The Gospel of Self: How Pat Robertson Stole the Soul of the GOP

by Terry Heaton

When I worked with him in the 1980s, we practiced and promoted a brand of Charismatic Christianity that was seen as a breath of fresh air to a faith that had grown stale in every aspect, from its music to its preaching, and we worked long, hard hours to move hearts and souls in the way we felt was right. In so doing, we altered the course of political power in the United States, and it was as natural as our Christian calling. Taking positions on social issues formerly held by conservative Democrats, such as the sanctity of life, religious liberties, patriotism, family, school prayer, and respect for individualism and tradition, we spoke to primarily rural and suburban Christians on behalf of the Republican Party.

Moreover, there is a vast difference, I discovered, between what we believed and did as leaders and teachers, and what the students would do with what we taught them. This is why I don’t fear conservative leaders in the world today, but I’m frightened to death by their followers. We broke the law. We stretched the truth. Why would we be surprised or complain if our followers did likewise? Our attempts to manage a political movement trapped us in the belief that God needed us and our work in order to accomplish change in the hearts of humankind. We organized human efforts to change, and that is an untenable position for those attempting publicly to do the work of God.

Fast-forward thirty years, and America is now a bitterly divided nation. It is as though a new civil war has emerged led by polar opposites on the political spectrum. All equilibrium seems lost, and we are awash in the chaos of division at every level. Add to this the remarkable technological advancements of the last fifteen years that have undercut the power of top-down communications systems in favor of lateral, peer-to-peer communications, and the depth of this division is bitterly played out in what we call “social media” every day.

As a salesman, Mr. Trump sensed an entry point into the minds of his sales targets, initiating his innate ability, which then enabled him to articulate a product that sold. All he had to do was to paint a black and white, dystopian view of America and offer himself as the solution. This is not original thinking, for all he was doing was repeating the things discussed in the back rooms of white evangelicals, and we at CBN were the ones who planted many of those thoughts.

Before there was Fox News, there was The 700 Club, where everything was calculated to form a doable action plan for people who were predisposed to anger over the direction in which the country was headed. Again, we were heroes swooping in to rescue America from the influences of the devil. Or so we thought. And we were quite serious.

The point is that both Donald Trump and Pat Robertson address the same people, those who practice a form of Christianity so foreign to orthodoxy that it truly boggles the intelligence.

We don’t necessarily have to present everything as a crisis, but it’s impossible to make a change when everybody feels good about existing circumstances. That’s the mistake Reagan has made. He got re-elected but now faces difficulty in implementing change, since he sold the country on the fact that everything is hunky-dory. It’s basically like John the Baptist. The axe is laid to the root of the tree and people are saying, ‘What shall we do?’

We need to tie the spiritual with the natural (meaning current events). He told the people what to do in light of the current events. We need to do the same thing, because if you can do that, you really have something that’s worth something. Here’s what motivates people to give to CBN, and in this order: It helps me. It helps my family. It helps my community. It helps my nation. I’m fulfilling the great commission, spreading the gospel to the world. It’s my duty. I’ll get blessed if I do. I’m helping others who are poorer than me. It’s like a finely tuned orchestra. You don’t play all bass and you don’t play all treble. Together, they make a wonderful sound. People also like to be part of a winner. Nobody likes to lose. Challenges are important, because people are goal-oriented and respond to peer pressure. Bargains are important, like building a $13 million building for $100. There is also a thing of the old folks wanting to help the young, sort of to perpetuate society somehow.

Pat didn’t like liberals and thought they were a curse on society because they placed dependence on government ahead of dependence on God. Pat was also a strong proponent of personal responsibility and rejected any thoughts that people needed others to take care of them. Democrats were liberals, so Democrats were easily thought of as deceived enemies of God. And since we felt that the media was naturally biased toward liberalism due to background, education, and the lack of religious credentials, real or imagined, Pat wanted to present a conservative view that was based in the principles of God. Hence, we demonstrated an ongoing love affair with the GOP, and our slogan was “TV Journalism With A Different Spirit.”

We were up front about our bias and challenged others in

media to be so as well. Transparency in subjective journalism was, in some ways, birthed at The 700 Club, and I’m proud of that.

For all the good we did, we cannot escape a legacy that includes the creation of an angry mob, one driven by selfishness, self-pity, fear, self-righteousness, and ignorance, all in the name of Jesus. After all, if the same authority figure preaching Jesus also spoke on behalf of the GOP, how could followers possibly be wrong? Such is the logic of those who don’t or can’t think for themselves, and it created a monster. We should have known better.

The aching in my back was incredible, but I wasn’t about to admit it. I tried to relax, but I couldn’t. The spasms continued unabated. At the end of the meeting, I had to rise and play some more, but I never let on. After all, I had been healed, right?

“We must form a shadow government,” he began. “We must begin to find and train Christian people, so that they can be placed in every position that matters, because the country is on the verge of collapse. The Lord is showing me that when it goes, nobody is going to know what to do, and they will turn to us, because we will have answers. We won’t be afraid. We’ve got to work to make sure God’s people are in the schools, the school boards, the city councils, the county commissions, the trash collectors, the tax collectors and all local government positions. We need to be in the state legislatures, the statewide offices, Congress, the courts, everywhere. We can’t be overt and obvious about this; we must do it quietly and create this shadow government.”