It's the end of an era. At 77 years of age, Pat Robertson, the influential founder of The 700 Club is turning over the role of Chief Executive Officer at Christian Broadcasting Network to his son, Gordon. Pat Robertson has been CEO since he founded the network in 1960, and has been arguably the most influential figure in the evangelical movement for most of that time. His recent endorsement of Rudy Giuliani for president, who is pro-choice, shocked the political world.This comes during a time of great change for television ministries. The guard appears to be changing with the recent deaths of Jerry Falwell and Tammy Faye Messner.
Senator Charles Grassley is launching an investigation of some television ministries, and has called into question their tax-exempt status, in light of the exorbitant compensation packages that some executives are taking home.
I have also wondered about the fund-raising tactics of some television ministries, particularly in the case of ministrimercials subscribing to the prosperity doctrine, promising viewers huge financial returns on their donations -- I've suggested that this might even be a form of securities fraud.
Special thanks to The Salt Lake Tribune for giving some publicity to my thoughts on this matter.
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