Pat Robertson, influential Christian conservative, passes away at 93

Pat Robertson, the religious broadcaster who founded the Christian Broadcasting Network and helped make religion central to Republican Party politics in America through his Christian Coalition, has died at the age of 93. Robertson was a familiar presence in American living rooms for more than half a century, known for his “700 Club” television show and his televised pronouncements of God’s judgment. He was a “happy warrior” who was soft-spoken, urbane, and well-read, according to Ralph Reed, who ran the Christian Coalition in the 1990s. Robertson’s enterprises also included Regent University, an evangelical Christian school in Virginia Beach, and Operation Blessing, an international humanitarian organization.