With all due respect to Russell Moore and Albert Mohler, we need more leaders like James Dobson. America needs leaders that will stand up when faced with evil and say, “come and get me.” Dr. Dobson has been standing strong in the face of culture for decades and he didn’t back down when face to face with President Obama.

To be fair I am a huge fan of both Russell Moore and Albert Mohler. Their work within the Southern Baptist Convention is, in my opinion, timely and on point. The difference between them and Dr. Dobson though is with regard to personal conviction.

Let me explain. It seems that when many leaders speak on issues, whether life or marriage, or religious freedoms, they do so in an almost passive way. It’s not that they don’t care, they just seem to speak from the realm of “what if’s” more than from a personal place. I hear a lot of “Christians should not be made to,” and “It’s wrong to force Christians to,” when they speak. While I agree with those sentiments, there’s an element of personal force lacking.

When Dr. Dobson filed a lawsuit against the government to stop them from forcing him to provide abortion drugs and devices to his employees as part of the HHS mandate, it was personal. This isn’t just another issue, this isn’t something he’s doing solely for others, this is a deeply personal issue that resounds inside Dr. Dobson and compels him to stand and speak boldly. Speaking on why he filed the lawsuit Dr. Dobson said:

“I believe in the rule of law, and it has been my practice since I was in college to respect and honor those in authority over us. It is my desire to do so now. However, this assault on the sanctity of human life takes me where I cannot go. I WILL NOT pay the surcharge for abortion services. The amount of the surcharge is irrelevant. To pay one cent for the killing of babies is egregious to me, and I will do all I can to correct a government that lies to me about its intentions and then tries to coerce my acquiescence with extortion. It would be a violation of my most deeply held convictions to disobey what I consider to be the principles in Scripture. The Creator will not hold us guiltless if we turn a deaf ear to the cries of His innocent babies. So come and get me if you must, Mr. President. I will not bow before your wicked regulation.”

Dr. Dobson used the language of “If you want me, come and get me,” and made it clear that he had no intention of retreating, cowering, or going away. I think he did so because this is an intensely personal issue that he is unwilling to compromise on and he wanted to ensure that his message was communicated.

I’m certainly not implying that subtle, reserved tactics are not appropriate and necessary. I understand that they are needed at times. However, Christians have a reputation of being unconcerned, uninvolved, apathetic, when it comes to issues involving the government. Because of that reputation those more reserved tactics, at times, can make it further appear that we simply don’t care.

When the majority of Christians have never done anything more than share an info-graph on Facebook to show their disdain for abortion it is clear that personal conviction is lacking. Most Christians don’t support Care Pregnancy Centers, most churches don’t support Care Pregnancy Centers, and few Christians have ever done something so bold as to stand in front of an abortion clinic and pray. So it’s a fairly safe assumption to say most Christians are not about to go toe to toe with the federal government and the president. And yet Dr. Dobson has done just that, he’s won (for the moment), and he’s not about to apologize for it.

When Fox News’ Megyn Kelly questioned whether or not it was appropriate for Dr. Dobson to refer to President Obama as the “abortion president” (a factually accurate title) at the National Day of Prayer event he was speaking at, Dr. Dobson didn’t back down. He said:

“The people who were there were with me 100 percent…“it is very difficult for those who aren’t part of the sanctity of life movement to understand how intensely we feel about the issue of killing babies. The president has not only done everything he could to promote abortion, and he let us know before he was elected and people elected him anyway.”

Some believe the issue of life is a partisan issue, it’s not, it’s a moral issue. It’s an odd notion to consider the killing of an innocent human being partisan and yet one group believes it is acceptable to do just that. To address the issue of life at a “non-partisan” event is perfectly acceptable because the issue of life is non-partisan, it is moral.

What I can’t help but wonder is if Christians are as willing to defy the federal government as Dr. Dobson. I don’t think anyone at this point doubts that Dr. Dobson would defy any mandate that he pay for abortion services at his Family Talk Radio program. I don’t think there is one shred of doubt that Dr. Dobson would refuse to provide abortion services and devices and also willingly close his doors before doing so. The question is, are other Christians just as willing to stand for their convictions as Dr. Dobson?

Where would some of our most prominent church leaders fall when faced with the same decision? Perhaps they’ve not given this issue the same thought because they do indeed work for churches that are exempt from the HHS mandate and feel justified in not speaking out.

The problem with that approach is that these church leaders have men and women in their congregations, including business owners that are being asked to support and pay for abortion and abortions services. Christians are being told you have to pay and provide these services or face, as Dr. Dobson called it, “government extortion,” for refusing. What are Christian leaders telling these men and women in their congregations?

I suppose what resounded with me about Dr. Dobson’s open letter and National Day of Prayer remarks is how passionate and resolute he is regarding the sanctity of life. There is no apathy, there is no bending, Dr. Dobson stands firm and without apology. I grew up in an era when prominent Christian leaders behaved more like Dr. Dobson but they seem to be few and far between today. It also seems as though Christians are losing ground regarding religious freedom in public.

I know not everyone will appreciate the bold tone Dr. Dobson took with the president and will perhaps criticize his tactic. What I appreciate is his willingness to stand and speak regardless of consequences as a result of his deeply passionate convictions regarding the sanctity of life. I think we need more leaders like Dr. Dobson and I hope more will take a cue from one our most respected and valued family leaders.