Photo by c.berlet/publiceye.org provided by wikimedia.org.
We recently lost a modern-day hero of the Christian faith and a warrior who fought to keep families strong and healthy. James Dobson passed away on August 21, 2025, leaving behind an enduring legacy and a ministry devoted to strengthening the God-ordained family unit. It would be difficult to find a Christian family in the United States that has not, in some way, been touched by his faithfulness to God’s calling.
James Clayton Dobson Jr. was born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1936. His parents were traveling evangelists and young “Jimmy Lee” responded to an altar call, given by his father, when he was just three years old. He once told a reporter he learned to pray before he could talk.
Dobson was a dedicated student who did well in high school. But he also became somewhat rebellious. First, his mother stayed home to raise him, then his father quit traveling and accepted a position as the pastor of a local church. “He saved me,” Dobson said.
James Dobson went on to study at Pasadena College (Point Loma Nazarene University). He was studying to become a Christian counselor or psychologist, whichever the Lord directed him to pursue. It was here he met his wife, Shirley. He then completed his doctorate in psychology at USC-Los Angeles.
While serving on staff at the USC School of Medicine, he began noticing the breakdown of the average American family and the impact it was having on children and youth. Based on his observations, he wrote his first book, Dare to Discipline, in 1970. It would be the first of more than 70 books offering practical, spiritual and medical advice to parents.
Focus on the Family was founded in 1977 and, in time, became one of the largest faith-based organizations in the world. Dobson’s daily broadcasts reached millions of people through 4,000-plus radio stations in North American. They were also translated into 27 languages and broadcast in an additional 160 countries around the globe.
Dobson’s gentle, diplomatic approach to the issues families faced, coupled with his insights and education, instilled several generations with confidence in his child-rearing advice. And his work will undoubtedly influence many generations to come.
Unfortunately, many young believers – and some older ones, too – do not know that there will be times in every person’s life when circumstances don’t add up – when God doesn’t appear to make sense. This aspect of the Christian faith is not well advertised.
–James Dobson
