James Dobson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids James Dobson |
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Dobson c. 2007
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| Religion | Evangelical Christian |
| Founder of | Family Research Council Focus on the Family Family Policy Alliance |
| Education | Point Loma Nazarene University University of Southern California |
| Personal | |
| Born | James Clayton Dobson Jr. April 21, 1936 Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Shirley Deere
(m. 1960) |
| Children | 2 |
| Religious career | |
| Works | Marriage Under Fire Dare to Discipline The Strong-Willed Child |
James Clayton Dobson Jr. (born April 21, 1936) is an American Evangelical Christian author and psychologist. He is best known as the founder of Focus on the Family (FotF). He led this organization from 1977 until 2010. In the 1980s, he became a very influential voice for conservative social ideas in American public life.
Even though he was never an ordained minister, The New York Times called him "the nation's most influential evangelical leader." Slate magazine saw him as a leader following other important evangelical figures. Through Focus on the Family, he produced a daily radio show. This program, also called Focus on the Family, was broadcast in many languages. It reached millions of people in many countries. In 2010, he started a new radio show called Family Talk with Dr. James Dobson.
Dobson supports "family values," which means teaching children about heterosexuality and traditional gender roles. He believes these roles are guided by the Christian Bible. His goal is to promote marriage between a man and a woman. He sees this as a key part of society that needs protection from ideas like feminism and the LGBT rights movement. Dobson encourages his audience to take part in what he calls the "Civil War of Values."
He began his writing career helping Paul Popenoe. Dobson became well-known in the 1970s for promoting discipline for children. He also helped start a movement in the 1990s that focused on purity. He has shared his ideas through various groups. These include the Family Research Council, which he founded in 1981, and Family Policy Alliance, founded in 2004. He also started the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute in 2010.
Contents
Early Life and Education
James Dobson was born on April 21, 1936, in Shreveport, Louisiana. His parents were Myrtle Georgia and James C. Dobson Sr. Religion was a very important part of his life from a young age. He once said he learned to pray before he learned to talk. He also said he committed his life to Jesus at age three. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all Church of the Nazarene ministers.
His parents took him to watch his father preach. They did not allow dancing or going to movies. Young "Jimmie Lee," as he was called, focused on his schoolwork.
Dobson studied academic psychology. He felt called to become a Christian counselor or psychologist. He went to Pasadena College (now Point Loma Nazarene University). He was the captain of the school's tennis team there. In 1967, Dobson earned his doctorate in psychology from the University of Southern California.
Career and Advocacy
Early Career in Psychology
In 1967, Dobson became a professor at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. He worked there for 14 years. At USC, he saw many troubled young people. He felt that society lacked clear moral rules. He believed that the "institution of the family was disintegrating."
He also spent 17 years at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. For a time, Dobson worked with Paul Popenoe at a marriage-counseling center. There, he wrote about differences between men and women. He also wrote about what he saw as the dangers of feminism.
In 1973, the American Psychological Association changed its view on homosexuality. They removed it from their list of mental disorders. Dobson resigned from the organization because he disagreed with this change. In 1976, he left USC and Children's Hospital.
He began sharing his ideas on the radio and in public talks. He made videos of his lectures to share them widely. One video about absent fathers was seen by many people.
Founding Focus on the Family
In 1977, Dobson founded Focus on the Family. He built it into a large organization by the mid-1990s. It included radio programs, magazines, and videos. By 1995, the organization's budget was over $100 million each year.
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter planned a White House Conference on Families. This conference aimed to include many different types of families. Dobson believed only his idea of a traditional family should be supported. He thought a family should have a male provider and a female caregiver. He was not invited to the planning at first. His listeners wrote many letters to the White House. Dobson was eventually invited, which showed him his power to gather support.
Starting in 1980, Dobson created groups of political activists. He founded organizations that worked against LGBT rights and other conservative goals. He built relationships with conservative politicians like Ronald Reagan. He helped found the Family Research Council in 1981. He also founded Family Policy Councils, which work in state governments. When Focus on the Family moved to Colorado Springs in 1991, the city became known as a center for the Christian right.
Focus on the Family started a program in 1998. This program aimed to help people who wanted to change their homosexual feelings. Dobson promoted this program more in 2000. He saw that opposing gay marriage helped his movement gain members. Groups connected to Focus on the Family helped create bans on gay marriage in many states. Dobson said that gay marriage was turning children away from God. His arguments led many evangelicals to support these bans. This resulted in amendments to thirty U.S. state constitutions.
