we pray for rain during a speech, it isn't hard to see why so many people are chased away from Christianity. The truth is, it's because guys like Stuart Shepard make us all look like a bunch of nuts.

Another thing: Focus on the Family holds a tax-exempt status. And this isn't the same as when Dr. Dobson endorsed a presidential candidate in 2004. That was found to be on the up-and-up, as Dobson acted as an individual at that time, not as a representative of Focus on the Family. I think he deserves an opportunity to express his personal opinions, like anyone else. This time, it was clearly posted on the group's website, and I don't see how they're going to argue about it if the IRS challenges their tax-exempt status. For this reason, Shepard ought to resign from his position, but we all know that won't happen.

Before writing this, I asked myself if I would be upset by the video if it were directed at McCain instead. I concluded that I would be, if the video had been produced by a Christian organization, or any other non-political group that directly or indirectly represents me.