One of psychologist James Dobson’s more famous books, “The Strong-Willed Child,” advocated hitting children as punishment. Dobson, the 89-year-old founder of Focus on the Family, who died Thursday, promoted a harsh, disciplinarian Christianity. That world view was shaped during his strict upbringing in the Church of the Nazarene and remains the worldview of family-based Republican politics today.
Discipline rooted in fear, not love, was a hallmark of Dobson’s teachings and a hallmark of his writings about children. On top of that, the way he vilified gay people helped lay the foundation for the anachronistic political beliefs of today’s GOP. He leaves an indelible stain on our politics and culture. It’s not surprising, then, that whole podcasts and books exist to talk about the harmful results of Dobson’s teachings. He was a psychologist who didn’t seem to comprehend what it means to be human.
He was a psychologist who didn’t seem to comprehend what it means to be human.
Dobson, who became a Republican Party kingmaker, was one of the last of a generation of religious leaders who began their political and ministerial work at the inception of the Religious Right in the 1970s. Rigid and unforgiving of those who aren’t Christian, Dobson’s beliefs helped pave the way for the strict authoritarianism that permeates the Republican Party today. His organizational skills and his relentless pursuit of what he considered biblical family values are largely responsible for Roe v. Wade’s being overturned and largely responsible for the political backlash against LGBTQ people today. His beliefs in conversion therapy and traditional gender roles are now embraced by many within the Republican Party.
A University of Southern California psychologist, Dobson rose to fame with his early books about child-rearing, including “The Strong-Willed Child.” He founded Focus on the Family, which focused on Christian child-rearing and family issues, after leaving his position at USC. After branching out into a daily radio show on Christian radio, Dobson became a major player in the religious broadcasting world with his daily broadcasts and a publishing and media empire built on promoting his — and only his — type of family values.
He was an important player in a cadre of religious broadcasters and leaders who were pro-life, anti-gay and pro-Republican Party. His prominence increased when he interviewed President Ronald Reagan on camera in 1985 and increased even more when the anti-pornography crusader was appointed to a commission on pornography chaired by Reagan’s attorney general, Edwin Meese.
Dobson’s alliance with Reagan — and with President George H.W. Bush — was just a start. He supported and counseled every Republican president from Reagan to Donald Trump and every Republican nominee. His stated belief in biblical family values didn’t keep him from endorsing the infamously unfaithful Trump in 2016. He justified his support in an impassioned essay in Christianity Today in which he stated, “I support those who will lead the country righteously, honorably, and wisely.” He went on to say that his vote was about who would appoint the next three Supreme Court justices. Dobson also helped found Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal organization that fights for its idea of family values in the courts. In addition to Focus on the Family, Dobson also helped found Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal organization that fights for its idea of family values in the courts. Dobson built a legacy on conservative biblical beliefs about children and family life at the expense of others in American society. His advocacy helped bring about book bans, recent renewed crusades about same sex marriage and restrictions on transgender rights. His authoritarian beliefs, broadcasts and political action committees made it harder for millions of people who love their children and families but don’t subscribe to his religious beliefs. While many will mourn Dobson as a good Christian man, who lived by biblical values, he left a lot of broken people in his wake, including those he made believe God wants them to hit their kids.
Anthea Butler is a professor of religious studies and Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania. 
