James Dobson Obituary: Psychologist, Author, and Religious Right Leader Dies at 89
James Clayton Dobson, the American psychologist, broadcaster, and one of the most influential figures in the rise of the evangelical right in U.S. politics, has died at the age of 89. His family confirmed he passed away on August 21, 2025, leaving behind a legacy that shaped both conservative Christian culture and Republican politics for nearly half a century.
For much of the late 20th and early 21st century, Dobson was considered the most powerful evangelical voice in the nation. Through his books, radio and television broadcasts, and his organizations Focus on the Family (founded in 1977), the Family Research Council, and later the Family Policy Alliance, he mobilized millions of conservative Christians to vote on what he described as “moral” issues. In 2004, The New York Times called him the most influential evangelical leader in America. His daily broadcasts, translated into a dozen languages, reached a potential global audience of more than 220 million people.
Dobson’s message was clear and uncompromising: an emphasis on traditional family roles, opposition to abortion and gay rights, and fierce warnings against cultural liberalism. He often described American society as being locked in a “civil war of values”, urging Christian families to resist feminism, same-sex marriage, pornography, and what he saw as the erosion of biblical authority. “The wages of sin is death,” he declared, “and children have the right to understand that fact.”
Born on April 21, 1936, in Shreveport, Louisiana, Dobson was the son of itinerant Nazarene preacher James Dobson Sr. and his wife Myrtle. He claimed he committed his life to Christ at the age of three. After earning a doctorate in psychology, he spent 14 years as an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Southern California School of Medicine and served on the attending staff of Los Angeles Children’s Hospital.
His first book, “Dare to Discipline” (1970), became a cultural flashpoint. Rejecting the permissive advice of Dr. Spock, Dobson argued that children should be disciplined firmly, including corporal punishment with a paddle or belt, beginning as early as 18 months. The book sold over 2 million copies and launched a publishing career that eventually produced more than 70 titles, including What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew About Women (1975) and Parenting Isn’t for Cowards (1987).
As his following grew, Dobson became a political force. His headquarters at Colorado Springs, to which Focus on the Family relocated in 1988, grew into an 80-acre campus with 1,300 employees and an annual budget of $140 million by 2004. Unlike some televangelists, Dobson avoided ostentatious displays of wealth, choosing to live primarily off book royalties.
Republican candidates soon learned the importance of his approval. He served on presidential advisory panels under Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and later sat on Donald Trump’s Evangelical Executive Advisory Board. Though he criticized Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, he defended Trump as “a man I really do love and appreciate,” despite the former president’s moral controversies. His lobbying letters and media appearances could sway millions of evangelical voters.
Dobson’s cultural critiques were often provocative. He condemned the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants for allegedly promoting homosexuality, dismissed The Da Vinci Code as “cooked up in the fires of Hell,” and discouraged Christian families from watching Harry Potter films. One of his most controversial moments came in 1989, when he recorded a final interview with serial killer Ted Bundy, who suggested that pornography had fueled his crimes. Tapes of the interview reportedly raised $1 million for Focus on the Family, though critics accused Dobson of exploiting the moment.
While Dobson’s views often drew fierce opposition for being anti-feminist and anti-LGBTQ, his followers credited him with strengthening Christian households. He insisted the family was the “bedrock of civilization” and warned that “tampering with it” — through contraception, abortion, or same-sex marriage — would cause society to crumble.
He married Shirley Deere in 1960. Together they raised two children, Danae and Ryan, and Shirley often supported her husband’s ministry and advocacy.
In his later years, Dobson stepped away from daily leadership at Focus on the Family, founding the James Dobson Family Institute in 2010. He continued his long-running radio program, Family Talk, until his death. He celebrated the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade as the culmination of decades of prayer and activism.
James Dobson’s admirers hailed him as a “steady voice of truth,” while critics saw him as a divisive culture warrior. Yet few dispute his impact: for over four decades, he was the face of evangelical conservatism in America, shaping debates on family, morality, and politics.
He is survived by his wife, Shirley, their children, and grandchildren.
James Clayton Dobson, psychologist, author, and broadcaster, born April 21, 1936; died August 21, 2025