Dobson stepped down as president of Focus on the Family in 2003. He left his role as chairman of the board in 2009. He said he wanted to pass leadership to the next generation. He also mentioned that he and the new leader, Jim Daly, had different views on how to challenge those who might weaken the family. After he left, Focus on the Family worked to keep Dobson's original message. Dobson then focused more on political work.
Dr. James Dobson Family Institute
In 2010, Dobson founded the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. This group produces his radio program, Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk. He stepped down from leading this institute in 2022. However, he continues to host his radio show. Dobson often appears as a guest on the Fox News Channel.
Personal Life
Dobson married Shirley Deere on August 26, 1960. They have two children, Danae and Ryan. In 2009, Dobson gave control of some of Focus on the Family's youth magazines to his son, Ryan Dobson.
Awards and Recognition
Dobson has served on government advisory groups. He has also spoken at government hearings. He received the "Layman of the Year" award in 1982. Childhelp USA gave him "The Children's Friend" honor in 1987. In 1988, he received the Humanitarian Award from the California Psychological Association. In 2005, he received an honorary doctorate from Indiana Wesleyan University. He was also inducted into their Society of World Changers.
In 2008, Dobson's Focus on the Family radio program was added to the National Radio Hall of Fame. This caused some debate among people who disagreed with his views.
Social Views
Views on Marriage
James Dobson strongly believes that marriage should be between a husband and wife. They should be committed to each other for life. He thinks the mother should be a homemaker and the father a provider. He believes men and women are equal because they are made in God's image. However, he thinks each gender has specific roles given by the Bible. He suggests that married women with young children should focus on raising their children.
Views on Schooling
Focus on the Family supports private school vouchers and tax credits for religious schools. Dobson believes parents are ultimately responsible for their children's education. He encourages parents to visit schools and join the PTA. This allows them to share their opinions.
Critics say that Focus on the Family materials have been used to challenge books or lessons in public schools. They also claim that the organization encourages Christian teachers to start prayer groups in public schools. Dobson supports student-led prayer in public schools. He believes this does not go against the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Views on Discipline of Children
In his book The Strong-Willed Child, Dobson writes about the importance of authority. He says that when children learn to respect their parents' authority, they learn to respect other authority figures later in life. These include teachers, police, and employers.
Dobson believes that if children are allowed to challenge parents, they might challenge God later. So, he says, misbehavior must be addressed to help a child's spiritual well-being. He advises parents to show both kindness and firmness. This helps prepare the child for a relationship with God.
Views on Tolerance and Diversity
In 2004-2005, a group sent DVDs to elementary schools. These DVDs used cartoon characters to promote "tolerance and diversity." Dobson argued that "tolerance" and "diversity" were used to promote homosexuality. He said that "childhood symbols are being used to promote ideas that involve teaching homosexual ideas to children." He pointed to links on the group's website that he said showed connections to LGBT rights organizations.
The group said Dobson had confused them with another website. Dobson insisted that the group's website had shown pro-homosexual materials before he spoke out.
Views on Homosexuality
Dobson believes that homosexuality comes from a child's environment, not from being born that way. He strongly opposes the movement to make same-sex relationships legal. He states that Focus on the Family does not promote hatred toward homosexuals. He also says they do not wish to take away anyone's basic constitutional rights.
Critics say Dobson's views on homosexuality are not in line with most mental health experts. They point to the views of groups like the American Psychiatric Association. A sociologist named Judith Stacey criticized Dobson. She said he wrongly claimed that studies showed gay couples are not good parents. She clarified that her research did not include gay or lesbian parents.
In 2017, Dobson signed the Nashville Statement. This statement outlines conservative evangelical views on gender roles. It states that approving of homosexual behavior or transgenderism is a departure from Christian faith.
Views on Gender
Dobson believes that men and women are fundamentally different. He thinks God created them to have different roles. He calls these complementary differences. He says men and women differ in many ways. He believes men enjoy activities like "hunt and fish" while women prefer to "stay at home." He also states that men feel good when respected, and women feel worthy when loved. He thinks men and women should follow traditional roles of "protector and protected."
Dobson believes these roles must be taught and defended. He encourages "daddy-daughter dating." This involves fathers and daughters spending special time together. He intends these activities to show girls how to have proper heterosexual relationships. An employee of Dobson's created the first purity ball in 1998. These are father-daughter dance events that promote female chastity. Dobson promoted these events on his radio show. He is seen as a founder of purity culture. This is a Christian movement that emphasizes chastity.
Dobson views transgender people as a threat. He also sees feminists as a threat because they question men's natural leadership. In his 1975 book, he criticized movies that showed strong female characters. He felt this was dangerous because he believed women's true role is to support men's energy.
