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.

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 than 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.

According to the Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph, the ministries employ more than 2,200 people in the area, with a payroll of more than $45 million.

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 Dobson’s 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 receiving complaints from parents, many identifying themselves as Christians. The Colorado Springs Teachers Assn. filed a grievance and requested that the banned panelists be permitted to speak to students. The school district refused, and the issue will be placed before a state board.

* The Rev. David Skipworth, leader of Cowboys for Christ, and four other parents filed a lawsuit in May against the schools in Woodland Park, a town west of Colorado Springs, to force them to stop 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, nonprofit 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.