{"product_id":"family-matters-hilde-lzuvdal-stephens-9780817320331","title":"Family Matters: James Dobson and Focus on the Family's Crusade for the Christian Home","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe first full-length study of a pivotal figure in American evangelical faith\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e James Dobson--child psychologist, author, radio personality, and founder of the Christian conservative organization Focus on the Family--published his first book, \u003ci\u003eDare to Discipline\u003c\/i\u003e, in 1970 and quickly became the go-to family expert for evangelical parents across the United States as American evangelicalism rose as a major political force. The family expert became a leading voice in the Reagan Revolution, and played a role in making American evangelicals even more firmly associated with the Republican Party. Dobson's principle beliefs are that the family is the center of Christian America and that the traditional family must be defended from perceived threats such as gay rights, feminism, abortion, and the secularization of public schools. Dobson and Focus on the Family dominated Christian media through print, radio, and online venues, and their message reached millions of American evangelical households, shaping the cultural sensibilities and political attitudes of evangelical families throughout the culture wars from the 1980s into the 2000s. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eFamily Matters: James Dobson and Focus on the Family's Crusade for the Christian Home \u003c\/i\u003eby Hilde L vdal Stephens is an insightful history and analysis of James Dobson's rise to fame, effect on American evangelical culture, and subsequent descent from relevance. Extensively researched, L vdal Stephens scoured through Dobson's books, articles, and other materials published by Focus on the Family in order to explore how evangelicals defined and defended the traditional family as an ideal and as a symbol in an ever-changing world. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e By contextualizing the history of Dobson's reign, L vdal Stephens's discerning analysis fills an important gap in our understandings of the politics and culture of late twentieth-century conservative Christianity in the United States. She explores complex topics ranging from Dobson's celebration of what he believes are timeless biblical values, such as maintaining strict and defined gender roles, to the ways Dobson and Focus on the Family balanced their basic ideals with real everyday lives of average American evangelical families, facing the realities of divorce, working mothers, and other perceived threats to the traditional family. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Hilde Løvdal Stephens\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0817320334\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780817320331\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University Alabama Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/15\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.25lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.20w x 1.20d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/01\/2020","brand":"Hilde Løvdal Stephens","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48086958440703,"sku":"9780817320331","price":49.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_5352e4b3-05fe-442c-9338-461a0f03a7e6.jpg?v=1769097481","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/family-matters-hilde-lzuvdal-stephens-9780817320331","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}