Gendered Language in the Bible
In 1997, Dobson called a meeting of religious publishers. This was in response to an article about a Bible translation using gender-neutral language. The group created "Colorado Springs Guidelines." These guidelines said Bible translations should use male-default language. As a result, plans for the gender-neutral Bible version were stopped. Dobson later stopped selling his own Odyssey Bible because it used gender-neutral language. He also opposed another Bible version in 2002. He felt it was too "politically correct" and did not follow the guidelines.
Influence in Society and Politics
Dobson's ideas are widely read by many evangelical church groups in the United States. He also has a lot of influence within the United States Republican Party. His efforts helped lead to bans on same-sex marriage in many U.S. states.
Social Impact
Dobson's books on discipline helped make the practice more accepted. They gave religious reasons for it to Christian readers. When physical discipline became less common in American society, conservative Protestants remained strong supporters. This support was strengthened by Dobson's parenting advice.
Dobson often advises parents to use discipline in a limited and caring way. However, some critics argue that his work has led some parents to use violence. They say his work provides reasons for parents' angry outbursts. These critics believe that the popularity of physical discipline during this time may have harmed children.
Throughout his career, Dobson has argued for teaching traditional gender roles. He believes that the feminist and LGBT rights movements threaten these roles. He thinks they are a danger to family harmony and national strength. To keep these roles, Dobson shared Christian-focused psychological advice. His radio program reached millions of people worldwide.
Through his books and broadcasts, Dobson aimed to prepare parents for what he called the "Civil War of Values." He described this as a conflict where "parents of faith are at war with culture." Dobson has had a significant impact on parents and politically conservative Christians. In the 1990s, many of his followers were women who worked at home.
By the early 2000s, his program was aired on about two thousand radio stations. It reached an audience of six to ten million people. His organization also started a publishing company. Some leaders called him "the most influential evangelical leader in America" at that time. He is a founder of purity culture, a movement promoting chastity. He is also a member of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.
Political Impact
Dobson has chosen to use his political influence behind the scenes. This helps him keep his credibility with his audience. He has never run for office himself.
Starting in 1980, Dobson began to build a network of conservative activists. In 1981, he founded the Family Research Council. This group aimed to help "social conservative causes" gain more political power. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Dobson to a committee on juvenile justice. He served there for two years. Throughout the 1980s, he helped create Family Policy Councils in most U.S. states. These groups work to influence state politics.
By the 1990s, Dobson had many connections with conservative politicians. He met with them regularly. During this time, Dobson and his large organization helped pass state-level bans on gay marriage across the U.S. His main goal was to ban gay marriage at the federal level through a constitutional amendment. In 2005, he told his biographer that his biggest concern was "the relentless attack by homosexual activists who are determined to destroy the institution of marriage."
Dobson was an ally of Judge Roy Moore starting in the early 1990s. He supported the judge in 1997 and 2003. This was because Moore refused to remove a Ten Commandments display from a building. Dobson supported Moore's political campaigns until 2017.
Dobson founded a fundraising and lobbying group called Focus on the Family Action. It is now called Family Policy Alliance. This group can raise money for political campaigns. In its first six months, it raised a lot of money to support Republican candidates. All six candidates won their races.
In 2004, Slate magazine called Dobson "America's most influential evangelical leader." The article said he might have helped George W. Bush win elections in Ohio and Florida. Dobson has sometimes said that the Republican Party might take conservative votes for granted. He has suggested that evangelicals might not support the Republican Party if it does not strongly support conservative family issues.
In 2008, Dobson said he would not vote for Senator John McCain for president. He said he would not vote at all if McCain became the Republican candidate. He supported Mike Huckabee for president instead.
In 2008, Dobson criticized statements made by U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama. Dobson said Obama was "distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible." In 2008, Dobson wrote a letter imagining a future under an Obama presidency. He suggested it could lead to many negative outcomes for traditional values.
Dobson supports intelligent design. He often criticizes evolution. In 2007, Dobson was one of 25 evangelicals who called for a leader to be removed from his position. This was because the leader had urged evangelicals to take global warming seriously.
In 2016, Dobson supported Ted Cruz in the Republican primaries. He also supported Donald Trump in the general election. Christianity Today named Dobson as one of the Trump Administration's top "Evangelical Faith Advisers." In 2020, Dobson worked with other conservative evangelicals to support Donald Trump's reelection.
Images for kids
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Dobson circa 2007
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Dobson at the Values Voters conference in Washington, D.C., 2007
