Marion Gordon " Pat " Robertson born March 22, [1] is an American media mogul , executive chairman , and former Southern Baptist minister who advocates conservative Christian ideals. He presently serves as chancellor and CEO of Regent University and chairman of the Christian Broadcasting Network. Spanning over five decades, Robertson has a career as the founder of several major organizations and corporations as well as a university: The Christian Broadcasting Network CBN , the International Family Entertainment Inc.

The son of U. Willis Robertson , Robertson is a Southern Baptist and was active as an ordained minister with that denomination for many years, but holds to a charismatic theology not traditionally common among Southern Baptists. His media and financial resources make him a recognized, influential, and controversial public voice for conservative Christianity in the United States. Marion Gordon Robertson was born on March 22, , in Lexington, Virginia , into a prominent political family, the youngest of two sons.

He met Adelia "Dede" Elmer born December 3, in Columbus, Ohio , [7] a fashion model and beauty queen in the Miss Ohio State contest, who was studying for her masters in Nursing at Yale University. She was also a nursing student at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

His family includes four children, among them Gordon P. Robertson and Tim Robertson and, as of mid, 14 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. At a young age, Robertson was nicknamed Pat by his six-year-old brother, Willis Robertson, Jr.

As he got older, Robertson thought about which first name he would like people to use. He considered "Marion" to be effeminate, and "M. Gordon" to be affected, so he opted for his childhood nickname "Pat". On April 2, , fellow televangelist, Robert H. Schuller died after a two-year battle with esophageal cancer.

Robertson released a statement through CBN News. Robert Schuller set the dimensions for Twentieth Century Christian positive thinking and optimistic action.

He is now with the Lord in Heaven, but his legacy on earth will long remain. When he was eleven, Robertson was enrolled in the preparatory McDonogh School outside Baltimore, Maryland. From until he attended The McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee , where he graduated with honors. He gained admission to Washington and Lee University , where he received a B. He joined Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Robertson has said, "Although I worked hard at my studies, my real major centered around lovely young ladies who attended the nearby girls schools.

In , the draft was reinstated and Robertson was given the option of joining the Marine Corps or being drafted into the army; he opted for the first. In his words, "We did long, grueling marches to toughen the men, plus refresher training in firearms and bayonet combat. However, former Republican Congressman Paul "Pete" McCloskey, Jr.

Senator, intervened on his behalf, and that Robertson spent most of his time in an office in Japan. According to McCloskey, his time in the service was not in combat but as the "liquor officer" responsible for keeping the officers' clubs supplied with alcohol. Robertson was promoted to first lieutenant in upon his return to the United States.

He then went on to receive a law degree from Yale Law School in However, he did not pass the New York bar exam. Instead, Robertson attended The Biblical Seminary in New York , where he received a Master of Divinity degree in In Robertson met Dutch missionary Cornelius Vanderbreggen, who impressed Robertson both by his lifestyle and his message.

Vanderbreggen quoted Proverbs 3: In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths", which Robertson considers to be the "guiding principle" of his life. He was ordained as a minister of the Southern Baptist Convention in In , Robertson established the Christian Broadcasting Network in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He started it by buying a small UHF station in nearby Portsmouth.

Later in he purchased a local Leased access cable TV channel in the Hampton Roads area and called it CBN. Originally he went door-to-door in Virginia Beach, Hampton Roads, and other surrounding areas asking Christians to buy cable boxes so that they could receive his new channel.

He also canvassed local churches in the Virginia Beach area to do the same, and solicited donations through public speaking engagements at local churches and on CBN. One of his friends, John Giminez, the pastor of Rock Church Virginia Beach, was influential in helping Robertson establish CBN with donations, as well as offering the services of volunteers from his church.

Pat Robertson predicts violence, recession for | Christian Forums

CBN is now seen in countries and broadcast in 71 languages. He founded the CBN Cable Network, which was renamed the CBN Family Channel in and later simply the Family Channel. When the Family Channel became too profitable for Robertson to keep it under the CBN umbrella without endangering CBN's non-profit status, he formed International Family Entertainment Inc.

Robertson sold the Family Channel to the News Corporation in , which renamed it Fox Family. A condition of the sale was that the station would continue airing Robertson's television program, The Club , twice a day in perpetuity, regardless of any changes of ownership. The channel is now owned by Disney and run as Freeform. On December 3, , Robertson resigned as chief executive of CBN; he was succeeded by his son, Gordon. Robertson founded CBN University in on CBN's Virginia Beach campus. It was renamed Regent University in Robertson serves as its chancellor.

Occasional critics have characterized Robertson as an advocate of dominionism ; the idea that Christians have a right to rule. In , he was an endorser of the document Evangelicals and Catholics Together.

In September , Robertson announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Robertson said he would pursue the nomination only if three million people signed up to volunteer for his campaign by September Three million responded, and by the time Robertson announced he would be running in September , he also had raised millions of dollars for his campaign fund.

He surrendered his ministerial credentials and turned leadership of CBN over to his son, Tim. His campaign, however, against incumbent Vice President George H. Bush , was seen as a long shot.

