James Dobson, American evangelical activist, dies at 89

Aug 21 (Reuters) - James Dobson, a formidable force in America's social conservative movement and promoter of an anti-abortion and "pro-family" agenda, died on Thursday at age 89.

Dobson had an audience of millions through his Focus on the Family group, radio show and books. No cause was given for his death, according to a statement on the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute's website.

At the height of his influence in the 1980s, Dobson was viewed as one of the most powerful figures in the so-called "religious right" or "Christian right." Critics viewed him as an agent of intolerance but he had broad support in the U.S. heartland, where his folksy style and love for hunting went down well.

James Clayton Dobson, who was born on April 21, 1936, was no preacher and came from a perhaps surprisingly secular academic background: child development, a field in which he earned a doctorate in 1967 from the University of Southern California.

He founded Focus on the Family in 1977 and made his headquarters in Colorado Springs -- a hive of evangelical Christian activity. Focus says its guiding principles are "drawn from the wisdom of the Bible and the Judeo-Christian ethic, rather than from the humanistic notions of today's theorists."

Dobson used his influence -- including daily radio broadcasts heard on more than 3,000 radio stations in North America -- to promote his conservative agenda and encourage like-minded people to vote for candidates who reflected their views.

This usually meant Republicans, although Focus on the Family's tax-exempt status prevented it from explicitly endorsing parties or candidates.

Dobson was a ferocious opponent of abortion rights and gay marriage, viewing both as attacks on the "traditional family" and by extension his vision of a functioning society. But he denied charges from opponents that he was a bigot.

"It is primarily the homosexual activist community that has an agenda and sees me as a threat to it, and so they mischaracterize me as hateful and vicious. I've been on the radio for 30 years and you will not find one single comment (like that)," he told Reuters in an interview in 2007.

Dobson gradually passed over the reins of Focus on the Family to Jim Daly, who assumed the presidency in 2005. He remained its chairman emeritus and founded the Dr James Dobson Family Institute in 2010.

Dobson, an avid outdoorsman and hunter, had two children with his wife Shirley. Son Ryan followed his father's footsteps into the social conservative movement.