Focus Welcomes Goeglein, Says His Sins Are Forgiven

Earlier this week we noted that Focus on the Family had hired the Bush Administration's former chief liaison to Religious Right group, Tim Goeglein, who was forced to step down from his position in the White House after admitting he plagiarized numerous columns when he was writing for The News-Sentinel in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Now, Focus has made it official with this announcement that Goeglein has been tapped to serves as the organization's "eyes and ears" in Washington DC as a sign of just how "serious" the organization is about pressing its agenda under the Obama administration:

Tim Goeglein, former deputy director of the White House Office of Public Liaison under President George W. Bush, has joined Focus on the Family Action in the newly created role of vice president of external relations.

Goeglein brings nearly 20 years of public-service experience to his new position. His hiring, Focus on the Family Action President and CEO Jim Daly said, signals how serious the nonprofit organization is about defending families through public policy.

“Tim brings with him a wealth of experience and relationships that will prove invaluable to our efforts to defend the sanctity of human life, protect the institution of marriage and ensure the religious-freedom rights of Christians,” Daly said. “He will be our eyes and ears in Washington, helping ensure people of faith continue to be heard on the important issues facing our nation.”

Focus also acknowledges Goeglein's past, but says that is all behind him and that he has been forgiven:

Goeglein resigned from the Bush administration last February, after admitting to plagiarizing columns written for his hometown newspaper. He has accepted full responsibility for his actions, Daly said, and the matter is behind him.

“Tim has been forthright about his mistakes and humbly accepted the consequences of them – a pretty rare thing in Washington,” Daly said. “He is a Christian, and being a Christian doesn’t mean you’re perfect – only that there is grace and forgiveness when you confess your imperfections. Tim has done that, and we welcome him to our team enthusiastically.”

For his part, Goeglein seems downright giddy about his new job, saying he has "seen the positive impact they’ve had on policy and culture from inside government" and is therefore looking forward to being a part of that effort:

"My job is to tell the Focus story to people and to groups of influence," he told CitizenLink. "It's to build relationships, to build alliances, to shape debate. It's very important we tell the Focus story to the rising generation of young Americans."

Goeglein said he's been a fan and a beneficiary of Focus on the Family for many years.

"As a father of two boys, Focus on the Family is a very central part of our life and the way we parent," he said. "There is no organization in America which does a better job of understanding and promoting and defending the family than Focus on the Family does."