James Dobson

For other people named James Dobson, seeJames Dobson (disambiguation).

James Clayton Dobson Jr. (born April 21, 1936) is an Americanevangelical Christianauthor,psychologist,and founder ofFocus on the Family(FotF), which he led from 1977 until 2010. In the 1980s, he was ranked as one of the most influential spokesmen forconservative social positionsin American public life.Although never anordained minister,he was called "the nation's most influential evangelical leader" byThe New York TimeswhileSlateportrayed him as a successor to evangelical leadersJerry FalwellandPat Robertson.

James Dobson
Dobsonc.2007
Personal
Born	James Clayton Dobson Jr. (1936-04-21)April 21, 1936 Shreveport, Louisiana,U.S.
Religion	Evangelical Christian
Spouse	Shirley Deere ​ (m.1960)​
Children	2
Notable work(s)	Marriage Under Fire Dare to Discipline The Strong-Willed Child
Education	Point Loma Nazarene University University of Southern California
Occupation	Psychologist Author Radio Broadcaster
Organization
Founder of	Family Research Council Focus on the Family Family Policy Alliance
Website	www.drjamesdobson.org

As part of his former role in the organization he produced the daily radio programFocus on the Family,which the organization has said was broadcast in more than a dozen languages and on over 7,000 stations worldwide, and reportedly heard daily by more than 220 million people in 164 countries.Focus on the Familywas also carried by about 60 U.S. television stations daily.In 2010, he launched the radio broadcastFamily Talk with Dr. James Dobson.

Dobson advocates for "family values"— the instruction of children inheterosexualityand traditionalgender roles,which he believes are mandated by theChristian Bible.The goal of this is to promote heterosexual marriage, which he views as a cornerstone of civilization that must be protected from the dangers offeminismand theLGBT rightsmovement. Dobson seeks to equip his audience to fight in the Americanculture war,which he calls the "Civil War of Values".

His writing career started as an assistant toPaul Popenoe.After Dobson's rise to prominence through promotingcorporal punishmentof disobedient children in the 1970s, he became a founder ofpurity culturein the 1990s. He has promoted his ideas via his various Focus on the Family affiliated organizations, theFamily Research Councilwhich he founded in 1981,Family Policy Alliancewhich he founded in 2004, the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute which he founded in 2010, and a network of US state-based lobbying organizations calledFamily Policy Councils.

Early life and education

James Dobson was born to Myrtle Georgia (née Dillingham) and James C. Dobson Sr. on April 21, 1936, inShreveport, Louisiana.From his earliest childhood, religion played a central part in his life. He once told a reporter that he learned to pray before he learned to talk, and says he gave his life toJesusat the age of three, in response to an altar call by his father.He is the son, grandson, and great-grandson ofChurch of the Nazareneministers.

Dobson's mother was intolerant of "sassiness" and would strike her child with whatever object came to hand, including a shoe or belt; she once gave Dobson a "massive blow" with agirdleoutfitted with straps and buckles.

The parents took their young son along to watch his father preach. Like most Nazarenes, they forbade dancing and going to movies. Young "Jimmie Lee" (as he was called) concentrated on his studies.

Dobson studied academic psychology and came to believe that he was being called to become a Christian counselor or perhaps a Christian psychologist.He attended Pasadena College (nowPoint Loma Nazarene University) as an undergraduate and served as captain of the school's tennis team.In 1967, Dobson received his doctorate in psychology from theUniversity of Southern California.

Career

Early career

In 1967, he became an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at theUniversity of Southern California School of Medicinefor 14 years.At USC he was exposed to troubled youth and thecounterculture of the 1960s.He found it "a distressing time to be so young" because society offered him no moral absolutes he felt he could rely upon.Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam Warwas blossoming into a widespread rejection of authority, which Dobson viewed as "a sudden disintegration of moral and ethical principles" among Americans his age and the younger people he saw in clinical practice. This convinced him that "the institution of the family was disintegrating."

He spent 17 years on the staff of the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles in the Division of Child Development and Medical Genetics. For a time, Dobson worked as an assistant toPaul Popenoeat the Institute of Family Relations, amarriage-counselingcenter, inLos Angeles.Popenoe counseled couples on the importance of same-race marriage and adherence to gender norms for the purpose ofeugenics.Under Popenoe, Dobson published about male-female differences and the dangers of feminism.

When theAmerican Psychological Associationde-pathologized homosexuality by removing it from their list ofmental disordersin 1973, Dobson resigned from the organization in protest.In 1976, he took a sabbatical from USC and Children's Hospital; he never returned.

With funding from a Christian publisher, he began to broadcast his ideas on the radio and in public lectures. Saying that he feared to repeat the mistakes of his own absentee father by being away on the lecture circuit, Dobsonvideorecorded and distributed his lectures. He sent a representative around the country to solicit funding from Evangelical businessmen and distribute the videos. A video about absent fathers titledWhere's Dad?had 100 million views by the early 1980s.

Focus on the Family

In 1977, he foundedFocus on the Family.He grew the organization into a multimedia empire by the mid-1990s, including 10 radio programs, 11 magazines, numerous videos, and basketball camps, and program offa xingsuggested sermon topics and bulletin fillers to thousands of churches every week.In 1995, the organization's budget was more than $100 million annually.

Jimmy Carterorganized a White House Conference on Families in 1979–1980 that explicitly included a "diversity of families" with various structures.Dobson objected to this, believing that only his preferred notion of the traditional family — one headed by a male breadwinner married to a female caregiver — should be endorsed by the conference. He also objected to the fact that he was not invited to the planning for the event. At Dobson's urging, his listeners wrote 80,000 letters to the White House asking for Dobson to be invited, which he eventually was. This demonstrated to Dobson his power to rally his followers for political ends.

