James Dobson Dies; Leaves Legacy As Influential, At Times Controversial, Christian Leader

Trump tells Christians they won't have to vote after this election

The GOP presidential nominee delivered the comments during a keynote speech at Turning Point Action’s Believers’ Summit.

James Dobson, the Christian family psychologist-turned media mogul who founded Focus on the Family and launched a career in public ministry in which he exerted influence over the highest levels of American politics, has died. He was 89.

The Colorado Springs-based Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, one of several evangelical Christian parachurch groups that Dobson helped found and lead in the past 50 years, announced its founders’ passing Aug. 21.

"Dr. Dobson was a pioneer—a man of deep conviction whose voice shaped the way generations view faith, family and culture," Gary Bauer, senior vice president of public policy at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, said in a news release. "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."

Dobson’s legacy is defined by his longtime commitment to educating evangelicals on traditional family values, placing him squarely in the middle of debates about abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.

His prominence as an author and radio host positioned him for higher political gains. He served in special advisory roles to several Republican presidents, including Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Donald Trump. 

Dobson made waves as an early supporter of Trump in July 2016, when many evangelicals were wary of lending support to a candidate whose lifestyle didn't reflect that of traditional religious values. Dobson came out for Trump while other Christian figures of a similar stature endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz, though much of the evangelical world eventually came around to supporting the president. 

In one well-known anecdote about Dobson's access to elite circles of conservative politics, Dobson learned information about the religious views of President George W. Bush’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Harriet E. Miers.

Bush acknowledged in an October 2005 news conference that a member of his administration, Karl Rove, had privately shared with Dobson information about Miers that’s typically considered off limits to share publicly in that stage of a Supreme Court justice’s nomination. Miers’ nomination ultimately fell apart. 

Dobson’s greatest accomplishment in faith-based nonprofit administration was founding Focus on the Family, but he was also integral in the formation of several Christian lobbying arms. The most influential of those political advocacy groups today is the Family Research Council, which infused a political muscle into the same goals that Dobson was working toward at Focus on the Family that was more tailored to ministry spaces and educating pastors and lay people.

Dobson was connected to the Council for National Policy, a secretive group with powerful connections across the religious right and conservative political circles. He was also involved in the establishment of the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal advocacy group linked to Supreme Court cases challenging conversion therapy bans, abortion medication and a religious charter school.

"The world has lost a mighty voice for truth and an incredibly influential servant of Christ today," said ADF CEO, President, and Chief Counsel Kristen Waggoner in a news release. "Dobson’s bold leadership and commitment to the Gospel shaped the lives of so many and will continue to do so many years after his passing."

Focus on the Family produced radio programs, television shows, books and other Sunday school curriculum. Dobson was personally affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene, though his reach extended across different evangelical denominations and nondenominational conservative Protestantism.

After starting his career and founding Focus on the Family out of Southern California, Dobson moved the organization to Colorado Springs in 1991. It was the genesis event for an explosion of nationally influential evangelical groups setting up camp in Colorado Springs, giving the city the moniker "Evangelical Vatican."

Dobson fully transitioned out of leadership at Focus on the Family by 2009 and devoted his time and energy to growing the nonprofit Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, which allowed his public ministry to continue through a radio program he hosted until as recently as Aug. 15.