Robertson ran on a standard conservative platform. Among his policies, he wanted to ban pornography , reform the education system, and eliminate departments such as the Department of Education and the Department of Energy. He also supported a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget.

Robertson's campaign got off to a strong second-place finish in the Iowa caucus , ahead of Bush. Robertson ended his campaign before the primaries were finished. His best finish was in Washington , winning the majority of caucus delegates. He then returned to CBN and has remained there as a religious broadcasting broadcaster.

Robertson's book The New World Order became a New York Times best seller, among his several works. Episcopalian professor of theology Ephraim Radner's critical review:. In his published writings, especially his book The New World Order , Pat Robertson has propagated theories about a worldwide Jewish conspiracy.

Michael Land raised the issue in February in The New York Times Book Review , and in April Jacob Heilbrun, writing in The New York Review of Books , cited chapter and verse of Robertson's borrowings from well-known anti-Semitic works.

Robertson is the founder and chairman of The Christian Broadcasting Network CBN Inc. Robertson was the founder and co-chairman of International Family Entertainment Inc. Formed in , IFE produced and distributed family entertainment and information programming worldwide.

IFE's principal business was The Family Channel, a satellite delivered cable-television network with 63 million U. IFE, a publicly held company listed on the New York Stock Exchange , was sold in to Fox Kids Worldwide, Inc. Disney acquired FFC in and its name was changed again, to ABC Family. Robertson is a global businessman with media holdings in Asia , the United Kingdom , and Africa.

He struck a deal with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania -based General Nutrition Center to produce and market a weight-loss shake he created and promoted on The Club. In , Robertson entered into a joint venture with the Bank of Scotland to provide financial services in the United States. However, the move was met with criticism in the UK due to Robertson's views on homosexuality. Homosexuals are riding high in the media And in Scotland, you can't believe how strong the homosexuals are.

Trained by John Kimmel , Mr. Pat was not a successful runner. He was nominated for, but did not run in, the Kentucky Derby. In , in the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide , Robertson solicited donations for his charity organization Operation Blessing International to provide medical supplies to refugees in neighboring Zaire present-day Congo , where Robertson had allegedly negotiated a diamond-mining contract with Zairian dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. According to a June 2, , article in The Virginian-Pilot , [29] Robertson had extensive business dealings with Liberian president Charles Taylor , with whom Robertson negotiated a multimillion-dollar contract for gold mining operations in Liberia.

In response to Taylor's alleged crimes against humanity , the United States Congress passed a bill In November that offered two million dollars for his capture. Robertson accused President George W. Bush of "undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim rebels to take over the country. Robertson served as the past president of the Council for National Policy. In , he served on the Victims of Crime Task Force for President Reagan. In March , he told Israeli Foreign Affairs that South Africa was a major contributor to the Reagan administration 's efforts to help the anti- Sandinista forces.

In , the Coalition was fined for "improperly [aiding] then Representative Newt Gingrich R- GA and Oliver North , who was then the Republican Senate nominee in Virginia. Robertson has been a governing member of the Council for National Policy CNP: Board of Governors , President Executive Committee —86, member, , , On November 7, , Robertson announced that he was endorsing Rudy Giuliani to be the Republican nominee in the Presidential election. While usually associated with the political right , Pat Robertson has endorsed environmental causes.

He appeared in a commercial with Al Sharpton , joking about this, and urging people to join the We Can Solve It campaign against global warming.

Pat Robertson - Wikipedia

In January , on a broadcast of The Club , Robertson stated that he is "adamantly opposed" to the division of Jerusalem between Israel and the Palestinians. He also stated that Armageddon is "not going to be fought at Megiddo " but will be the "battle of Jerusalem," when "the forces of all nations come together and try to take Jerusalem away from the Jews. Jews are not going to give up Jerusalem—they shouldn't—and the rest of the world is going to insist they give it up.

Robertson has repeatedly called for the legalization of cannabis , saying that it should be treated in a manner analogous to the regulation of alcoholic beverages and tobacco. The whole thing is crazy. As a commentator and minister, Robertson has occasionally addressed controversial topics, and made a number of bold statements to draw attention to a wide range of issues that have attracted criticism as well as support.

Some of his remarks have been the subject of national and international media attention prompting responses from politicians. Robertson's service as a minister has included the belief in the healing power of God. Robertson's commentary implied that if a small nuclear device were to be found at the State Department, such a thing might wake up America's leaders to actually realize a potential threat; however, government officials expressed disdain at the thought of such a scenario.

Planned Parenthood is teaching kids to fornicate, teaching people to have adultery, every kind of bestiality, homosexuality, lesbianism—everything that the Bible condemns. During the week of September 11, , Robertson discussed the terror attacks with Jerry Falwell , who said that "the ACLU has to take a lot of blame for this" in addition to "the pagans , and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays, and the lesbians [who have] helped [the terror attacks of September 11th] happen.

Bush for their commentary, [58] for which Falwell later issued an apology. Less than two weeks after Hurricane Katrina killed 1, people, Robertson implied on the September 12th broadcast of The Club that the storm was God's punishment in response to America's abortion policy. He suggested that the September 11 attacks and the disaster in New Orleans "could [ On November 9, , Robertson said that Islam is "a violent political system bent on the overthrow of the governments of the world and world domination".

