By Michael Geer
It is with both sadness and gratitude that we mark the passing of Dr. James Dobson — husband, father, grandfather, and a man whose voice and vision helped shape families and faith across America for more than half a century.
I first met Dr. Dobson in 1989 at the Focus on the Family headquarters in California. I was there with others from across the country, hearing about a new idea he was spearheading: establishing independent state organizations to champion the family and advance Biblical truth in public policy. Out of that vision, the Pennsylvania Family Institute was born, and 35 years later, we are still bearing fruit from the seeds he planted.
He was truly a remarkable man who left a significant imprint on America and our country, its politics, the church, but especially on many families all across this country. Kids were raised based on the principles in his book Dare to Discipline, which really put him on the map. But his reach went so much more significant with the founding of Focus on the Family and all the things that flowed from it.
A Voice for Families
Dr. Dobson was not a pastor, though he grew up as the only child of a pastor father. Instead, he brought to the table the training of a psychologist and teacher, applying Biblical truth to the real problems families were facing. In the late 1970s and 80s, families were reeling from skyrocketing divorce, fatherlessness, drugs, and broken homes. At Focus on the Family, he and his team received tens of thousands of letters from desperate parents — children addicted, marriages on the brink, families torn apart.
He answered with objective truth. With clarity. With compassion. And with the Gospel.
Through his radio broadcasts heard all around the world and in multiple languages, his bestselling books, and programs like Adventures in Odyssey — which my children eagerly listened to on cassette tapes, and now my grandchildren enjoy — he brought the principles of Scripture into millions of homes. His work reminded America that family is not only God’s first institution, but the foundation of every society.
Kristen Waggoner, CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom — an organization Dr. Dobson helped found — put it well: “The world has lost a mighty voice for truth and an incredibly influential servant of Christ in Dr. James Dobson. More than any other voice of his generation, Dr. Dobson reminded the American church that the first God-ordained institution—and the fundamental unit of society—is the family. His bold leadership and commitment to the Gospel shaped the lives of many and will continue to do so for years to come.”
A Father to a Movement
In the summer of1989, my wife, Susan, and I had a moment we will never forget. We were sitting in a hotel conference room in Diamond Bar, California, preparing with leaders from across the nation to launch what became the Family Policy Council movement. Susan tapped my leg, nodding for me to look to my right. And there sat Dr. Dobson.
Here we were, a young married couple with two small children and another on the way, listening to the man whose broadcast we tuned into daily. But we weren’t there to seek parenting advice. We were there to be commissioned into a movement. Dobson wanted us to understand — firsthand — how much the family mattered, and how urgent it was to defend it against cultural and political forces seeking to tear it down.
That day, his encouragement gave life to the Pennsylvania Family Institute. Today, more than three decades later, his vision continues in over 40 state-based Family Policy Councils, carrying the pro-family, pro-life, pro-religious freedom message to legislatures, communities, and families across America.
As I shared with our supporters last year in one of my regular Commentary emails: “I’m glad for that encouragement from Dr. Dobson 35 years ago – to stand strong for the family. I can’t imagine a better investment – and I’m thankful for you and the many who see it the same way and have partnered with us over these decades.”
Looking back, I often think of that moment in 1989 when Susan and I first sat beside Dr. Dobson. It was such a simple encounter — but it carried eternal significance. In that meeting, he reminded us that the family is “the glue that holds society together, the building block of civilization, and the motivating factor for much of the sacrifice, hard work, and accomplishments we see all around us.” Those words have stuck with me ever since. They are why the Pennsylvania Family Institute carries its name, and why, three decades later, we still stand strong for the family — just as Dr. Dobson encouraged us to do.
A Trusted Advisor
Dr. Dobson’s influence stretched well beyond the walls of homes and ministries. He served on national commissions, advised presidents, and shaped public policy. Though never overtly partisan, he was unwavering on principle.
He championed the sanctity of life, helping awaken Protestant churches to the moral crisis of abortion. He spoke boldly on pornography, gambling, and cultural decline. And he showed believers that faith must be lived not only in private devotion, but in public engagement.
Eric Metaxas, author and broadcaster, summed it up in an X post this morning: “It has been one of the great honors of my life to know Dr. James Dobson. What a hero! He was not afraid to bring his faith into the public sphere for God’s purposes. He has finished the race — to God’s glory! Hallelujah! May we all follow in his footsteps.”
A Legacy of Generations
Among the many expressing their condolences, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council shared: “Few people have had the positive, Christ-honoring impact on the family as Dr. Jim Dobson; his legacy will be lasting. My parents used his instructions to shape our home as a family of new Christians, and I then had the privilege of working alongside him to protect marriage and family… Dr. Dobson will be missed, but like other influential Christian leaders of his era, he has raised many more in his wake.”
Indeed, his greatest gift may not be what he himself accomplished, but what he inspired in others. Pastors preached more boldly. Parents raised children more intentionally. Ministries multiplied. And movements like ours took root.
Dr. Dobson modeled a life centered not on self, but on Christ, and obedience to the command to love God and love others. He did not seek fame or influence for its own sake, but to call us all back to the bedrock of family, faith, and freedom.
A Final Word
As I said this morning on Morning Light Live: “We learn from history that no one’s individual shoes can be filled by someone else. We all have our different roles and things, and that’s a loss — that Dr. Dobson is not on the national stage and now is with his Savior. That’s a wonderful thing. And so people can learn from that, number one, that the most important thing to him was following Christ and encouraging other people to seek salvation, to seek a relationship with Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Now it’s up to all of us to think about the legacy that he has left — the importance of family, of fatherhood, of marriage — and to engage in a way that really blesses other people and brings honor to God.”
Dr. James Dobson has gone to his reward. We can picture him now, walking into the arms of his Savior, hearing the words we all long to hear: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
May his words continue to challenge us, and his legacy continue to inspire us — to live faithfully, to love our families, and to stand boldly for truth.
Onward.
Michael Geer spoke with Jeff Coleman on Morning Light Live.
