Pat Robertson, the influential televangelist who died at the age of 93, used his media empire, the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), to espouse religious dogma layered in bigotry to millions of viewers on his long-running daily show, The 700 Club. Robertson created the blueprint for decades of increasingly extreme right-wing media, going after every perceivable “enemy” of the church, from feminists and queer people to Palestinians and Haitian earthquake victims. He also founded the Christian Coalition, which became a hugely influential voter mobilization and right-wing lobby group. Robertson's cultural impact was reduced to a litany of nonsensical, bigoted sound bytes, but his influence had barely waned at all during the Trump years.
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.
Pat Robertson, the founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network and the Christian Coalition, has died at the age of 93. Robertson was a prominent figure in American politics, helping to make religion central to the Republican Party and pioneering the strategy of courting Iowa's network of evangelical Christian churches. He also made numerous controversial statements, including anti-Muslim remarks that helped make Islamophobia mainstream in the Republican Party. Robertson's legacy is a potent reminder of the urgent need for more understanding and respect in our global dialogue about religion.
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's enterprises also included Regent University, an evangelical Christian school in Virginia Beach, and Operation Blessing, an international humanitarian organization. Robertson was known for his "700 Club" television show and his televised pronouncements of God's judgment, which blamed natural disasters on gays and feminists and accused Black Lives Matter demonstrators of being anti-Christian.
Pat Robertson, the founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network and a prominent televangelist who mixed politics and religion, has died at the age of 93. Robertson was a key figure in the rise of the Christian right in American politics and helped found the Christian Coalition, which aimed to spur evangelical Christians into political action. He also made a multimillion-dollar business empire and was a vocal supporter of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. However, his provocative comments and condemnations of what he considered rampant moral depravity pushed him to the cultural margins in later years.
Televangelist Pat Robertson, who founded the Christian Broadcasting Network and hosted "The 700 Club" for decades, died at age 93 at his Virginia home. Robertson helped mobilize Christian conservatives into a potent force in U.S. politics, galvanizing support for Republican Ronald Reagan's successful campaign for president in 1980. He also founded the Christian Coalition, a grassroots organization that proved a powerful mobilizer for conservative religious voters who became a core constituency for the Republican Party. Robertson was criticized for controversial statements over the years, including blaming the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. embracing abortion, homosexuality, and secularism.
Pat Robertson, the founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network and the Christian Coalition, died at the age of 93. Robertson was a prominent figure in the conservative evangelical movement and a controversial political commentator. He ran for president in 1988 and was a key figure in mobilizing conservative Christians into a political bloc. Robertson's legacy includes his media empire and his influence on the modern Republican Party.
Pat Robertson, a Baptist minister and founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network, died at the age of 93. He was known for his entrepreneurial empire based on his Christian faith, including a university, a law school, and a cable channel. Robertson also founded the Christian Coalition, which helped to stoke the conservative faith-based political resurgence of the 1990s and beyond. He was a powerful figure in Christian conservatism and helped Republicans capture both houses of Congress in 1994. However, he was also known for controversial statements, including suggesting that Americans’ sinfulness brought on the 9/11 attacks and calling for the assassination of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela.
Pat Robertson, a prominent evangelical leader and founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network, has died at the age of 93. Robertson's influence on conservative politics was significant, including his 1988 presidential campaign and the founding of the Christian Coalition in 1989. He remained the host of "The 700 Club" until his retirement in 2021. While supporters saw him as a champion of biblical values, critics saw him as intolerant and trying to impose his morality on society. Robertson's legacy is mixed, but his impact on conservative evangelical political activism is undeniable.
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's enterprises also included Regent University, an evangelical Christian school in Virginia Beach, and Operation Blessing, an international humanitarian organization. Robertson was a familiar presence in American living rooms, known for his "700 Club" television show, and in later years, his televised pronouncements of God's judgment.