Beginning in 1980, Dobson built networks of political activists and founded lobbying organizations that advocated against LGBT rights and opposed legal abortion, among other socially conservative policy goals. He nurtured relationships with conservative politicians, such asRonald Reagan.He was among the founders ofFamily Research Councilin 1981, a federal lobbying organization classified as a hate group, andFamily Policy Councilsthat lobby at the level of state government. When Focus on the Family moved toColorado Springsin 1991, the city started to be called "theVaticanof theReligious Right"with Dobson imagined as an evangelical pope.

Focus on the Family established anex-gayprogram calledLove Won Outin 1998. The program promotedconversion therapy,the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to make gay people straight. Dobson increased his promotion of Love Won Out in 2000 upon discovering that opposition to gay marriage was helping the Christian Right gain members and voters.State-level affiliates of FotF drafted gay marriage bans in several states, starting withNebraska Initiative 416in 2000.Dobson broadcast that gay marriage was turning children from faithful Christian homes against God. His arguments caused large evangelical turnouts in support of the gay marriage prohibitions, resulting in defense of marriage amendments to thirty U.S. state constitutions.

Dobson stepped down as president and CEO of Focus on the Family in 2003, and resigned from the position of chairman of the board in February 2009.Dobson explained his departure as twofold: firstly, to allow a smooth transfer of leadership to the next generation, and in this case, toJim Dalywhom he directly appointed as his replacement. And secondly, because he and Daly had divergent views on policy, "especially when it comes to confronting those who would weaken the family and undermine our faith."After he stepped down, Focus on the Family hired an orthodoxy expert to maintain Dobson's message.Free to become more explicitly political without imperiling Focus on the Family's tax exemptions, Dobson rededicated himself primarily to lobbying instead of advice to families. While Daly attempted to appeal to a new generation of evangelicals with softened messages on abortion and homosexuality, Dobson remained hard-line. Focus on the Family removed archives of Dobson's writing from their headquarters and website.

Ted Bundy interview

Dobson interviewedserial killerTed Bundyon-camera the day before Bundy's execution on January 24, 1989. The interview became controversial because Bundy was given an opportunity to attempt to explain his actions (therapeandmurderof 30 young women). Bundy claimed in the interview (in a reversal of his previous stance) that violentpornographyplayed a significant role in molding and crystallizing his fantasies. In May 1989, during an interview with John Tanner, a RepublicanFloridaprosecutor, Dobson called for Bundy to be forgiven. The Bundy tapes gave Focus on the Family revenues of over $1 million, $600,000 of which it donated toanti-pornographygroups and to anti-abortion groups.

Shift to political activity

In 2004, Dobson foundedFamily Policy Alliance,a lobbying arm of his media empire. With a more permissive tax status than Focus on the Family, it is allowed to directly fundraise for political campaigns.The Alliance also coordinates the action of Dobson's network of state-based Family Policy Councils. Together, these organizations seek to encode traditionalgender rolesinto public policy and law.They considerLGBT rightsto be a threatening "LGBT agenda."

Throughout its existence, Dobson has attacked thePresident's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief(PEPFAR), a US government program to fight AIDS worldwide. In 2006, he claimed that "80 percent of this money is going toward terrible programs that are immoral as well as ineffective. For example, to promote condom distribution, people associated with these government programs have dressed up like condoms and created ceramic sculptures of male genitalia."He renewed his attack in 2023, falsely claiming that PEPFAR funds abortions.Focus on the Family received a grant of $49,505 through PEPFAR in 2017 to operate anabstinence-onlypurity pledge program.

Dr. James Dobson Family Institute

In 2010, Dobson founded the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute,a non-profit organization that produces his radio program,Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk.On this program, he speaks about his views, such as attributingmass shootingsto "the LGBTQ movement" destroying the family.He stepped away from leadership of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute in 2022, naming Joe Waresak the new president. He continues to broadcast his radio show.

Dobson frequently appears as a guest on theFox News Channel.

Personal life

Dobson married Shirley Deere on August 26, 1960. The couple have two children, Danae and Ryan.

Dobson turned control of some of Focus on the Family's youth-oriented magazine titles over to his son Ryan Dobson in 2009.Danae Dobson received a golden key necklace as a gift from her father when she voiced her commitment to sexual purity at age ten. James Dobson encouraged other parents to give similar gifts.

Awards

At the invitation of Presidents and Attorneys General,Dobson has also served on government advisory panels and testified at several government hearings. He was given the "Layman of the Year" award by theNational Association of Evangelicalsin 1982, "The Children's Friend" honor by Childhelp USA (an advocate agency againstchild abuse) in 1987, and the Humanitarian Award by theCalifornia Psychological Associationin 1988. In 2005, Dobson received an honorary doctorate (his 16th) fromIndiana Wesleyan Universityand was inducted into IWU'sSociety of World Changers,while speaking at the university's Academic Convocation.

In 2008, Dobson'sFocus on the Familyprogram was inducted into theNational Radio Hall of Fameto controversy from secular listeners opposed to Dobson's views, along with those supporting LGBTQ rights.

Social views

Views on marriage

James Dobson is a strong proponent of marriage defined as "one where husband and wife are lawfully married, are committed to each other for life," and have ahomemakermother andbreadwinnerfather.According to his view, women are not deemed inferior to men because both are created in God's image, but each gender has biblically mandated roles.He recommends that married women with children under the age of 18 focus on mothering, rather than work outside the home.

Dobson views marriage as a transaction in which women exchange sex for protection:

The natural sex appeal of girls serves as their primary source of bargaining power in the game of life. In exchange for feminine affection and love, a man accepts a girl as his lifetime responsibility-supplying her needs and caring for her welfare. This sexual aspect of the marital agreement can hardly be denied.

— James Dobson,Dare to Discipline(1970)

He advises wives to use their social and sexual skills to coerce their husbands into becoming good partners. By doing this, according to Dobson, women will transform male lust into love, and male destructive impulses into useful accomplishments. Hence heterosexual marriage is the cornerstone of civilization, in Dobson's view, when women fulfill their role of civilizing their husbands.

