The death of James Dobson had me once again reflecting on my youth, especially the time I was in middle and high school. It is not because I read or listened to Dobson as much as I read and listened to some of his associates (like Chuck Colson and Pat Robertson), and those who thought like him (Bob Larson). I did not know better. I was interested in reading Christian theological reflections and listening to Christian commentaries on society. My family had stopped going to church (but still believed, just thought going to church was not needed), and so Christians with a large media presence were the ones who gave me the perspective which influenced me as a teen before I started to study early Christian history and theology and find myself changing for the better.
Perhaps the thing which I remember most about the movement Dobson and his associates established was its puritan-like vision of society, one which warned Christians of evil influences in the world which they said had to be fought against. They said society needed to be changed to reflect the ideologies they promoted. It led me to think about what needed changing in my life; as a result, I got rid of many books which I owned, both horror fiction (like the complete works of H.P. Lovecraft, which I was eventually able to buy again) and most of my extensive role playing game books (I had nearly a complete set of all the books from the first edition of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, and had bought all the second edition volumes available at the time, while also owning many other games like Stormbringer, Call of Cthulhu and Paranoia). I came to believe that I did not want to own anything “dark” or “demonic.” For years, I had rejected the notion that Dungeons and Dragons was Satanic, but the more I listened to the way Satanic influences were presented, the more I became convinced there a some sort of Satanic influence going on. The same, of course, was true about the horror books I owned. While I became more interested in science fiction, I continued to have a connection with fantasy, especially through the Inklings, and it would be that connection which would make me reconsider what I had done and regret it, as I started to read and go through the works of Charles Williams.
Now, I am not afraid. The Satanic panic is beyond me. I have long since returned to my love of the horror genre, and with it, see it as an important literary (and cinematic) form. Evil does not like to be exposed. The horror genre, though it often is dark, though many things happen in it might not be for everyone, is a way of exposing the evil, of revealing the many ways evil can thrive if we let it. We can see it for what it is. Once we do that, we can then bring the light to it, and with that light, weaken it, and overcome it. This is exactly what I have learned from the horror genre, and funny enough, it is how I approach the evil coming from within Christianity, such as Christian nationalism. If I had not taken to the horror genre and seen its value, I expect I would not have known how to deal with the fear Christian nationalists (and their right-wing ideological allies) want us have.
It is because of the way I was influenced, even if I were not in total agreement with Dobson and his associates, I have been given a chance to understand their perspective and see how it represents a distortion of Christianity. They use fear to manipulate Christians, making Christians deny the freedom which they have in Christ. They deny much of the good which is found in the world. If society embraces such fear, it learns to accept tyrannical actions as tools to fight what they fear. The push for Christian nationalism we see today would not have been successful without the likes of Dobson, Colson, and Robertson.
Dobson, to be sure, believed the changes which were needed would and should start in and with the family (Focus on the Family). His notion of the family was very authoritarian, telling parents, especially fathers, they need to take strict control of their children, that they should use as much force as necessary to raise their children right. With such an authoritarian take on the family, those raised within its structure either would eventually rebel (and often suffer abuse), or accept it, and seek to use the pattern established in the family for society at large. It is certainly such a take which lies with the way many embrace Donald Trump: they consider him as the “father” of the nation who is back to take control of his rebellious family, and as such, they think he should be free to do all that he deems necessary to correct society. That is, we see the worst abuses of patriarchy openly engaged and promoted, and it is why it is difficult to discuss with many Christians Trump’s actions because they have been led to believe he is “daddy” and anything he does, any abuse he does, is fine. Thankfully, I never took to that vision of the family because my own family was not like the one represented by Dobson and his associates.
James Dobson is dead. His ideology and its influences are not. His death has had me reflect upon my past and at a time before I became Catholic, when I found myself influenced by that ideology, even if I never accepted it in full. Thankfully I had examples in my life which went against it. Nonetheless, when I was younger, I acted on the little I accepted because my zeal for the Christian faith made me want to do what I believed was right. I listened to and read what I found available. This is why I believe it is imperative Christians offer a healthy alternative to the culture wars and Christian nationalism, one which is just as engaging with popular society and social media as Dobson and his associates were in his time. This is because young Christians, especially ones with youthful zeal, need proper guidance and without it, they will go to what is prevalent (especially on social media). Sadly, that is not happening, as anyone who sees what is popular, what has the greatest viewership, tends to be those influencers who follow after and advance extreme right-wing ideologies, ones who contend against social justice and instead promote ideologies represented by Dobson and his associates.
* This Is Another Post From My Personal (Informal) Reflections And Speculations Series
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