Death of James Dobson Invites Mixed Reactions Over His Legacy

The Dr. James Dobson Family Institute announced on Thursday morning that its namesake, James Dobson, had passed away. He was 89 years old.

Dobson was a child psychologist who rose to prominence in the 1980s and ‘90s through his ministry, Focus on the Family. Through his books, radio programs and newsletters, he helped shape the religious and political worldviews of one of the largest subgroups of people in the United States—white, conservative evangelical Christians. At its peak, the flagship “Focus on the Family” radio show reached over five million daily listeners.

Dobson’s political advocacy helped mold many aspects of the modern Republican Party. He launched campaigns against marriage equality and was a key figure in advancing the idea of public funding for private Christian schools. Dobson was an original member of President Donald Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Council.

Statements on Dobson’s life and influence have reflected the entrenched divisions among people in the United States.

 

Defender of “Family Values”

Author and podcaster Eric Metaxas, who is among the numerous inheritors of Dobson’s radio and digital audience, noted on X how knowing Dobson was one of the “great honors” of his life. Metaxas wrote, “He was not afraid to bring his faith into the public sphere for God’s purposes…May we all follow in his footsteps.”

Evangelist and founder of Samaritan’s Purse, Franklin Graham, wrote that Dobson “was a staunch defender of the family and stood for morality and biblical values as much as any person in our country’s history.” Graham is a staunch ally and defender of President Donald Trump.

 

“Decisive” Parenting

 

Others had a different take.

Zach Lambert, pastor of Restore Austin Church and author of Better Ways to Read the Bible, reflected on the effect Dobson’s work had on many individuals under his spiritual care. “I’ve walked with hundreds and hundreds of people who experienced severe trauma (spiritual, emotional, physical, etc.) because of his teachings.”

Dobson’s teachings on raising children included corporal punishment for children just slightly older than one year old. In his book Dare to Discipline, he wrote, “When you are defiantly challenged, win decisively.” Many adults continue to work through Dobson’s influence over their parents.

Carole Fergusson, a Waco, Texas, non-profit executive who has been in therapy to untangle what she calls the “Dobson trauma,” described how his teachings saturated her home life. “It was embedded in every fiber of my upbringing,” she said. “I couldn’t watch movies with magic, couldn’t read anything but Christian literature, couldn’t listen to anything but Christian music. As I’ve broken that down as an adult, it’s just wild to see how much control I lived under.”

That control often manifested in harmful ways. “The wooden spoon and corporal punishment were very active,” Fergusson recalled. “I have such clear memories of being punished over really small things, and my mom using that as an outlet for her own struggles.”

Looking back, Fergusson attributes much of her trauma to Dobson’s high-control teachings intermingling with her mom’s struggles with mental illness. 

Fergusson contrasted her strict, fear-based childhood with the way she now approaches parenting her daughter: “As a parent, I’ve really been changing how I bring her up versus how I was raised. There’s just such a disconnect— so much control, but also so little grace. I don’t want that for her.”

“Divine Love Has Him Now”

 

Lambert ended his post on X by quoting something Pastor Lura Groen wrote after the death of Pat Robertson:

He is being surprised by Love.
I do not know if discovering the vastness of God’s love is hell for him, or heaven.
Perhaps a little of both.
That’s above my pay grade.
But Divine Love has him now.

According to the Dobson Foundation statement, Dobson is survived by his wife of 64 years, two children and two grandchildren.