In his 2004 bookMarriage Under Fire,Dobson suggests that heterosexual marriage rates in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden have been falling, and that this is due to the recognition ofsame-sex relationshipsby those countries during the 1990s. He remarks that the "institution of marriage in those countries is rapidly dying" as a result, with most young peoplecohabitingor choosing to remain single (living alone) and illegitimacy rates rising in some Norwegian counties up to 80%.

Dobson writes that "every civilization in the world" has been built upon marriage.He also believes that homosexuality is neither a choice nor genetic, but is caused by external factors during early childhood.He anecdotally cites as evidence the life of actressAnne Heche,who was previously in a relationship withEllen DeGeneres.Criticizing "the realities of judicial tyranny," Dobson has written that "[t]here is no issue today that is more significant to our culture than the defense of the family. Not even the war on terror eclipses it."

Views on schooling

Focus on the Family supportsprivate schoolvouchersandtax creditsfor religious schools. According to Focus on the Family website, Dobson believes that parents are ultimately responsible for their children's education, and encourages parents to visit their children's schools to ask questions and to join thePTAso that they may voice their opinions.Dobson opposessex educationcurricula that are notabstinence-only.

According toPeople for the American Way,Focus on the Family material has been used to challenge a book or curriculum taught in public schools.Critics, such as People for the American Way, allege that Focus on the Family encourages Christian teachers to establish prayer groups in public schools.Dobson supportsstudent-led prayerinpublic schools,and believes that allowing student-led Christian prayer in schools does not violate theFirst Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Views on discipline of children

In his bookDare to Discipline,Dobson advocates thespankingof children as young as fifteen months and up to eight years old when they misbehave, using switches or belts kept on the child's dresser as a reminder of authority.In Dobson's opinion, parents must uphold their authority and do so consistently: "When you are defiantly challenged, win decisively."Dobson says corporal punishment should end with the child asking for forgiveness and receiving a hug.After a spanking is a good time to have a "heart to heart" talk with a child, according to Dobson: "After the emotional ventilation, the child will often want to crumple at the breast of his parent" which provides an opportunity to re-bond and express love to the child.ThoughDare to Disciplinewas not overtly political, Dobson considered his parenting techniques to be the solution to the social unrest of the 1960s. The book was a rebuttal toBenjamin Spock,whose parenting ideas were more permissive.By returning to the authoritarian parenting style popular in prior eras, Dobson hoped to preserve order, obedience, and social hierarchy. The book quickly sold over two million copies, establishing Dobson as a trusted authority among parents bewildered by the rapid changes of the era.

InThe Strong-Willed Child,Dobson draws an analogy between the defiance of a family pet and that of a small child, and concludes that "just as surely as a dog will occasionally challenge the authority of his leaders, so will a little child—only more so."The Strong-Willed Childsays that if authority is portrayed correctly to a child, the child will understand how to interact with other authority figures:

By learning to yield to the loving authority... of his parents, a child learns to submit to other forms of authority which will confront him later in his life—his teachers, school principal, police, neighbors and employers.

If allowed to challenge parental authority, Dobson says, children would challenge God's authority when they grew older. Hence, rebellion must be punished to protect the child'ssalvation.Believing that "pain is a marvelous purifier" Dobson recommended corporal punishment as the most effective way to keep the child subordinate to adults. The parent should model bothdivine mercyandwrathto prepare theinherently sinfulchild for a relationship with God.Dobson warned of the dire consequences of failing to discipline one's children: "Eli, the priest,permitted his sons to desecrate the temple. All three were put to death. "

He warns against "harsh spanking" because "It is not necessary to beat the child into submission; a little bit of pain goes a long way for a young child. However, the spanking should be of sufficient magnitude to cause the child to cry genuinely."In a 1997 book, he warns that "discipline must not be harsh and destructive to the child's spirit."Dobson considers disciplining children to be a necessary but unpleasant part of raising children that should only be carried out by qualified parents:

Anyone who has everabuseda child—or has ever felt himself losing control during a spanking—should not expose the child to that tragedy. Anyone who has a violent temper that at times becomes unmanageable should not use that approach. Anyone who secretly 'enjoys' the administration of corporal punishment should not be the one to implement it.

When asked "How long do you think a child should be allowed to cry after being punished? Is there a limit?" Dobson responded:

Yes, I believe there should be a limit. As long as the tears represent a genuine release of emotion, they should be permitted to fall. But crying quickly changes from inner sobbing to an expression of protest... Real crying usually lasts two minutes or less but may continue for five. After that point, the child is merely complaining, and the change can be recognized in the tone and intensity of his voice. I would require him to stop the protest crying, usually by offering him a little more of whatever caused the original tears. In younger children, crying can easily be stopped by getting them interested in something else.

Sociologists John Bartkowski and Christopher Ellison have stated that Dobson's views "diverge sharply from those recommended by contemporary mainstream experts" and are not based on any sort ofempirical testing,but rather are nothing more than expressions of his religious doctrines of "biblical literalism and 'authority-mindedness.'"In the 1980sPenelope Leachwrote that Dobson's approach is ineffective because, rather than establishing parental authority, spanking only communicates parental frustration and weakness.

Although childrearing experts have discredited corporal punishment, Dobson has not moderated his view. In 2015 he wrote that, when spanking fails to make a child obey, the problem may be that the parent is not hitting hard enough or frequently enough.