He went on to elaborate that "you're dealing with not a religion, you're dealing with a political system, and I think we should treat it as such, and treat its adherents as such as we would members of the communist party , members of some fascist group". Robertson's response to the Haiti earthquake also drew controversy and condemnation.

Several times near New Year , Robertson has announced that God told him several truths or events that would happen in the following year. In late , Robertson predicted that the end of the world was coming in October or November In a May broadcast of The Club he stated, "I guarantee you by the end of there is going to be a judgment on the world.

Robertson: Beware False Prophets

In September , Robertson and several others who incorrectly predicted various dates for the end of world were jointly awarded an Ig Nobel Prize for "teaching the world to be careful when making mathematical assumptions and calculations". In January , Robertson said that God told him President Bush will be re-elected in a "blowout" in November. It's shaping up that way. The race between Bush and John Kerry was one of the closest large elections in history.

In May , Robertson declared that storms and possibly a tsunami would hit America's coastline sometime in Robertson supposedly received this revelation from God during an annual personal prayer retreat in January. The claim was repeated four times on The Club. On May 8, , Robertson said, "If I heard the Lord right about , the coasts of America will be lashed by storms.

The History Channel 's initial airing of its new series, Mega Disasters , debut episode "West Coast Tsunami", was broadcast the first week of May. On the January 2, , broadcast of The Club , Robertson said that God spoke to him and told him that "mass killings" were to come during , due to a terrorist attack on the United States. He added, "The Lord didn't say nuclear. But I do believe it will be something like that. On the January 2, episode of The Club , Pat Robertson predicted that would be a year of worldwide violence.

He also predicted that a recession would occur in the United States that would be followed by a stock market crash by In October , Robertson posted a press release on the Georgian conflict speculating that the conflict is a Russian ploy to enter the Middle East , and that instability caused by a predicted pre-emptive strike by Israel on Iran would result in Syria 's and Iran's launching nuclear strikes on other targets.

He also said that if the United States were to oppose Russia's expansion, nuclear strikes on American soil are also pending. However, we may not be spared nuclear strikes against coastal cities.

In conclusion, it is my opinion that we have between 75 and days before the Middle East starts spinning out of control.

Despite these predictions, he also said that economically "things are getting ready to turn around. On January 4, , Robertson reported that God had spoken to him and he "thinks He showed me the next president" but would not name who it is. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

For other people with the same name, see Patrick Robertson disambiguation. Robertson during an Operation Blessing International appearance at Victory Fellowship Church in Metairie , Louisiana , providing relief to Hurricane Katrina victims February 12, Republican Party presidential primaries, The New World Order Robertson.

Archived from the original on March 8, David John Marley, Pat Robertson: The Journal of Southern Religion. Retrieved November 17, A Candidate of Contradictions. Her Life, Her Loves, Her Legacy". Retrieved April 17, Her Life, Her Love, Her Legacy". Retrieved February 23, Retrieved 21 June The Globe and Mail. United Feature Syndicate, appearing in Mohave Daily Miner.

Retrieved 5 September He confirmed the bare bones of McCloskey's letter — that he had been pulled off the Breckenridge in Japan and was later assigned to division headquarters in Korea — but said he was aghast at his fellow Marine's charges He never saw front-line duty, but he came under frequent artillery fire and earned three battle stars, he said.

Archived from the original on The Rise of Christian Nationalism. Meaningful test" , Johan Bergenas, Iowa Presidential Politics. Retrieved December 11, Pat Robertson was my man in Washington Turtle Bay".

Pat Robertson Had Gold Deal with African Dictator; Prosecutors in Human Rights Trial Allege Pat Robertson Lobbied George Bush on Behalf of Liberian Warlord Charles Taylor". Retrieved June 6, Archived from the original on 11 December Retrieved 9 March ISBN pages — Right-wing TV evangelist and former Presidential candidate Pat Robertson is the man Bank of Scotland has chosen to spearhead its US subsidiary.

Robertson Says Prayer Stalled Storm. Televangelist calls radicals 'demonic'", Sonja Barisic, March 14, , Associated Press. King, September 22, , The Washington Post. Evangelist links Israeli leader's stroke to 'dividing God's land'" Archived at the Wayback Machine.

Colin Powell expresses outrage over evangelist's televised remark" , October 10, , WorldNetDaily. Retrieved March 11, Haiti had "pact with devil " ". Archived from the original on June 4, STOCKHOLM REVIEW OF LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES, Issue No. Consistently Wrong" Thursday, January 14, , 1: A message for Pat Robertson — A blog for news and discussion on matters of faith — baltimoresun.

God says it's Bush in a 'blowout' in November". Crude death rate per 1, population ". Retrieved February 27, The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, Vegh January 3, God Has Shown Me Who Will Win Election". People for the American Way. US televangelist Pat Robertson apologizes for assassination remark Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson warns Pennsylvania town of disaster Televangelist Pat Robertson suggests Sharon's stroke is act of God in response to Gaza withdrawal.

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