James Dobson: Culture Warrior, Institution Builder, Friend

James C. Dobson, a psychologist, political activist, and author who championed Christian pro-family values on his popular radio shows and in his bestselling books, died Thursday. He was 89.

In 2022, I wrote an appreciation of Dr. Dobson for MinistryWatch, when he announced his retirement from full time work. In it, I said:

Dobson is 86 years old, and it is worth pausing to note the significance of his career. He founded Focus on the Family in 1977 and turned that organization into an evangelical juggernaut, with more than $100 million in annual revenue. The ministry’s move from California to Colorado Springs in 1990, helped cement the reputation of The Springs as an “evangelical mecca.” Dobson was a key player in the formation of the Family Research Council, Alliance Defending Freedom, and the Family Policy Alliance, a nationwide network of state-level policy councils.

Focus on the Family’s radio program grew under Dr. Dobson to become perhaps the most listened to Christian radio program in the country, a position it still holds today. An appearance on the program was known to change the career of a guest, or the trajectory of a ministry. A notable example: When Dr. Dobson’s then teenage son Ryan attended a two-week camp at Summit Ministries, he came back transformed. The elder Dobson noticed, featured Summit on his radio program, and the number of kids signing up to attend Summit’s worldview camps more than doubled in a matter of days. Summit remains a robust ministry today, and for years Ryan Dobson was a regular speaker there.

Dr. Dobson’s success bred critics. Not everyone, even in evangelicalism, loves Dr. Dobson’s style. He could be an exacting, hard-charging leader. His departure from Focus on the Family, a long-planned transition, ended up being rocky in part because Dobson had trouble “riding off into the sunset,” though he was by then – 2010 – already in his mid-70s. That is when he founded Family Talk, later re-branded as the James Dobson Family Institute. And it has grown, too, to have a nationwide radio presence and $10 million in revenue.

His life and career offer lessons for all in church or ministry leadership – even those who disagreed with him. He discussed some of those lessons with me in a 2014 interview I did with Dr. Dobson and his son Ryan. If you listen to, or read the transcript of, that interview, I think you will hear a different side of him than the caricature often portrayed in the media. You will hear a sense of humor, and an easy-going affection that both father and son have for each other. (To read that interview, click here.)

Indeed, those who knew Dr. Dobson personally tell stories about his humor, wit, and compassion. Paul Batura, who worked with Dr. Dobson for many years as a senior executive at Focus on the Family, posted a long tribute to him on Facebook. I recommend the entire post (which you can find here), but this excerpt caught my attention: “He was such a good man. That is not hyperbole. Sincere. Genuine. Earnest. Loyal. Devoted. A gentleman x 10. And funny. I mean, really funny, always clean, never disparaging, the kind of humor that laughs with and not at.”

One picture of the “real” James Dobson comes from MinistryWatch board chair Dan Burrell. He wrote:

Twenty years ago or more, I was at the National Religious Broadcasters Conference in Nashville. I arrived late on the first day of the conference and went to a restaurant at the hotel connected to the convention center. Dr. James Dobson walked in with two or three companions. They took a table not far from mine for a late-night snack.

I have never been the kind of guy who feels compelled to do the groupie thing and go introduce myself and small talk someone because they are famous. So, I just ordered my dinner and watched out of the corner of my eye.

My waitress was having a bad day. She was irritable and short and exceptionally out of sorts. I got my food eventually and was eating when I noticed that Dr. Dobson’s party was leaving. But Dr. Dobson lagged behind and went over to the waitress, whom I assumed had treated them just as coldly as she had me. I doubt she knew who they were. I watched as Dr. Dobson’s friends left, but he engaged her in conversation. Not a quick exchange, but a personal, extended conversation that left the women wiping away tears and apparently pouring her heart out.

Then he put his arm around her shoulders and prayed for her. He took something from his pocket and gave it to her and then slipped out himself. She watched him go with a smile. No one else saw. He did not know me or know that I was watching. He just saw someone he deduced was hurting and reached out to her in kindness.

This was the James Dobson that was often maligned in the media as the Founder/President of Focus on the Family. Author, media celebrity, family advocate, political kingmaker, advisor to Presidents and so much more. And in that moment, I got a brief look at his REAL character and concluded — He’s the real deal.

There is a footnote to this story. Dan originally shared this story in a column he wrote for the Evangelical News Service, which I then edited. Someone sent Dr. Dobson a copy of it. Dan shares the rest of the story:

I received a very kind email from him acknowledging the story and thanking me for sharing it. Again, who at that level of profile and fame would bother to send such a note? Well, a good guy, that’s who. And make no mistake — James Dobson was one of the “good guys.”

I am thankful for his ministry and for his memory. I hope someone will someday remember me for authenticity when no one was looking and will consider me one of the “good guys.”

As my mother taught me, “Your walk talks and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.”

There is no doubt that James Dobson was a talker. His career as a talker earned him a spot in the National Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2008. But there is also no doubt that he “walked his talk.” Whether you agreed or disagreed with Dr. Dobson, you never doubted where he stood, or that his position was one based on principle.

I came to admire deeply Dr. Dobson’s life and career. His gift for institution building was world-class. The organizations he led were transparent with their financial resources. He lived in the public eye for more than a half-century without a whiff of scandal. He remained married to his beloved Shirley for 64 years. He raised two children – Ryan and Danae – who love and respect him and today are passionately following Jesus.

We should all aspire to such a legacy.