Views on tolerance and diversity

In the winter of 2004-2005, theWe Are Family Foundationsent American elementary schools approximately 60,000 copies of a freeDVDusing popular cartoon characters (especiallySpongeBob SquarePants) to "promote tolerance and diversity."Dobson contended that "tolerance"and"diversity"are" buzzwords "that the We Are Family Foundation misused as part of a"hidden agenda" to promote homosexuality.Kate Zernik noted Dobson asserting: "tolerance and its first cousin, diversity, 'are almost always buzzwords for homosexual advocacy.'"He stated on the Focus on the Family website that "childhood symbols are apparently being hijacked to promote an agenda that involves teaching homosexualpropagandato children. "He offered as evidence the association of many leading LGBT rights organizations, includingGLAAD,GLSEN,HRC,andPFLAG,with the We Are Family Foundation as shown by links which he claims once existed on their website.

The We Are Family Foundation countered that Dobson had mistaken their organization with "an unrelated Web site belonging to another group called 'We Are Family,' which supports gay youth."Dobson countered:

I want to be clear: the We Are Family Foundation—the organization that sponsored the video featuring SpongeBob and the other characters was, until this flap occurred, making available a variety of explicitly pro-homosexual materials on its Web site. It has since endeavored to hide that fact, but my concerns are as legitimate today as they were when I first expressed them in January.

In September 2005, Tolerance.org published a follow-up message advertising the DVD's continued availability, including We Are Family Foundation president Nancy Hunt's speculation that many of the DVDs may be "still sitting in boxes, unused, because of Dobson's vitriolic attack."

Views on homosexuality

In Dobson's view, homosexuality results from influences in a child'senvironment rather than an inborn trait.He states that homosexual behavior, specifically "unwanted same-sex attraction", has been and can be "overcome"through understanding developmental models for homosexuality and choosing to heal the complex developmental issues which led to same-sex attraction.

Focus on the Family ministry sponsorsthe monthly conferenceLove Won Out,where participants hear "powerful stories ofex-gaymen and women. "Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays(P-FLAG) has protested against the conference in Orlando, questioning both itsmethodologyand supposed success.In regards to the conference, Dobson has stated that "Gay activists come with preconceived notions about who we are and what we believe and about the hate that boils from within, which is simply not true. Regardless of what the media might say, Focus on the Family has no interest in promotinghatred toward homosexualsor anyone else. We also don't wish to deprive them of their basicconstitutional rights... The Constitution applies to all of us. "Dobson strongly opposes the movement to legitimize same-sex relationships.In his bookBringing Up Boys,Dobson states, "[T]he disorder is not typically 'chosen.' Homosexuals deeply resent being told that they selected this same-sex inclination in pursuit of sexual excitement or some other motive. It is unfair, and I don't blame them for being irritated by that assumption. Who among us would knowingly choose a path that would result in alienation from family, rejection by friends, disdain from the heterosexual world, exposure to sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis, and even a shorter lifespan?"

Critics have stated that Dobson's views on homosexuality do not represent themainstream viewsof the mental health community, with Dan Gilgoff referring to the positions of theAmerican Psychiatric Associationand theAmerican Psychological Associationon homosexuality.SociologistJudith Staceycriticized Dobson for claiming that sociological studies show that gay couples do not make good parents. She stated that Dobson's claim "is a direct misrepresentation of my research."In response to Dobson's claim that "there have been more than ten thousand studies that have showed that children do best when they are raised with a mother and a father who are committed to each other,"Stacey replied that "[a]ll of those studies that Dobson is referring to are studies that did not include gay or lesbian parents as part of the research base."

Dobson objected to a bill expanding the prohibition ofsexual orientation-based discrimination in the areas of "public accommodation, housing practices,family planningservices and twenty other areas. "He said that, were such a bill passed, public businesses could no longer separate locker rooms and bathrooms by gender, which he claimed would lead to a situation where," every woman and little girl will have to fear that apredator,bisexual,cross-dresseror even a homosexual or heterosexual male might walk in and relieve himself in their presence. "

In 2017, Dobson was among the first to sign theNashville Statement,written by theCouncil on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.The statement specifies conservative evangelical views on gender roles and sexuality, condemningLGBT-affirming Christians:"We affirm that it is sinful to approve of homosexual immorality or transgenderism and that such approval constitutes an essential departure from Christian faithfulness and witness."

Views on mass shootings

In 2012, in a broadcast titled "A Nation Shaken by theSandy Hook Tragedy,"Dobson said that the mass shooting was a judgement by God because of American acceptance of gay marriage and legal abortion.Similarly, Dobson said the2019 El Paso shootingand mass shootings in general happen because "the LGBTQ movement is closing in on the God-inspired and established institution of the family."

Views on abortion

Early in his career, Dobson appeared to accept abortion. He wrote a forward for a 1973 book,Sex is a Parent Affair,that takes a nonjudgemental stance toward abortion because "the Bible is silent on the subject" except for some interpretations ofExodus 21:22–23which "may indicate a developing embryo or fetus was not regarded as a full human being." In general, the evangelical movement did not speak much about abortion until the 1980s.

Starting in the 1980s, Dobson became an implacable enemy of legal abortion, and a major force in theanti-abortion movement.His message centered upon biblically moral mothers who sacrificed for their children; he chastised unmarried mothers or rebellious teenagers who selfishly treated unwanted pregnancy as an inconvenience rather than a sacred duty. He broadcast interviews with women who kept pregnancies because their trust in God overcame their own emotions and desires.For example, he published a story celebrating Jane Stillson, who chose to finish a pregnancy even though it prevented her from completing her treatment for cancer, thus risking her life.

Dobson contends that abortion invites women to reject God, diverts women from their natural role as mothers, and prevents more Christians from coming into the world. Ending abortion, in his view, would redeem society by binding women to their divine role.Focus on the Family and its allied lobbying organizations are among the US's most powerful advocates for restrictions on abortion access.

Views on gender

Dobson views thegender binaryas fundamental to humanity; he believes God created men and women to differ "in every cell of their bodies."Thesecomplementarydifferences make them well-suited totraditional gender roles."Males and females differ biochemically, anatomically, and emotionally" according to Dobson. Men like to "hunt and fish and hike in the wilderness" while women prefer to "stay at home and wait for them." Because men have a fragile ego and women are emotionally vulnerable, "men derive self-esteem by being respected; women feel worthy when they are loved." Men and women are obligated to adhere to the "time-honored roles of protector and protected."

