Pat Robertson, Christian Coalition founder and influential religious conservative, dies at 93
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Pat Robertson, a conservative religious broadcaster and founder of the Christian Coalition, has died. He was 93.
Robertson was one of the most prominent and influential Christian broadcasters in the U.S. He is largely credited with helping make religion central to Republican Party politics through his Christian Coalition.
His death was announced by the Christian Broadcasting Network, which Robertson founded in 1960.
His other enterprises included Regent University, a private Christian university in Virginia Beach; the American Center for Law and Justice, and Operation Blessing, an international humanitarian organization.
For more than a half-century, 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, blaming natural disasters on everything from homosexuality to the teaching of evolution.
The money poured in as he solicited donations, his influence soared, and he brought a huge following with him when he moved directly into politics by seeking the GOP presidential nomination in 1988.
Robertson started the Christian Coalition in Chesapeake, Virginia, in 1989, saying it would further his campaign’s ideals. The coalition became a major political force in the 1990s, mobilizing conservative voters through grass-roots activities.
By the time of his resignation as the coalition’s president in 2001 – Robertson said he wanted to concentrate on ministerial work – his impact on both religion and politics in the U.S. was “enormous,” according to John C. Green, an emeritus political science professor at The University of Akron.
Many followed the path Robertson cut in religious broadcasting, Green told the AP in 2021. In American politics, Robertson helped “cement the alliance between conservative Christians and the Republican Party.”
Includes reporting from Gabe Hauari.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pat Robertson, Christian broadcaster, politician dies at 93
