Looks like there is going to be a FireDogLake book salon in which folks here might be interested in participating:
http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/09/21/fdl-book-salon-sunday-5-pm-et2-pm-pt-the-jesus-machine/
Here’s the description by blogger Peterr:
Join us this Sunday at 5 PM Eastern/2 PM Pacific for the Firedoglake Book Salon discussion of The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America are Winning the Culture War. Author Dan Gilgoff is a senior editor at US News and World Report, where he writes often about the intersection of religion and politics.
Dobson is probably the most powerful evangelical leader of the last 20 years, and also the most protective of his image and reputation. He doesn’t do the political talk show circuit and very rarely gives interviews to reporters, yet he commands the attention of millions on the religious right through his Focus on the Family empire and has enormous back-stage influence when compared with more visible political figures. If you polled GOP candidates and told them they could have just one endorsement from an evangelical leader, Dobson would be the unanimous choice.
In The Jesus Machine, Gilgoff describes Dobson and the evangelical political machine of the Theocratic Right. Gilgoff brings his knowledge of politics, his background in religion, and his strong journalistic skills to the task, and opens up for all to see the world of the religious right and the political machine they have built.
Whatever you do next Sunday morning, make some time on Sunday afternoon to join Dan Gilgoff here at FDL to discuss his important take on James Dobson and the political machinery of the religious right.

It was probably a good response. Pity rather than outrage.
A thought in my head: Eight years ago, the religious right, big business, cultural conservatives and libertarians were a grand coalition joined by a shared suspicion of progressivism. I wonder if tomorrow big business, cultural conservatives, libertarians and progressives won’t be a coalition joined by a shared suspicion of the religious right. Or maybe the progressives and the religious right can form a coalition by a shared need to be conspired against.

All of the Christians of the first century Church would be called “the religious right” today. They were certainly thought about like that to the hedonistic, lascivious licentious Romans (think Liberals of 2007). Look at how Peter, John, James, Jude and Paul stand in opposition still to this day to what is refered to as “Liberals and Progressives” now. Especially in behaviors promoted and encouraged.
They “right-wingers,” those that thought what Jesus said was important, were called “Christians” first in Antioch.
Interestingly, it was put upon them as more of an epithet like “evangelical, conservative, religious right” is today. And, I miight add, by the same kinds of people then as now.
James Dobson speaks with the same voice as any of the above mentioned Apostles. Criticising Dobson’s positions on the family, marriage and children, is just like refusing to believe that Peter, John, James, Jude and Paul were wrong on their positions, since Dobson’s views do not conflict with what the Apostles taught. And the Apostles learned their positions from Christ Jesus.
It’s really about right and wrong. And in “testing all things,” Dobson’s positions are clearly right according to the New Testament record from the Gospels to Jude.
We are obliged to allow the weeds to grow with the wheat (Progressive ideology being weeds) but we are also called to point out the weeds.

Ooops, I just got emailed from a friend. This should have said:
James Dobson speaks with the same voice as any of the above mentioned Apostles. Criticising Dobson’s positions on the family, marriage and children, is just like agreeing to believe or charging that Peter, John, James, Jude and Paul were WRONG on their positions, since Dobson’s views do not conflict with what the Apostles taught. And the Apostles learned their positions from Christ Jesus.
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And please never forget that “The Left” does disagree with many positions held by the Apostles.

The apostles were wrong sometimes, Donny. And in the same way. “What God has made clean do not call profane.”

Prior to the resurrection, I refer to the Apostles as “Larry, Moe, and Curly”. Jesus saw something in those fools that was capable of being transformed into wisdom and action.
They fought, made mistakes, were self absorbed and Peter had to be convinced that the Gentiles were capable of being followers. The requirment of circumcision – an absolute – became a non issue – quickly. Peter was capable of seeing his own mistakes. This is something Dobson cannot do. In addition – Jesus gave up several things in the desert – power over others being one of them -which presumably he passed on to the disciples. Dobson seems to have skipped that part of the Bible completely.
I used to believe he was the most dangerous man i the country. Increasinly, he just looks foolish and mean spiritied. I think that probably is where he was all the time and we were conned into believing he had substance.
The new evangelicals – Greg Boyd and others – have moved way beyond Dobson. thanks be to God.