Though created for traditional gender roles, people are not born following these roles. The roles must be taught, Dobson says, and must be defended from anyone who questions them. Dobson argues that confused gender relationships in a household result in homosexuality if a child displaces their sexual feelings onto the same-sex parent. Hence, parents should model a romance-like relationship with their opposite-sex child, according to Dobson, with the ultimate goal of steering the child toward heterosexual marriage as an adult.

Dobson encourages "daddy-daughter dating" in which fathers and daughters set aside time for special activities together. Because he believes heterosexuality must be cultivated, Dobson intended these romanticized attachments to model proper heterosexual partnership to girls age six or younger.An employee of Dobson's created the firstpurity ball— a father-daughter dance event promoting female chastity — in 1998. Dobson promoted the purity balls on his radio show.Along with other fundamentalist figures such asBilly Graham,Dobson is considered a founder ofpurity culture,a Christian subculture in which sexual immorality by women or LGBT people is considered a national threat.

Dobson considerstransgenderpeople a threat, writing in 2016 that "a married man with any gumption" would defend his wife's privacy in the bathroom from "a strange-looking man, dressed like a woman." He seemed to romanticize a time in the past in when men were masculine enough to shoot trans women.He also considers feminists a threat because they question the natural leadership of men. In his 1975 bookWhat Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew About Womenhe denounces the "feminist propaganda" ofstrong female charactersin movies, complaining when men are shown as inferior to a "confident superchick."This is dangerous, he says, because the true role of women is to harness the superior energy of men.

Gendered language in the Bible

In response to a 1997 article inWorldmagazine claiming that theNew International Versionof the Bible was going to be printed withgender-neutral language,Dobson called a meeting at Focus on the Family headquarters of influential men in the religious publishing business.The group drafted the "Colorado Springs Guidelines" which require Bible translations to usemale-default languagesuch asthe word "man"to designate the human race.As a result, plans for the gender-neutral Bible version were halted. When Dobson discovered his ownOdyssey Bibleused gender-neutral language, he discontinued it and offered refunds.According toWorld,Dobson's 1997 meeting eventually led to the publication of theEnglish Standard Versionin 2001, which avoids gender-neutral language.He opposed publication ofToday's New International Versionin 2002 because of the "political correctness"of the translation and the publisher's rejection of the Colorado Springs Guidelines.

Political and social influence

Dobson's social and political opinions are widely read among many evangelical church congregations in the United States; he is also highly influential within theUnited States Republican Party.Among other conservative causes, his lobbying contributed significantly to banningsame-sex marriageacross many US states.

Social influence

Dobson's books oncorporal punishmenthelped to legitimize the practice, providing it with theological grounding for Christian readers. When opposition to physical discipline became widespread in the 1980s and 1990s in American society, conservative Protestants emerged as perhaps the most ardent remaining supporters of corporal punishment. This support was bolstered by "authority-centered" parenting techniques advised in Dobson's books.

Dobson frequently cautions parents to use corporal punishment only in a limited and empathetic way. TheologianDonald Eric Cappsand psychologist Adah Maurer argued in the 1990s that, in practice, parents frequently use indiscriminate violence against children. They argue Dobson's work provides parents with self-serving theological rationalizations for their violent outbursts. Capps and Maurer conclude that the popularity of corporal punishment in this era damaged children in ways that may last into adulthood.

Throughout his career at Focus on the Family, Dobson argued forgender roleinstruction. He believed that gender and sexuality were not fixed from birth, but required careful cultivation. He sought to provide boys with outlets for their natural aggression, and to teach girls how to develop romantic partnerships, which they use to channel and refine male destructive impulses into civilized behavior. Thus thefeministandLGBT rightsmovements, because they seek to disturb gender roles, are a threat not only to family harmony but to national strength.To preserve pious gender roles, Dobson distributed Christian-targeted psychological advice. His daily radio programFocus on the Familywas (according to his organization) broadcast in more than a dozen languages and on over 7,000 stations worldwide, and reportedly heard daily by more than 220 million people in 164 countries.

During the 1960s and 70s effort to legalize abortion, journalism often reported the plight of women in need of abortion, such asSherri Finkbine.Dobson, together withFrancis Schaefferand others, shifted the public conversation away from the suffering of women, toward the suffering of the fetus and the selfishness of women who seek abortion.

Through his books and broadcasts, Dobson sought to prepare parents to fight in the Americanculture wars,a conflict in which Dobson described that "parents of faith are at war with culture"and which he has labeled a "Civil War of Values".Dobson has wielded significant influence over parents and politically conservative Christians, and, in the 1990s, a reportedly significant segment of this dedicated following were women who worked inside the home.

Around two thousand radio stations aired Dobson's program to an audience of six to ten million by the early 2000s. With over two million addresses on his mailing list, his organization launched a publishing house.Richard Landcalled him "the most influential evangelical leader in America" at that time, saying his influence was comparable toBilly Grahamin the 1960s-70s.

He is a founder ofpurity culture,a nationwide chastity movement through which he significantly shaped American attitudes about sex and gender,andAlliance Defending Freedom.Dobson is a member of theCouncil on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.He is a supporter of thePromise Keepersand was a contributor to their 1994 bookThe Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper.

Political influence

Dobson at the Values Voters conference inWashington, D.C.,2007

Dobson has chosen to exercise political influence behind the scenes, as "political fixer."This helps him to maintain his credibility with his audience. He has never run for office or acted as the public head of a primarily political organization.

Starting in 1980, Dobson began to build a network of conservative activists.In 1981, he founded theFamily Research Councilas a political arm through which "social conservativecauses "could achieve greater political influence.Dobson was appointed byU.S. President Ronald Reaganto theNational Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Preventionin 1982, where he served for two years.Through the 1980s, he coordinated the creation ofFamily Policy Councilsin most US states, lobbying organizations that act on the level of state politics.

