Tributes continue to pour in for Dr. James Dobson, the famed evangelist and prominent psychologist who has influenced countless lives and ministries.
Dr. Dobson, 89, died on August 21 at his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He has been credited for shaping the way generations view faith, family and culture through his Focus on the Family radio programme that has been broadcasted by over 4,000 radio stations across North America and the Caribbean. He would lead Focus on the Family until 12 years ago, when he launched the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute and continued a radio programme called “Family Talk.”
Among those paying tribute to the late evangelist is bestselling author and radio personality Eric Metaxas, who took to social media to express grief and offer condolences.
“It has been one of the great honors of my life to know Dr. James Dobson,” Metaxas tweeted. “He was not afraid to bring his faith into the public sphere for God’s purposes. He has finished the race — to God’s glory! Hallelujah! May we all follow in his footsteps.”
Craig DeRoche, president & CEO of the Family Policy Alliance, a conservative advocacy group founded by Dobson and originally named Focus on the Family Action, also expressed condolences in a statement.
“As a trusted advocate for faith, family, and biblical values, Dr. Dobson’s legacy is unmatched and his life’s work continues to shape our nation,” DeRoche said. “With unwavering conviction, he championed the sanctity of marriage, the sanctity of life, and the importance of parental rights [and] principles woven into the DNA of our movement.”
Born in the state of Louisiana, USA in 1936, Dobson became known for his unapologetic approach to social issues and conversations that arose in his country. Dobson gained attention for some of his published works, including his first book, Dare To Discipline, which advocated for strict parental authority and corporal punishment and reportedly sold over 3 million copies. He would go on to publish over 60 books, which included Hide or Seek, What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew About Women, Love Must Be Tough, When God Doesn’t Make Sense, Life On The Edge, Home With a Heart and Parenting Isn’t For Cowards.
Dobson was also an adviser to four presidents in his lifetime: Ronald Reagan, George H W Bush, George W Bush, and most recently current president, Donald Trump. During the Reagan administration, Dobson was appointed to the National Advisory Commission as the officer of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and served as co-chair of the Citizens Advisory Panel for Tax Reform. In addition, he was a member of the United States Army’s Family Initiative, and was part of Attorney General Edwin Meese’s Commission on Pornography, the Advisory Board on Missing and Exploited Children. He was also on Secretary Otis Bowen’s Panel on Teen Pregnancy Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Dobson founded Focus on the Family in 1977, and the non-profit research and educational organization, Family Research Council in 1983. He advocated strongly against abortion , worked against LGBTQ+ rights and opposed the topic of evolution being taught in schools.
Dobson was so opposed to the ideology of LGBTQ+ that he resigned from the American Psychological Association after it removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. Focus on the Family has also stated that homosexuality is a “particularly evil lie of Satan” and “Transgender ideology is a lie from the pit of hell.” Righteous actions and views like these led to Dobson being considered cruel and intolerant.
In 2010, his Family Research Council was formally entitled as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for what it labelled as “anti-gay propaganda throughout its history”.
These forms of resistance to anti-Christ agendas have had significant effects on families , pastors and politicians.
“Dr. Dobson was a once-in-a-generation leader whose courage to speak truth shaped the course of American family life. His vision for a movement that would defend life, marriage, and religious freedom gave birth to Family Policy Alliance, and his influence is still part of everything we do. He not only built organizations, he built up people of faith to stand boldly for biblical values in a culture that often opposes them,” said Craig DeRoche.
Dobson is survived by his widow Shirley, his two children, and two grandchildren.
