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Ken Fong and I unpack the life and legacy of Dr. James Dobson, who just recently passed away. For many of us, Dobson’s voice was a constant presence in American evangelical homes. He was the trusted “family counselor” who seemed to offer simple, practical guidance about raising children, strengthening marriages, and protecting the home. His books—Dare to Discipline, Bringing Up Boys, Bringing Up Girls—were bestsellers, and his radio program reached countless millions. They shaped how countless parents understood what it meant to raise a family in a “Christian” way.
On the surface, it all seemed non-political, even innocent.
But as the years progressed, it became clear that Dobson was building something much bigger than a parenting movement. He founded Focus on the Family, moved his empire to Colorado Springs, and began to insert himself more directly into politics. Along the way, he inspired children’s programming and homeschooling curriculum. He trained thousands of young people in “Biblical World View.” He became an outspoken promoter of Donald Trump. He engineered the identification of white evangelicalism with the Religious Right, commandeering the Republican Party into an unrelenting culture war.
Ken Fong shares his research on the roots of Dobson’s work in the discredited “science” of eugenics and names his mentor in psychology, the famed eugenicist and atheist Paul Popenoe.
As Senator Barry Goldwater warned back in 1980, when religious leaders gain control of a political party, it creates a dangerous situation. Goldwater said, “These people believe they’re acting in the name of God, so they can’t and won’t compromise.” Dobson embodied that posture - NO COMPROMISE.
For those of us who grew up under his influence, the costs were real. His insistence on “breaking the spirit” of children, corporal punishment, his crusade against the LGBTQ+ community — fighting same-sex marriage in California’s Prop 8 campaign, promoting conversion therapy, framing homosexuality as a threat to children—all of these left deep wounds. Add to all that, he applauded and facilitated the election of this current wrecking-ball administration.
As we remember his legacy, we must not ignore his undeniable contribution to the rancorous Us-versus-Them culture in our perilously divided nation.
In this episode, Ken Fong and I peel back the layers of Dobson’s legacy. His death may close a chapter, but the impact of his divisive ideology continues to shape families, churches, and American politics.
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