By the 1990s, Dobson had amassed a sizeable network of conservative politicians, many of whom he met with regularly.Beginning in the same decade, Dobson and his vast activist organization helped pass state-level bans on gay marriage across the US.His top legislative goal was prohibiting gay marriage at the federal level, with a constitutional amendment. In 2005, he told his biographer "my greatest concern is for the relentless attack by homosexual activists who are determined to destroy the institution of marriage."

Dobson was an ally of JudgeRoy Moorestarting in the early 1990s.He rallied his audience in support of the judge in 1997and again in 2003because of the Moore's refusal to remove aTen Commandmentsdisplay from theAlabama Judicial Building.Viewing Moore as "a man of proven character and integrity" Dobson endorsed Moore's political campaigns until 2017,when allegations came to light of Moore's sexual misconduct toward teen girls.

In late 2004, Dobson led a campaign to block the appointment ofArlen Specterto head of theSenate Judiciary Committeebecause of Specter'spro-abortion rightsstance.Responding to a question byFox NewspersonalityAlan Colmeson whether he wanted theRepublican Partyto be known as a "big-tent party," he replied, "I don't want to be in the big tent... I think the party ought to stand for something."In 2006, Focus on the Family spent more than a half million dollars to promote aconstitutional amendmentto bansame-sex marriagein its home state ofColorado.

Dobson founded a fundraising and lobbying arm of FotF called Focus on the Family Action, now calledFamily Policy Alliance.As a501(c)(4)organization, it faces fewer IRS restrictions on political activity than FotF. In the organization's first six months of existence, it raised nearly nine million dollars in support of six Republican candidates for competitiveUS Senateseats. All six won their races.

A May 2005 article byChris HedgesinHarper's Magazinedescribed Dobson as "perhaps the most powerful figure in theDominionistmovement "and" a crucial player in getting out the Christian vote forGeorge W. Bush."Discernment Ministries, a site that describes dominionism as aheresy,characterized Dobson as belonging to the "Patriotic American" brand of dominionism, calling him "One of its most powerful leaders."

In November 2004, Dobson was described by the online magazineSlateas "America's most influential evangelical leader."The article stated "ForgetJerry FalwellandPat Robertson,who in their dotage have marginalized themselves with gaffes... Dobson is now America's most influential evangelical leader, with a following reportedly greater than that of either Falwell or Robertson at his peak... Dobson may have delivered Bush his victories inOhioandFlorida."Further, "He's already leveraging his new power. When a thank-you call came from theWhite House,Dobson issued the staffer a blunt warning that Bush "needs to be more aggressive" about pressing thereligious right'santi-abortion,anti-gay rightsagenda, or it would "pay a price in four years". Dobson has sometimes complained that the Republican Party may take the votes ofsocial conservativesfor granted, and has suggested that evangelicals may withhold support from the GOP if the party does not more strongly support conservative family issues.

However, in 2006, Dobson said that, while "there is disillusionment out there with Republicans" and "that worries me greatly," he nonetheless suggested voters turn out and vote Republican in 2006."My first inclination was to sit this one out," but according toThe New York Times,Dobson then added that "he had changed his mind when he looked at who would become the leaders ofCongressional committeesif theDemocratstook over. "

Dobson garnered national media attention once again in February 2008 after releasing a statement in the wake of SenatorJohn McCain's expected success in the so-called "Super Tuesday"Republicanprimary elections.In his statement, Dobson said: "I cannot, and will not, vote for Senator John McCain, as a matter of conscience," and indicated that he would refrain from voting altogether if McCain were to become the Republican candidate, echoing other conservative commentators' concerns about the Senator's conservatism.He endorsedMike Huckabeefor president.After McCain selected an anti-abortion candidate,Sarah Palin,as his running mate, Dobson said that he was more enthusiastic in his support for the Republican ticket.When Palin's17-year-old daughter's pregnancy was revealed, Dobson issued a press release commending Palin's stance, saying,

We have always encouraged the parents to love and support their children and always advised the girls to see their pregnancies through, even though there will of course be challenges along the way. That is what the Palins are doing, and they should be commended once again for not just talking about their pro-life and pro-family values, but living them out even in the midst of trying circumstances.

On June 24, 2008, Dobson criticized statements made by U.S. presidential candidateBarack Obamain Obama's 2006 "Call to Renewal" address.Dobson stated that Obama was "distorting the traditional understanding of theBibleto fit his own world view. "On October 23, 2008, Dobson published a "Letter from 2012 in Obama's America" that proposed that an Obama presidency could lead to: mandated homosexual teachings across all schools; the banning of firearms in entire states; the end of theBoy Scouts,home schooling,Christian school groups, Christian adoption agencies, andtalk radio;pornographyon prime-time and daytime television; mandatory bonuses for gay soldiers;terroristattacks across America; thenuclear bombingofTel Aviv;the conquering of most ofEastern EuropebyRussia;the end ofhealth carefor Americans over 80; out-of-controlgasolineprices; and complete economic disaster in the United States, among other catastrophes.In the days after the2008 presidential election,Dobson stated on his radio program that he was mourning the Obama election, claiming that Obama supportedinfanticide,would be responsible for the deaths of millions of unborn children, and was "going to appoint the mostliberaljustices to theSupreme Court,perhaps, that we've ever had. "

Dobson supportsintelligent designand has spoken at conferences on the subject, and frequently criticizesevolution.In 2007, Dobson was one of 25 evangelicals who called for the ouster of Rev.Richard Cizikfrom his position at theNational Association of Evangelicalsbecause Cizik had taken a stance urging evangelicals to takeglobal warmingseriously.

