The founder of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, Dobson, 89, was a tireless advocate for traditional family values.
He was a psychologist, a New York Times best-selling author, a member of the Radio Hall of Fame and an advisor to five U.S. presidents.
He also is the host of the Family Talk program on American Family Radio.
His institute seeks to “help preserve and promote the institution of the family and the biblical principles on which it is based; to seek to introduce as many people as possible to the gospel of Jesus Christ; and to promote the sanctity of human life, God-honoring sexuality, religious freedom, respect for the American founding; and righteousness in the culture,” its mission statement says.
“We were all saddened at American Family Association to hear of the passing of Dr. James Dobson. He was a close and dear friend of my late father, AFA founder Don Wildmon. Dr. Dobson was a true champion of the Christian faith, a tireless advocate for the truth of God in culture, and a faithful defender of biblical sexuality, marriage, and family. Along with my dad and handfuls of other fearless and godly men and women, Dr. Dobson shook the foundations of secular humanism and challenged the perverse and pervasive ideology of the sexual revolution. His presence will be missed, but his impact on the church and American culture will be felt for generations to come," AFA President Tim Wildmon said.
Dobson, shown above and right with his wife of 64 years, Shirley, is survived by Shirley as well as their children Danae and Ryan, daughter-in-law Laura and two grandchildren.
"Dr. Dobson was a pioneer -- a man of deep conviction whose voice shaped the way generations view faith, family and culture," said Gary Bauer, Senior Vice President of Public Policy, at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. "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 was born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1936.
He founded Focus on the Family in 1977, one of the largest faith-based organizations in the world. His daily broadcasts were heard on more than 4,000 radio states across North America and translated into 27 languages in more than 160 countries.
He departed Focus on the Family in 2010 and launched the Institute, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he continued his pro-family mission with the Family Talk program, a nationally syndicated broadcast.
Dobson authored more than 70 books dedicated to the preservation of the family, including The New Dare to Discipline, The New Strong-Willed Child, Bringing Up Boys, Bringing Up Girls and many others.
“Frankly, I don't think there's a lot of men in our era worthy of such a term, but (Dobson was) just an absolute titan. As a guy who does a biblical worldview show I have cited him with this so many times on my show, I can't even count, so I probably owe him a residual royalty of a substantial amount,” Steve Deace, of Blaze Media, said on American Family Radio Thursday.
God is or God isn't
All of life's conflicts, all of its struggles basically center on one question, Deace says: "God is, or God isn't."
"Everything within the political culture, in our homes, in our marriages, in our families, in our churches, in our communities, everything really boils down to those two worldview discussions. That's essentially what Dr. Dobson made his ministry about throughout his career," Deace told show host Jenna Ellis.
Dobson turned away from other professional opportunities because he recognized great need for family ministry, Deace said.
“He was hugely popular, high favorables, very respected, but he saw the broader need of the culture and where we were heading and realized that a lot of the issues he fought for that were happening in marriages and families. He risked a lot of that likability and a lot of that broader cultural cachet to get involved in the process to wage war on that level," Deace said.
Ellis, a Colorado native, worked with Dobson as policy director at the Institute previously and paid tribute to a man who found his work too important to ever completely retire.
"I respect that so much about ministers like him, like Pastor John MacArthur and others who understand that retirement in terms of ministry really isn't in the Bible. For the days that the Lord has us here on this earth, we have work to do for him, not necessarily just for ourselves and our own glory and our own purposes. We always have work to do for the Lord. He was a wonderful embodiment of that," Ellis said.
Ellis came to know Dobson on a personal level.
The impact of his work
"I just had an incredible experience there, seeing his his love and passion for continuing in his ministry literally until the day that he died," she said.
Dobson had a profound impact on pro-family ministry.
"We started the Family Research Council together. He was instrumental in the founding of so many different pro-family organizations," Bauer said. "I've had a long working relationship with Dr. Dobson. It was very sad this morning to find he had passed on to be with the Lord."
Dobson's vision for America was in line with the Founders, Bauer said.
"If there's any fair history written about America and the great struggle about what kind of country we're going to be and whether it will live up to the Founders' promise of being one nation under God, there will be a prominent place in history for Dr. James Dobson."
Editor's Note: James Dobson graphic and younger Dobson image courtesy of Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. James Dobson and Shirley Dobson inset photo by The Associated Press. AFN is a division of American Family Association.
