As with any well-known religious figure these days, there are scores of people racing to social media, with microphones and video cameras in hand, to cash in or live vicariously through the moment of the celebrity’s mortality. I am sick to death of the literal worship of celebrity in churchianity these days. The other thing that irks me is all the pronouncements that whoever it was is now in heaven with Jesus… How does anyone really know, especially given specific verses that not everyone saying "Lord, Lord will be in heaven?
Value, as is mentioned in the title, is perhaps an unobjective consideration. It’s like beauty, which is in the eye of the beholder. But let’s consider a few details that will help sharpen the subject applying to James Dobson. Value ought to be measured, or ascribed, based upon impact, residual effect, and correctness to a standard. I suppose there might be other ways to measure. But for the follower of Jesus, these three would be of greatest consideration.
Impact
Many advocates would point to the fact that Dobson was carried on 7,000 stations worldwide and had an estimated listenership of 220 million listeners daily.1 Yet, this stat only quantifies that something happened: Dobson spoke, and many listened. But this fact does not quantify as an impact. Impact involves change, or effect. A GBU-57 AVB bunker-buster bomb hit the Fordo nuclear facility in Iran. This reports that something happened. The impact, though, was that this strike eviscerated the facility. That is impact! …No pun intended.
Dobson hit a lot of homes. He sold a lot of books. He became insanely famous… But what’s the impact? Well, let’s consider it. During Dobson’s illustrious career, divorce amongst church folk increased. The L.G.B.T. reality—even within church circles as well as the culture—exploded and is continuing to increase. Christian indebtedness increased, teen delinquency increased, and the number of Christians who are Republican dependent has increased. These aren’t simply because the population grew. These negative increases outstrip population growth. Another illustration of impact—if Dobson was really that impactful—why has church population and attendance fallen off a cliff‽ More young adults walk away from faith today than before Dobson hit the scene, quantified at 60-70 percent losses per graduating class. That’s a colossal loss! Depression amongst Christian youth has increased, or religiousness is the leading cause of depression. What a dossier!
I would assume that marks of following Jesus would be opposite IF James Dobson’s impact were substantive to what Jesus taught. Jesus said IF we are following Him, we will be “fishers of men.” How does Dobson’s followers do in following that detail? Well, we don’t have statistical data exactly. But if we were to consider a recent study of 1600 Christians—about WHY they DON’T share their faith—it’s hard to imagine most of them being oblivious of James Dobson if he was so impactful.4 Ipso facto—Dobson’s impact on parenting failed on one of the most sacred of responsibilities. If listeners can’t, or won’t, or don’t know how to share their faith, they are effectively as worthless as tits on a boar.
Residual Effect
I’ve already veered into this aspect, but let’s dig further. If a person is successful, then a residual will continue. Dobson has not been significant in five years. He’s puttered, but it’s been a pittance for a long time—likely since Jim Daly and Focus on the Family kicked Dobson to the curb. Raising children, for a follower of Christ, ought to mean the children are following and continue to follow Jesus when they leave the nest… But statistics concerning this aspect have plummeted during the Dobson era. Children and Christians as a whole are less Biblically literate than at any time in the last 100 years. While 62 percent of adult Americans “claim” Christianity,5 only 4 percent have a Christian Worldview.6 Wow, now that’s success for ya!
Purity culture continues to fail.7 Dobson’s Religious Right has now been subsumed into Christian Nationalism, and New Apostolic Reformation (with illustrious leaders like Mike Bickle, Dr. Michael Brown, and Chris Read). Christians are more dependent on the political order than they were in 1977.
Correctness to a Standard
What is the correctness standard for a follower of Christ (what Christians think they are)? Correctness would be being imitators of Jesus, see Ephesians 5:1. This is unequivocal! Jesus was a fisher of men. He was an ambassador of His kingdom TO the kingdoms of men. All Dobson wanted to do was whitewash America with his brand of self-improvement and self-esteem psycho-babble. Did James Dobson teach self-denial, or focus on displaying the fruit of the Spirit in what he taught? Did Dobson teach serving thy neighbor, especially regarding the Gay-Way people? I am afraid that Dr. Dobson is an abject failure in all these areas. One cannot say they’re in ministry and yet fail at the most basic measures Christ gave. Jesus said, “It is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” Do you suppose amassing $4 billion in assets and holdings equals “rich man?”8 If Jesus, the God of heaven, didn’t have a place to lay His head, who is ANYONE supposedly following Him hoarding that type of wealth, but saying they are in ministry? Give me a break!
