Pat Robertson
by Steve Lumbley 2004
Pat
Robertson is the founder CBN, the Christian Broadcasting Network. He is
described on the CBN website as a broadcaster, statesman, author,
humanitarian, businessman and Christian. At first glance, Robertson may
seem to be a sensible, moderate Christian leader in a sea of con men,
phonies, and outrageous apostasy. But scratch the surface a little and
you’ll find one of the greatest deceivers in the church world today. CBN
began in 1961 as a low power UHF station in Portsmouth Virginia. By 1963
Robertson had established the 700 Club. This was to be a “club” of 700
viewers each giving $10 per month thus enabling CBN to meet its $7,000
budget. This partnership concept worked so well at raising money that
Robertson made the 700 Club the cornerstone of his TV ministry. We’ll get
back to CBN in just a moment but first let’s look at some of the heretical
associations Robertson has endorsed over the years. Robertson is a big
proponent of ecumenism, meaning cooperation between all religions. The
ultimate goal of ecumenism is the establishment of a one world religion.
To this end Robertson was one of the signers of the notorious Evangelicals
and Catholics Together document. This heretical document laid the
groundwork for Christians and Catholics to unite to bring about social
reform in the world. In defense of his association with this apostate
group, Robertson stated that minor points of doctrinal difference
shouldn't obscure the document's goals. If Pat Robertson considers the
differences between Catholic doctrine and true biblical Christianity to be
“minor” then he is clearly either deceived or a deceiver himself.
Pat Robertson has endorsed the heretic Benny Hinn. Hinn was a guest on the
700 Club after CNNs expose of him. Robertson gave Hinn a forum for his
fake apology. Robertson has endorsed the so called laughing revival
brought to the U.S. by Rodney Howard Browne. On October 27, 1994 Robertson
said this about holy laughter: “...what this says to me is revival is
taking place in the world in a mass wave...and we look to the coming of
the Lord. I think this is a very encouraging sign in the middle of all
this trouble and all these wars and all this confusion. God is saying I'm
on the throne and I'm going to touch multiplied millions. It's wonderful.
I applaud it.” In 2003 Pat Robertson endorsed the rule of Liberian
dictator Charles Taylor. Taylor’s government was backing a rebel faction
in neighboring Sierra Leone. The rebels were accused of extreme brutality.
Taylor has a long history of corruption. In 1983 as head of the Liberian
governments General Services Agency, he was accused of embezzling more
than $900,000 in government funds. He fled to the U.S. where he was
arrested in Boston. While awaiting extradition back to Liberia, Taylor
escaped from jail thus becoming a fugitive from justice. In support of
Taylor, Robertson declared in July of 2003 “So we're undermining a
Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim rebels to take over the
country,” What Robertson failed to mention at the time however was his own
$8 million investment in a Liberian gold mining operation he made under an
agreement with Taylor's government. According to a 1997 article in the
Lubbock Avalanche Journal, Robertson’s financial interests in Africa
extend to diamond mines as well. In fact the former chief pilot for
Operation Blessing claims that most of the supposedly humanitarian aid
flights to Zaire were in fact mining related. Airplanes sent to Zaire by
evangelist Pat Robertson's tax-exempt humanitarian organization were used
almost exclusively for his diamond mining business, say two pilots who
flew them. Three airplanes were flown to Zaire in September 1994 by
Operation Blessing. However, chief pilot Robert Hinkle said only one or
two of the roughly 40 flights during his six months in the country could
be considered humanitarian. All the rest of the flights were
mining-related, he told The (Norfolk) Virginia-Pilot. "We hauled medical
supplies one time," Hinkle said in a telephone interview. "It might have
been about 500 pounds at the most. It was a very minimal amount." The
planes were capable of carrying about 7,000 pounds, he said. Notes that
Hinkle kept during most of the flights contain entries for 36 flights, the
newspaper said. Of the 17 that mention the purpose of the trip, 15 are
related to diamond mining. Robertson's company, African Development Co.,
based in the Zairian capital of Kinshasa, sought to dredge diamonds from a
remote jungle riverbed. Robertson is the president and sole shareholder of
the company. So as you can see Pat Robertson has a long history of using
his “partners’ tax free donations for his personal business interests.
Which brings us back to CBN. In 1977, Robertson became the first Christian
broadcaster to build and operate his own cable television network, CBN
cable, later renamed the Family Channel. By 1981, CBN cable was in 10
million homes making it one of the most successful and profitable cable
networks in the country. CBN cable was so successful in fact that
eventually Robertson got an offer he couldn’t refuse. In 1990 Pat
Robertson sold CBN cable to International Family Entertainment Inc. (IFE),
a publicly held company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange. So
what do you suppose Robertson did with the proceeds from the sale of the
Family Channel. If you think he shared them with his “partners’ you’d
better think again. No, he did what he’s always done. He pocketed those
profits and made himself and his family quite wealthy. But what about your
partners Pat? What about all those people who gave, perhaps sacrificially
so that you could build your television empire. If they are your
“partners” shouldn’t they have shared in your great good fortune? Are they
really partners or are they just sheep to be fleeced?
Pat Robertson is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He is one of the false
teachers and false prophets that we are warned about in scripture. He uses
covetousness to make merchandise of God’s people. He needs to repent, get
off the air and return the money God’s people have sent him over the
years. And if you’ve been a Pat Robertson supporter you need to repent
too.
2 Peter 2:1-3 But there were false
prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers
among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the
Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And
many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of
truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with
feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time
lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not
Our thanks to Steve Lumbley for the use of
this article. Please visit his website for more interesting articles.
www.apostasywatch.com
Pat
Robertson certainly has the right Doctrine as far as Jesus' Salvation
message, he just is a false prophet when it comes to prophesying. His
spending methods and accountability are also questionable.
Blessings,
Robert Wise, Forgotten Word Ministries |