The radio host who preached family values
James Dobson’s determination to roll back the social changes of the 1960s made him a key figure in U.S. politics for decades, wielding an influence that is still felt to this day. Horrified by the sexual permissiveness he saw emerging in society, Dobson founded the evangelical group Focus on the Family in 1977—even though he wasn’t an ordained minister but a child psychologist. Over the years he built the group into a $140 million empire, with telecasts, films, magazines, and radio programs that eventually reached some 220 million listeners in 157 countries. His broadcasts centered on family and marital advice, but he frequently worked in his fervent opposition to homosexuality, divorce, abortion, and pornography. And while his group was officially apolitical, it was considered part of the religious right, and its stances made their way into Republican platforms. “We’re in a moral free fall,” Dobson said in 2002. “Wherever you stick the thermometer into the American culture, you’ll find corruption.”
Born in Shreveport, La., Dobson came from a family that produced three generations of Church of the Nazarene ministers and frowned upon dancing. Raised in Oklahoma and Texas, he went to California for college, earning a Ph.D. in child development at the University of Southern California in 1967. Just three years later he wrote a best-seller, Dare to Discipline, which encouraged parents to use corporal punishment. “The role of stern prophet was one that came naturally to him,” said The Washington Post, and his broadcasts for Focus on the Family “combined Old Testament fury with an engaging speaking style.” He often railed against homosexuality, calling it “a lie of Satan.” Because Dobson “believed the Bible should shape public policy,” said NPR, he also created an advocacy arm for the group, the Family Research Council. While he didn’t officially endorse a candidate until George W. Bush in 2004, he served on numerous congressional and White House panels.
Dobson resigned from Focus on the Family in 2009 to launch a more overtly political podcast, Family Talk, said The New York Times. When Donald Trump became president, Dobson was an enthusiastic fan, supporting his immigration crackdown, praising him as “the most pro-life president we’ve ever had,” and excusing his extramarital affairs. He stayed active in politics as long as he could. “Building a power base means nothing to me,” he insisted in 1990. “But I do feel I cannot sit on my hands while everything I care about goes down the drain.” | 
