We listened to James Dobson...

We listened to James Dobson,

Subscribed to World magazine,

And found in history a precedent for activism. 

We saw ourselves as heirs to a religious heritage 

that shaped our form of government;

That's why we called ourselves conservatives.

We saw slavery and segregation

—no less than abortion—

as blots on our national conscience.

Or I thought that's what we thought.

And we thought Bill Gothard

took the Bible seriously. 

He used “how-to” formulas 

before they were clickable.

It was good marketing—very American.

We mined the Bible for “insights” and “principles” 

looking for formulas and cautionary tales to decode 

and then use to “succeed.”

And there were casualties:

the many misled, 

and those abused.