Expert: Marvin Howard - 7/11/2006

Question
Hi Marvin, hope you can answer my question.
Which church group does Pat Robertson originate from and why is his show called the 700 club? Why 700? I have always wondered about the title of the show.  

Answer
Hi!

Mike, Pat Robertson is a denominationalist. As such, the best I can do is report what I find online for you regarding him. Normally, if it is not of the church, I  only pay attention to entire denominations as a whole, or their founders. I think that you raise a deficiency in my thinking. It may be wise for me to learn more about individual enemies of God's Kingdom; especially those who are widely known. Thank you for the chance to answer this, and for making me rethink what I need to learn.

Pat Robertson does not fit into a conventional mould in a denominational sense. He is a "tongue speaking," southern baptist. I know that's an oxymoron, but that is an accurate description of him. His teacher was the Dutchman Cornelius Vanderbreggen. He began his fakery of "tongue speaking" sometime between 1956 and 1961, when the baptists decided he could preach for them. He is so misguided he believes he has the truth (in opposition to Bible teaching), and that for this reason God will answer his prayers to deflect hurricanes away from his offices in Virginia Beach. Specifically, he claims, and takes responsibility for, steering hurricane Gloria away in 1985, Felix in 1995, and Isabel in 2003.

Before the baptists took him in, he conceived CBN in his mind in 1960. Before I go any further, let me recommend a new network (launched Thanksgiving 2005) where the truth of the entire Bible is finally preached: The Gospel Broadcasting Network (GBN). You may find it on the web at http://www.gbntv.org . To hide his income and protect his "non-profit" status, he sold CBN with the agreement that they would continue to carry his show ("700 Club") in perpetuity, regardless of any future changes of ownership. CBN eventually became the Family Channel, which in turn became Fox Kids, Fox Family, and now ABC Family.

He rightly declares that denominationalism contains the spirit of Anti-Christ, yet defiantly and stubbornly holds to his position within them.

Robertson used the "700 Club" to make pleas for donations to help those in Zaire, and then used his non-profit organization, and the money, to haul diamond mining equipment over there to help the dictator.

Turning our attention to the "700 Club" as a separate entity, I find that it began in 1961, operating 12 hours a day. Robertson purchased a defunct, independant TV station, WTOV (27) in Portsmouth, VA. The station had not broadcast for 5 years. This is similar to what Ted Turner did with WJRJ (17) in Atlanta (in January 1970), which became the first cable network: TBS. This metamorphosis happened after a decade of operation under the call sign WTCG. In fact, Robertson is listed right behind Turner in net worth among communication moguls in the TV category. The 2 main differences between the two are the program format and that WJRJ was still operating, though struggling.

The next year ('62), the station had more financial problems, and began begging for money from viewers. Thus, the modern "televangelist" came into being. The name of the show came (later) from the goal to have 700 viewers contribute $10.00 monthly (a goodly sum in '63 when a 3 bedroom house rented for about $85.00 in a metropolitan area) as a pledge to keep teaching his doctrine. The station went to 24 hour broadcasting in 1966. Even though it is now available to over 1.5 billion people worldwide, they only claim to have a viewership of approximately 1 million daily (a mere 6.6% of its availability). Considering its reach and ability, it is hardly a major hit, even though it is one of the longest running television shows in history. Being privately funded, it is not subject to ratings. Therefore, this accomplishment means little. As a matter of fact, the show, even though it must be aired in accordance with the agreement, has been relegated to daytime, or even overnight viewing times: the time when the least people are watching. It is funded by a few (a relative term) gullible folks who believe every wind of false doctrine and sleight of men. While Robertson is actually a fanatic, his followers and viewers are the antithesis of that. Rather than believing one thing is right, they will swallow anything. This includes the hook, line, and sinker on which they will choke at the judgment, for they fail to see if what he teaches is so.

Before leaving in 1972 to start TBN and the PTL Club, Jim and Tammy Bakker had a kids show with Robertson's CBN. If I recall correctly, I even sent in a crayon drawing, but this was before I knew better and understood the difference between truth and false doctrine, since I was only about 5 or 6. This later evolved into a talk show. I remember seeing this show on occasion as a child. After the Bakkers left, CBN destroyed their puppets and sets. Robertson kept the talk show (sans puppets), and renamed it the "700 Club" for the reasons I mentioned earlier. It also changed at this time from its telethon format to that of just a religious talk show, with news and a lot of commentary. In a strange twist of events, TBN now carries the "700 Club" in its programming, as well.

All of the televangelists (Robertson, Roberts, Swaggert, Graham, Dollar, Jakes, Armstrong, Fallwell, Angsley, Duplantis, "Reverend" Ike, Hinn, Humbard, Tilton, Van Impe, Levitt, Meyer, the Bakkers, the Copelands, the Schullers, et. al.) who beg for money from their viewers have become embroiled in controversy. The newer ones like Osteen will likely follow suit. Whether they are proven charlatans and liars, caught up in financial scandal, fraud, fanaticism, or prostitution, they all eventually show their true colors, motivations, and allegence. We can know them by their fruits. Likewise, their followers demonstrate that faithfulness does not matter when it comes to their preachers. I would rather follow Christ than to offer my allegence to a man and follow him blindly, for I do not wish to end up in the ditch. Once again, if you have not discovered it, I strongly recommend that you investigate GBN, and its abundantly obvious differences from CBN and TBN. It is the spiritually healthy alternative.

As I stated at the outset, this is not yet one of the fields in which I am truly knowledgable. I pray that my research has been true, and that I have answered your questions sufficiently. Should you have any further questions, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to answer them for you.

In His Service,
Marvin Howard
http://www.geocities.com/preacherman_1962
http://360.yahoo.com/preacherman_1962