James Dobson, the psychologist, evangelical leader, and founder of Focus on the Family, died on Thursday, August 21, 2025, at the age of 89. His passing, confirmed by the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, marks the end of an era for the American religious right and conservative family advocacy. Dobson’s nearly five-decade career spanned radio, publishing, and political activism, leaving a legacy both celebrated and fiercely contested across the country.
Born in 1936 in Shreveport, Louisiana, Dobson grew up in a deeply religious household. Both his father and grandfather were ministers in the Church of the Nazarene, according to The Roys Report. After earning an undergraduate degree at what is now Point Loma Nazarene University, Dobson began his professional life as a psychologist at the University of Southern California. Disillusioned by the anti-war protests and cultural shifts of the 1960s and 70s, he turned his focus to what he saw as the erosion of traditional morality, a theme that would define his future work.
Dobson’s first major foray into public life came with his book Dare to Discipline, which championed strict parental authority and corporal punishment as tools for raising children. He doubled down in his 1978 bestseller The Strong-Willed Child, famously advocating spanking for children as young as 15 months old. “Parents must win the contest of wills between generations,” he wrote, urging Christian families to resist what he saw as the permissiveness of modern parenting. His approach, rooted in fear rather than love, drew sharp criticism from many psychologists and former followers, but also won him a devoted base among conservative Christians.
In 1977, Dobson founded Focus on the Family, a radio ministry that grew into one of the largest Christian organizations in the world. At its peak, it employed over 1,000 people and broadcast on 1,500 radio stations across North America. The show, Family Talk, offered advice on parenting, relationships, and faith, reaching more than half a million listeners weekly, according to the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. Through Focus on the Family, Dobson also launched Adventures in Odyssey, a radio drama aimed at bringing the Christian gospel to younger audiences.
Dobson’s influence extended far beyond the airwaves. He became a key architect of the Religious Right, helping to shape the Republican Party’s approach to family, sexuality, and social policy. According to the Associated Press, Dobson advised five U.S. presidents, including Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump. He was part of Trump’s Evangelical Executive Advisory Board and supported him in all three of his presidential campaigns. Dobson’s political clout was such that Ralph Reed, founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, said, “If Jim had decided to run [for president in 2000], he would have been a major force.”
His political activism was not without controversy. Dobson’s advocacy against abortion and LGBTQ+ rights was relentless. He celebrated the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, saying, “At last, the tide has changed, and the legality of abortion has been given to the people to decide—where it belonged in the first place.” He opposed the Equal Rights Amendment, arguing it would endanger “the future of our families,” and campaigned against same-sex marriage and transgender rights. Dobson’s Family Research Council, founded in 1981, and his role in establishing the Alliance Defending Freedom, further cemented his legacy as a conservative kingmaker.
Dobson’s stance on LGBTQ+ issues was especially contentious. He advocated for conversion therapy, the discredited practice of attempting to change a person’s sexual orientation. In a 2021 video, Dobson claimed, “The homosexual community will tell us that transformations never occur. That you cannot change.” He promoted stories of people who “no longer struggle with homosexuality” after attending ministry programs. However, major medical organizations, such as the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Psychological Association, have stated that conversion therapy is both ineffective and harmful. The practice is now banned in 23 states and the District of Columbia, and in March 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case on whether such bans can be enforced for LGBTQ+ children.
Dobson’s critics argue that his teachings did real harm. Wayne Besen, director of Truth Wins Out, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, told the BBC, “He used faith as a cudgel to bludgeon vulnerable communities, spread disinformation and inject toxic bigotry into the bloodstream of American culture.” The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled Dobson’s Family Research Council a hate group, a designation the organization disputes. Meanwhile, therapists and adult children raised under Dobson’s parenting philosophy have launched podcasts and publications—such as I Hate James Dobson and STRONGWILLED—to process and critique what they describe as the personal and political damage of authoritarian religious parenting.
Yet Dobson’s defenders remain steadfast. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, called him a “pioneer” and said, “Very few people have had such a positive impact in the shaping of the American family, from what we would describe as a biblical standpoint.” Franklin Graham praised him as a “staunch defender of the family” who “stood for morality and Biblical values.” For many, Dobson’s guidance helped them navigate the challenges of parenting and faith, even if his politics were divisive. Historian John Fea, though critical of Dobson’s worldview, acknowledged that Dobson’s radio show helped his own father become a better parent by discouraging angry discipline.
Dobson’s reach also extended into the realm of crime and media spectacle. In one of his most infamous moments, he interviewed serial killer Ted Bundy the night before Bundy’s execution in 1989. Bundy claimed that exposure to pornography had fueled his violent urges—a narrative Dobson used to bolster his anti-pornography crusade. However, Bundy’s attorney, James Coleman, later told the Associated Press, “I think that was a little bit of Ted telling the minister what he wanted to hear and Ted offering an explanation that would exonerate him personally.”
Dobson resigned from the American Psychological Association in 1973 after it removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders, a move that foreshadowed his lifelong opposition to LGBTQ+ acceptance. Over the course of his career, he published more than 70 books, including The Strong-Willed Child and Dare to Discipline, which remain in print and continue to influence Christian parenting circles.
James Dobson is survived by his wife of 64 years, Shirley; their children, Danae and Ryan; daughter-in-law Laura; and two grandchildren. Whether remembered as a champion of faith and family or as a polarizing figure whose teachings left a trail of controversy, Dobson’s impact on American culture and politics is undeniable. His legacy will continue to spark debate for years to come.
