Pat Robertson, host of the ‘700 Club’ and former presidential candidate, dead at 93
Legendary Christian broadcaster and former presidential candidate Pat Robertson, who founded the Christian Broadcasting Network and galvanized religious Republicans into a powerful political force, died at his home in Virginia Beach early Thursday. He was 93.
Robertson’s death was announced by his broadcasting network, which he founded in 1960. No cause of death was given.
“My dad was at home, surrounded by his family when he entered glory and met his Savior face to face, whom he loved and served with his whole heart, mind, and being,” Robertson’s son and Christian Broadcasting Network CEO Gordon Robertson wrote in a tribute.
“My father was an extraordinary man by any standard. He was an evangelist, a humanitarian, an entrepreneur, an educator, an author, a statesman, a television personality, a man of global influence and tremendous vision.”
Born in 1930, Robertson, a Baptist minister with a penchant for politics, was known as one of the most prominent evangelical broadcasters and entrepreneurs in the US.
The devoted preacher turned a tiny Virginia television station into the global Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) — using a meager $3 initial deposit. At the time he had no more than $70 to his name, CBN said.
Robertson’s popular “700 Club” television show was broadcast into American living rooms for more than half a century.
The rousing religious talk show, which still appears on CBN, is one of the longest-running television programs to date.
Robertson’s other enterprises included Regent University, an evangelical Christian school in Virginia Beach; the American Center for Law and Justice, which defends the First Amendment rights of religious people; and Operation Blessing, an international humanitarian organization.
In 1988, the prominent evangelist took on politics, running for the GOP presidential nomination. During his presidential bid, Robertson pioneered the now-common strategy of courting Iowa’s network of evangelical Christian churches.
The nomination was ultimately awarded to Vice President George H.W. Bush, but despite his loss, Robertson remained a powerful influence in the GOP for years to come.
He founded the influential Christian Coalition in 1989, which helped make religion central to Republican Party politics and mobilized conservative voters through grassroots activities.
Robertson resigned as the coalition’s president in 2001 to focus on ministerial work.
His impact on both religion and politics in America was “enormous,” according to John C. Green, an emeritus political science professor at the University of Akron.
Green told the Associated Press in 2021 that Robertson was what cemented “the alliance between conservative Christians and the Republican Party.”
In October 2021 on the ministry’s 60th anniversary, Robertson stepped down as a daily host from the “700 Club.” Even after retirement, he frequently made guest appearances on the program.
His wife of nearly 70 years, Dede, died in April 2022. He is survived by his four children, 14 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.
With Post wires
