Dr. James C. Dobson, a towering figure in American Christianity and a steadfast champion of the traditional family, passed away today at the age of 89.
A psychologist, New York Times best-selling author, Radio Hall of Fame inductee, and advisor to five U.S. presidents, Dr. Dobson spent his life promoting biblical values, strengthening marriages, and equipping parents, focusing on the vital importance of family at the heart of American life.
“Dr. Dobson was a pioneer—a man of deep conviction whose voice shaped the way generations view faith, family and culture,” said Gary Bauer, Senior Vice President of Public Policy at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. “His bold leadership, integrity, and compassion helped equip countless families to thrive in a world of shifting values. He was a mentor, a counselor, and a steady voice of truth in turbulent times.”
Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, James Dobson was the son, grandson, and great-grandson of ministers. While he became known for his steadfast Christian testimony throughout his life, he once told CBN News a story about a rebellious time during his youth and the powerful action his father took to set him straight.
“My dad was gone a lot, and my mother raised me. She was a great, great mother… but like a lot of kids, when I turned 16, I began to think I knew more than she did. And I had been out somewhere, I didn’t do anything really bad, but I came home, and she said, ‘I know where you’ve been,’ and I said, ‘Right, I’m going to do it again.’ And I’d never taken her on like that, and she looked at me and said, ‘What did you say?’ and I said, ‘I’ve made up my mind. There are some things I’m going to do my way.’ And she just said, ‘Hmm,’ and she had the phone sitting there, and she reached over and took the phone—my dad was a thousand miles away—and she called him while I was standing there. She had a simple message for him: ‘I need you.’ … And to my shock, my dad canceled a four-year slate of revival meetings and said, ‘I’m not doing that anymore.’ He got on a train and came home.”
That decision changed everything for the young “Jimmie Lee,” as he was called.
“And my dad, by making that sacrifice, invested in me. We hunted, we fished, he was with me. It pulled me back from the edge. I was an only child, so that time with my mother and dad was idyllic,” he recounted.
The young Dobson, however, did not follow his forefathers into the pulpit—choosing instead the path of academia. That decision led him to become a leading childhood psychologist at the University of Southern California. It also reflected his growing concern for the rapid demise of the family.
With wife Shirley and two young children, Dobson left university life in 1977 to begin a radio program on 34 Christian stations titled Focus on the Family. Ironically, he says it was his own family that began to suffer.
“I was neglecting my own family, and my dad saw it. He wrote me a letter, and I still have it today. He started off by saying how proud he was of me… but the world into which your children are born is very different than the world into which you were born. And if you don’t have time to invest in them and pray for them, you’ll lose them,” he recalled. “I could cry today, it’s been all those years. He said to me, ‘When you sit where I sit, all this other stuff you’re doing, it’s wonderful, but I’m telling you, it won’t matter anything.'”
Dobson cut back on travel and put his energy into the program. Focus on the Family took off, eventually growing to 7,000 stations in 150 countries and reaching 220 million listeners each day.
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In addition, Dobson wrote numerous bestsellers, including Dare to Discipline and What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew About Women. He also started the Family Research Council and served as an advisor to five presidents, including Ronald Reagan.
“He (Reagan) said, ‘I want you to tell me what I can do to strengthen the family.’ And I said, ‘Why not a family impact study commission, so that you can’t mess with the family without knowing what you’re doing to it?’ There were four of those, and he issued executive orders for all four—and they stayed in place until Bill Clinton canceled them,” Dobson once explained.
In 1989, Dobson shocked the nation by sitting down with serial killer Ted Bundy the day before his execution. He told Dobson violent pornography led to his unthinkable behavior. The controversial interview would provide revenue of more than a million dollars, and Focus donated $600,000 to anti-pornography and anti-abortion programs.
After more than 30 years, Dobson left Focus on the Family in 2009 due to “significant philosophical differences” with his successor. He then started a nationally syndicated show called Family Talk and often appeared on The 700 Club.
At the time, he told CBN Founder Pat Robertson about his enduring passion for God’s plan for families. “Pat, all of those traditional views are under attack today, and everything that we have believed about the family for thousands of years, literally, is being questioned now and being undermined. And there is a real danger that the family will disintegrate.”
That’s why Dr. Dobson spent his life fighting for the family, fighting for traditional marriage, and helping parents to raise good kids. CBN News asked him for his assessment of the culture in the wake of same-sex marriage laws and the transgender agenda, “Do you ever get discouraged?”
“Of course I do, because the family is the ground floor,” he replied. “That’s the foundation for the entire culture. Everything sits on that—our institutions, our government, our way of life, our values, our children—everything sits on that foundation.”
At 89, Dobson was still doing what he loved, broadcasting biblical values from his stately office in Colorado Springs that includes a majestic view of Pike’s Peak. And like Pike’s Peak, which towers more than 14,000 feet over the city, Dobson said one thing remains paramount over all else—teaching your children to love the Lord.
“There’s nothing more important than introducing them to Jesus Christ,” Dobson said. “If you don’t get that done and they die in an unrepentant state, according to my theology, you never see them again. Boy, if that doesn’t put it in perspective… so to have an opportunity to influence those families is a great thrill for me.”
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