On June 13, 2007, theNational Right to Life CommitteeoustedColorado Right to Lifeafter the latter ran a full-page ad criticizing Dobson.

On May 30, 2010, Dobson delivered the pre-race invocation at theNASCARCoca-Cola 600automobile race, raising criticism about his association with a sport associated with sponsors and activities which would not meet his definition of family-friendly.

At aNational Day of Prayerevent in the U.S. Capitol, Dobson calledBarack Obama"the abortion president." He said, "President Obama, before he was elected, made it very clear that he wanted to be the abortion president. He didn't make any bones about it. This is something that he really was going to promote and support, and he has done that, and in a sense he is the abortion president." Among others, Rep.Janice Hahncomplained because Dobson used the National Day of Prayer for partisan purposes. She said, "Dobson just blew a hole into this idea of being a nonpartisan National Day of Prayer. It was very disturbing to me... and really a shame. James Dobson hijacked the National Day of Prayer—this nonpartisan, nonpolitical National Day of Prayer—to promote his own distorted political agenda."

Dobson endorsedTed Cruzin the2016 Republican primariesas well as Trump in thegeneral electionagainstHillary Clinton.In 2016, Dobson was named byChristianity Todayas one of theTrump Administration's top "Evangelical Faith Advisers".

In 2020, Dobson worked alongside other conservative Evangelicals and Evangelical organizations, includingJim DalyandFocus on the Family,to support thereelectionof President Donald Trump.He echoed his support of the President throughout theimpeachment proceedingsearlier that year.

Dobson praised the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court caseDobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization,which overruledRoe v. WadeandPlanned Parenthood v. Casey,saying, "Praise God! We have just received the news for which we have been praying and working!"

Ecumenical relations

Dobson andCharles Colsonwere two participants in a 2000 conference at theVaticanon the global economy's impact on families.During the conference, the twoProtestantsmet withPope John Paul II.Dobson later toldCatholic News Servicethat though he has theological differences withRoman Catholicism,"when it comes to the family, there is far more agreement than disagreement, and with regard to moral issues from abortion to premarital sex, safe-sex ideology and homosexuality, I find more in common with Catholics than with some of my evangelical brothers and sisters."

In November 2009, Dobson signed an ecumenical statement known as theManhattan Declarationcalling on evangelicals, Catholics andEastern OrthodoxChristians not to comply with rules and laws permitting abortion, same-sex marriage and other matters that go against their religious consciences.

Criticism

U.S. Surgeon GeneralC. Everett Koop,a fellow evangelical Christian who wanted Dobson as an ally in his battle against theAIDS crisis,was deeply disappointed when Dobson embraced pseudoscientific and homophobic claims about AIDS. "The Christian activity in reference to AIDS of bothD. James Kennedyand Jim Dobson is reprehensible, "Koop said in 1989. He viewed the AIDS crisis as" an opportunity for Christian service "that Dobson was squandering.

In her 2020 bookJesus and John Wayne,Calvin UniversityprofessorKristin Kobes Du Mezcriticizes the ideal of Christian masculinity created by Dobson,Mark Driscolland others: "It was a vision that promised protection for women but left women without defense, one that worshiped power and turned a blind eye to justice, and one that transformed the Jesus of the Gospels into an image of their own making."

Don Jacobson, who published books by Dobson and other conservative Christian authors at his Multnomah Press, later rejected theChristian nationalismhis press had helped cultivate. After reading historical Christian justifications for murder and conquest ofAmerican Indians,he came to viewAmerican exceptionalismas incompatible withChristian love.

Gil Alexander-Moegerle, a former Focus on the Family executive and radio show co-host, wrote the highly critical bookJames Dobson's War on Americain 1997. In it, he says that Dobson's loving, caring public persona is a sham; the real Dobson is racist, sexist, homophobic, materialistic, power-hungry, and shameless. He says that theNazarenereligious concept ofentire sanctificationis key to understanding Dobson's views: "James Dobson believes that he has been entirely sanctified, morally perfected, that he does not and cannot sin. Now you know why he and moralists like him make a life of condemning what he believes to be the sins of others. He is perfect."

Some fundamentalist Christians consider Dobson ahereticfor presenting secular concepts from psychology and self-help literature as though they are justified by the Bible.

TheologianDonald Eric Cappscontends that Dobson's corporal punishment techniques exploit children by turning their natural need to be loved against them. Dobson's advice to "break the will" of the child is a recipe for child abuse, according to Capps, and is antithetical to loving one's child. He also argues that corporal punishment may sexualize children. For evidence of this, he points to Dobson's vivid childhood recollection of being beaten with his mother's girdle. Capps believed that using physical pain to heighten a child's relationship to God is "perverted."

Publications

Dobson has authored or co-authored 36 books, including:

