By ‘Focusing on the Family,’ James Dobson Helped Propel US Evangelicals Back Into Politics

James Dobson Was My Horror, and Yours

Sarah Jones writes that James Dobson, the Christian-right luminary who died last week, built his long career on cruelty and submission.

The Focus of a Father: The Life of Dr. James Dobson

Dr. James C. Dobson was the leading U.S. advocate for children and families of the last half century. His loss is immense, and he is mourned by millions. The accolades that ought to have been his may never come, but he never wavered, in season or out, for the well-being of the young. The name of the signature organization he founded, Focus on the Family, was perfect in its simplicity and global in its reach. It was Christian, faithful, and princ…

By ‘focusing on the family,’ James Dobson helped propel US evangelicals back into politics

(The Conversation) — For decades, one name was ubiquitous in American evangelical homes: Focus on the Family. A media empire with millions of listeners and readers, its messages about parenting, marriage and politics seemed to reach every conservative Christian church and school. And one man’s name was nearly synonymous with Focus on the Family: James Dobson. Dobson, a primary figure of the Religious Right who died on Aug. 21, 2025, was born in …