Consensus
While James Dobson was exquisitely “successful” in the sense of rising from nothing to being one of the most influential people of religion in America—right next to the Pope and Billy Graham—these are not measures God measures by. Believers, truly intentional believers in Jesus, need to stop being deluded by these perceptions of goodness or accomplishment. Nebuchadnezzar was as successful as anyone ever was, but God brought him down to size. Solomon, in all his glory, may have forfeited everything, and God was not impressed. The assessments we have about both were made by God.
Book sales, number of people listening, the number of clicks you can acquire by sharing the sob story of your dad’s passing, don’t mean a hoot. It doesn’t mean anything, even if someone enunciates the word Jesus! Jesus said, “Many shall come on that day, and say, did we not… IN YOUR NAME, and he said Depart from Me.” James wrote, “You believe in God as one…the demons believe the same and tremble.” What matters is whether those who name God DO His will. Religious Conservatives would retort that Dobson did God’s will by trying to bring America back to God. I’m sorry, folks, that has never been God’s mission. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” He said this because He was doing something new called The Kingdom of God, a now-reality, not just an eventuality.
Dobson brought good-sounding baloney to a whole other level. He politicized faith, instead of allowing God to make it undeniable and unavoidable in the transforming of people’s lives. Dobson created a niche for himself. He became a household name. He was lauded by many, and he made a movement of religious political focus… But was this what Jesus ever wanted? Is Jesus served with Christians depending on a political party that took advantage of them for as long as Dobson was in “ministry”? Please don’t tell me folks think this is good. James Dobson could just as well be eulogized in the following phrase: James Dobson equals the tragic replacement therapy of American evangelicalism.
Dobson was, in reality, just a religious political thug. But in comparison to someone like Richard Wurmbrand or Corey ten Boom, he was a spiritual kindergartener. Dobson even recognized this fact. That’s why he borrowed her story to enrich his legacy. We need to stop being taken in by these personalities who come to the fore without verifying their legitimacy according to scripture. They aren’t champions. They are people who want you to believe they are necessary and that they are carrying water for us. What a sham!
1. https://radioink.com/2025/08/21/james-dobson-a-force-on-religious-radio-dies-at-89/
2. https://nickblevins.com/blog/2019/02/20/statistics-on-youth-leaving-the-church/#:~:text=Most%20people%20who%20have%20served,not%20involved%20after%20we%20graduated.
3. Smith TB, McCullough ME, Poll J. Religiousness and depression: evidence for a main effect and the moderating influence of stressful life events. Psychol Bull. (2003) 129:614–36. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.129.4.614
4. https://www.jesusfilm.org/blog/christian-evangelism-statistics/
7. https://christandpopculture.com/how-purity-culture-failed-a-generation/
Hard words. But they reflect thoughts I’ve had. I discovered Dobson during my college years in the late 80’s, and he got me excited about my faith and engaging the culture. And politics. I had this nagging feeling that politics was not the answer, but it was so darn seductive and addicting. Because the results could be so immediate. But years later, I remember when the gay marriage legalization ruling came down, and I heard someone say, “we lost.” They said all of the pro-traditional marriage policy offices would shut down. It was a cold water in the face reminder that securing marriage was taking our eye off the ball. Everyone says we can do both, preach the gospel and engage the culture. But I wonder… It seems we’re incapable of doing two things at the same time.
But we are not just called to preach the Gospel. We are called to so many things that are often describe in terms how are actions are perceived by the world at large. “By this shall ALL MEN know that you are my disciples, if ye have love one for another.”
“That THEY may see your good works and glorify God.”
Here’s where my head is in regards to preaching the gospel - no one wants what we’re “selling” because they’ve seen the “product” and they’re not interested. We are also called to be ambassadors of reconciliation. But we fight amongst ourselves and our marriages fall apart doing unspeakable damage to our children. Those are the “works” that “THEY” are seeing. It’s no wonder they don't glorify the God we are claiming. I once heard a preacher say, if following Jesus doesn’t make a difference in our lives, then what difference does it make?!?
We have a Father that loves us. He wants us to love Him. And to love His other children, our brothers and sisters. And to do it in such a way that it gets the worlds attentions. It has to be an other worldly, 1 Cor 13 kind of love. How about we stop the big, spectator filler Sunday performances, and the political action committees, and spend our time, talent and treasures doing what we see the NT believers doing? “ and they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayers.… And breaking bread from house to house did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved.”
I welcome your thoughts an input. This subject is tough in that many may feel either an emotional connection to James Dobson, or they are sensitive types who struggle with evaluating a figure because they just want to believe the best about them. I fully understand both realities.
I do not want to see cold or uncaring. To me, the best time to reconsidering things is while the subject is fresh and people are fixed upon it.