Books as sole author

• Dobson, James C. (1970).Dare to Discipline.Tyndale House.ISBN0-842-3063-0-7.
• Dobson, James C. (1975).What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew About Women.Tyndale House.ISBN0-84237-8960.
• Dobson, James (1980).Preparing for Adolescence.Vision House.ISBN0-88449-112-9.
• Dobson, James (1982).Dr. Dobson Answers Your Questions About Raising Children.Tyndale House.ISBN0-8423-0620-X.
• Dobson, James C. (1984).Emotions: Can You Trust Them?.Bantam Books.ISBN0-553-25751-X.
• Dobson, James C. (1986).Dr. Dobson Answers Your Questions about Feelings and Self-Esteem.Tyndale House.ISBN0-8423-0621-8.
• Dobson, James C. (1986).Temper Your Child's Tantrums.Tyndale House.ISBN0-8423-6994-5.
• Dobson, James (1987).Parenting Isn't for Cowards: Dealing Confidently With the Frustrations of Child-Rearing.Word.ISBN0-8499-0630-X.
• Dobson, James C. (1992).The Strong-Willed Child.Living Books.ISBN0-8423-2335-X.
• Dobson, James (1995).Straight Talk: What Men Should Know, What Women Need to Understand —Rev.and exp.ed.Thomas Nelson.ISBN0-8499-3858-9.
• Dobson, James C. (1996).The New Dare to Discipline.Tyndale House.ISBN0-8423-0506-8.
• Dobson, James C. (1997).Solid Answers.Tyndale House.ISBN0-8423-0623-4.
• Dobson, James C. (2000).The Complete Marriage and Family Home Reference Guide.Tyndale House.ISBN0-8423-5267-8.
• Dobson, James (2000).Straight Talk to Men.Thomas Nelson.ISBN0-8499-4210-1.
• Dobson, James (2000).Life on the Edge.Thomas Nelson.ISBN0-8499-0927-9.
• Dobson, James (2001).The New Hide or Seek: Building Confidence in Your Child.Revell.ISBN0-8007-5680-0.
• Dobson, James C. (2001).When God Doesn't Make Sense.Living Books.ISBN0-8423-7062-5.
• Dobson, James C. (2002).Bringing Up Boys: Practical Advice and Encouragement for Those Shaping the Next Generation of Men.Tyndale House.ISBN0-8423-5266-X.
• Dobson, James C. (2003).Parents' Answer Book.Living Books.ISBN0-8423-8716-1.
• Dobson, James C. (2004).Romantic Love: How to Be Head Over Heels and Still Land on Your Feet.Regal Books.ISBN0-8307-3238-1.
• Dobson, James (2004).Dr. James Dobson on Parenting.World Publishing.ISBN0-88486-339-5.
• Dobson, James (2004).Love for a Lifetime: Building a Marriage That Will Go the Distance.Multnomah Books.ISBN1-59052-087-4.
• Dobson, James C. (2007).Love Must Be Tough: New Hope for Families in Crisis.Tyndale House.ISBN978-1-4143-1745-8.
• Dobson, James C. (2007).The New Strong-Willed Child.Tyndale House.ISBN978-1-4143-1363-4.
• Dobson, James C. (2007).Stories of Heart and Home.Tyndale House.ISBN978-1-4143-1747-2.
• Dobson, James C. (2010).Bringing Up Girls: Practical Advice and Encouragement for Those Shaping the Next Generation of Women.Tyndale House.ISBN978-1-77036-544-5.

Books with others

• Paul C. Reisser (October 1, 1999). Melissa R. Cox; Vinita Hampton Wright (eds.).The Focus on the Family Complete Book of Baby and Child Care.Tyndale House.ISBN0-8423-3512-9.(Foreword)
• Sutherland, Mark I.; William J. Federer;Roy Moore;James Dobson;Alan Keyes;Ed Meese;Phyllis Schlafly;Matthew D. Staver;Alan Sears(July 4, 2005).Judicial Tyranny The New Kings of America.Amerisearch.ISBN0-9753455-6-7.
• Dobson, James C.; Shirley Dobson (April 16, 2007).Marriage Under Fire:Why We Must Win This Battle.Tyndale House.ISBN978-1-4143-1756-4.
• Dobson, James C.; Shirley Dobson (April 16, 2007).Night Light A Devotional for Couples.Tyndale House.ISBN978-1-4143-1749-6.
• Dobson, James C.; Shirley Dobson (April 20, 2007).Night Light for Parents A Devotional.Tyndale House.ISBN978-1-4143-1751-9.
• Dobson, James C; Kurt Bruner (January 15, 2013).Fatherless.FaithWords.ISBN978-1-4555-1311-6.
• Dobson, James C; Kurt Bruner (October 1, 2013).Childless.FaithWords.ISBN978-1-4555-1315-4.
• Dobson, James C; Kurt Bruner (May 6, 2014).Godless.FaithWords.ISBN978-1-4555-1316-1.

Notable articles and reports

• Dobson served on the committee that wrote theMeese Reportonpornography.
• Dobson, James C. (December 12, 2006)."Two Mommies Is One Too Many".Time.Archived fromthe originalon December 13, 2006.RetrievedJune 21,2008.

References

Bibliography

• Brenneman, Todd (2014).Homespun Gospel: The Triumph of Sentimentality in Contemporary American Evangelicalism.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0199988983.
• Dobson, James C. (1978).The strong-willed child.Tyndale House.ISBN0842359249.OCLC1036957322.
• Du Mez, Kristin Dobes(2020).Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.Liveright Publishing Corporation.ISBN9781631499050.OCLC1120090251.
• Gilgoff, Dan (2007).The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America Are Winning the Culture War.St. Martin's Press.ISBN9781429917094.
• Moslener, Sara (2015).Virgin Nation: Sexual Purity and American Adolescence.Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199987764.003.0007.ISBN9780199987764.
• Stephens, Hilde Løvdal (2019).Family Matters: James Dobson and Focus on the Family's Crusade for the Christian Home.Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press.ISBN9780817320331.OCLC1096236320.
• Ridgely, Susan B. (2016).Practicing What the Doctor Preached: At Home with Focus on the Family.Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199755073.001.0001.ISBN9780190619107.

Further reading

• Apostolidis, Paul.Stations of the Cross: Adorno and Christian Right Radio(2000).excerpt and text search,analysis of Dobson's radio programs
• Alexander-Moegerle, Gil (1997).James Dobson's War on America.Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books.ISBN1-57392-122-X.
• Gilgoff, Dan (April 29, 2008).The Jesus Machine How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America are Winning the Culture War.St. Martin's Press.ISBN978-0-312-37844-8.
• Løvdal, Hilde,Family Matters: James Dobson and the Focus on the Family's Message to American Evangelicals, 1970–2010(PhD dissertation, University of Oslo, Norway, 2012).

External links

• Dr. James Dobson'sFamily Talk
• AppearancesonC-SPAN
• "And on the Eighth Day, Dr. Dobson Created Himself"– article by Eileen Welsome in5280 Magazine