Once again, inquiring media minds wanted to know: Does the Rev. Pat Robertson\u2019s telephone actually have a speed-dial button for the angel of death?<\/p>\n\n
The evangelical alpha male keeps making news with grim pronouncements about life, death and God\u2019s will. In the past, he has discussed the steering mechanisms of hurricanes and the aging hearts of liberal U.S. Supreme Court Justices. This past summer he said it wouldn\u2019t be a bad idea to assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.<\/p>\n\n
Now, of course, he has speculated that, while Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is \u201ca very likeable person,\u201d there may be a link between his devastating stroke and his decision to withdraw from the Gaza Strip. And what about that 1995 assassination of Yitzhak Rabin?<\/p>\n\n
The Old Testament, Robertson noted on the 700 Club, \u201cmakes it very clear that God has enmity against those who, quote, \u2018divide my land.\u2019 \u2026 I would say woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the EU (European Union), the United Nations or United States of America. God said, \u2018This land belongs to me, you better leave it alone.\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n\n
This is old news. What is new is the growing chorus of voices crying out that, while Robertson speaks for himself and an aging niche TV audience, he long ago wandered far out of mainstream Christian life.<\/p>\n\n
Consider this urgent reaction to his remarks about Sharon.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cThe Bible clearly reveals God to be a God of justice and righteousness as well as a God of forgiveness and mercy. Does God judge? Yes. However, whether or not a particular event is God?s judgment is something that the Apostle Paul has told us is \u2018past finding out.\u2019 No one ?hath known the mind of the Lord.\u2019<\/p>\n\n
\u201cEven if one agreed with Pat Robertson?s position that the Israelis do not have the right to grant part of the Holy Land to the Palestinians, it would be well beyond Rev. Robertson\u2019s competence to discern that these tragic events were in any way, shape or form the result of God\u2019s judgment on any individuals. I am almost as shocked by Pat Robertson\u2019s arrogance as I am by his insensitivity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Did these blunt words come from an official at the National Council of Churches? The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops? Former President Jimmy Carter?<\/p>\n\n
Actually, this quotation came from Dr. Richard Land, president of The Southern Baptist Convention?s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. Land said he asked a classroom of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary students what they thought of Robertson\u2019s statement and they were \u201cembarrassed and incensed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
It\u2019s understandable that journalists want to craft edgy sound bites and hilarious headlines out of Robertson\u2019s comments. And there are, in fact, \u201cChristian Zionists\u201d who share his beliefs about the land of Israel. Reporters writing in-depth stories about tensions between Jews, Muslims and Christians in the Middle East would want to cover this small, but vocal, group in order to contrast its beliefs with those of other Christians in Protestant, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.<\/p>\n\n
Truth is, evangelical Protestantism is both unorganized and complex and it does not have one or two acknowledged leaders, noted the liberal media critic Amy Sullivan, writing for the Washington Monthly weblog.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cGiven that, there are a few different groups of people who should be (and sometimes are) featured as evangelical voices,\u201d she noted. \u201cFor religious leaders, there are Ted Haggard of New Life Church and the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, Brian McLaren of Cedar Ridge Church, Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church, Rod Parsley of World Harvest Church, and Franklin Graham (Billy?s son). Political voices include Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, Richard Cizik of NAE, Joseph Loconte of the Heritage Foundation, and Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
The list goes on and on. Journalists should learn these leaders\u2019 names and tap them for comments, instead of aiming their pens and cameras at Robertson again and again and again.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cAs for Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, their heyday was 20 years ago,\u201d wrote Sullivan. \u201cThe only reason they?re still booked as talking heads is that most producers don?t know these two men no longer have any power. But more than that, they?re just not representative of today?s evangelicals.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Once again, inquiring media minds wanted to know: Does the Rev. Pat Robertson\u2019s telephone actually have a speed-dial button for the angel of death? The evangelical alpha male keeps making news with grim pronouncements about life, death and God\u2019s will. In the past, he has discussed the steering mechanisms of hurricanes and the aging hearts […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":610,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1534,464,645,726],"class_list":["post-1368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-evangelicals","tag-israel","tag-pat-robertson","tag-religious-broadcasting"],"yoast_head":"\n