So as an Australian and a millennial, I only really know Mr Pat from memes and our media mocking him over the years.
The man has recently lost his life
RIP
I’m curious to see what impact he has had on your life, your family/friends and indeed your culture
Because truth be told, I’m seeing all sorts of…..interesting reactions online right now
And not being an American, I think a lot of context is lost on me
Just curious is all, guys
So have at it
(And please be respectful!!)
I met him back around 1981 (when I was a child). He was a minister who started a religious television show (called a television ministry). It was called the 700 Club, because it needed 700$ per month to operate. Over the years its viewership and costs increased, but it kept the name. It asked for donations to support it, and it also offered 'Prayer counseling' on the phone. You could call and have someone pray with you, meaning you would both talk to God together while on the telephone. One weird and original (then) thing about the show was the the show host and cohosts would pray on TV and have words of knowledge about individual viewers, and they would stretch their hand(s) out to the camera as if touching the viewers to heal them. So they would for example say "The Lord is impressing upon me that someone watching our show has a tumor in their left shoulder, and God is healing that right now." So it would be a fairly regular part of the show that you'd see them do things like that. They would also present segments on serious issues, holidays, have other entertainments such as performers like jugglers or singers, and they'd give a particular spin on events both historical, and legal and current and on news articles. They also had mini sermons and sold books. The 700 Club was instrumental in alarming Christians about the problem of abortion clinics and various other things such as satanic backmasking of rock'n roll music. They warned about the USSR's opposition to the Bible and intention to destroy Christianity...etc. The show was made daily and was never short on content. Lots of Christians watched it, but so did many other people who simply liked various aspects of it.
The show and ministry were financially very successful. The 700 Club bought land and eventually built a campus in Va Beach, VA consisting of a Television studio, a high end Hotel and a college called Regent University offering degrees in Divinity, Counseling, Law, Teaching and Film...among others. Mr. Robertson wanted to establish religious institutions and was not satisfied with merely being a television host. Pat Robertson once attempted to gain the Republican nomination for US president. He failed in that but succeeded in getting many evangelicals interested in the political process, which was his true aim.
Start here:
The 700 Club - Wikipedia
