Today on the 700 Club Pat Robertson jokingly advised a viewer of his show today to move to Saudia Arabia so he would be able to beat his wife.
Robertson’s tone indicates he’s joking — “Well, you could become a Muslim and you could beat her,” he said, adding that the man "can’t divorce her according to the Scripture, so I say: move to Saudi Arabia.” The response came as part of the 700 Club’s "Bring it On" segment, where viewers can send in questions for Robertson to answer.
Robertson refers to the woman in question as a "rebellious child," and says, “This man’s got to stand up to her and he can’t let her get away with this stuff."
“I don’t think we condone wife-beating these days but something has got to be done.”
First, Sharia Law is not something to be joked about. It is serious, and women worldwide are being victimized by it.
Secondly, something has to be done??? What does he mean by that? First off the husband in question needs to first make sure he is loving his wife as Christ loved the church. Secondly he needs to pray for her. Third the church can become involved if it warrants it.
Then there is pointing out what should be obvious is that Robertson was only hearing one side of it, probably not, but even so… this is how he responds? Then he goes on to crafting a profile of a woman he’s never met and was only introduced to her through the lens of this guy writing the letter.
Now if she is truly doing what the gentleman writing the letter describes her as doing then she is wrong and he does need to assert himself and exercise tough love (which for you liberal readers does not mean wife beating). Here’s the video of the exchange below provided via RightWingWatch.org, a Soros-funded, liberal watchdog group.
The maddening thing to all of this is that liberals try to portray all Christians in this manner. Frankly Pat Robertson maligns the name of Christ with his banter. Unfortunately this isn’t the only time. A year ago he said it was ok for a man to divorce his wife with Alzheimer’s Disease. Last month he made an absolutely stupid statement about adoption affirming men not wanting to date women who have adopted foreign children. See below:
This brought a sharp rebuke from Russell Moore, a Dean at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, and an advocate of adoption:
The issue here isn’t just that Robertson is, with cruel and callous language, dismissing the Christian mandate to care for the widows and orphans in their distress. The issue is that his disregard is part of a larger worldview. The prosperity and power gospel Robertson has preached fits perfectly well with the kind of counsel he’s giving in recent years. Give China a pass on their murderous policies; we’ve got business interests there. Divorce your weak wife; she can’t do anything for you anymore. Those adopted kids might have brain damage; they’re “weird.” What matters is health and wealth and power. But that’s not the gospel of Jesus Christ. For too long, we’ve let our leaders replace the cross with an Asherah pole. Enough is enough.
Robertson later retracted his statement, as I’m sure he’ll do again with today’s remarks. It doesn’t matter. Robertson has demonstrated an increasing inability to speak coherently and biblically on cultural issues. It’s time for him to step down, and I would hope he and the Christian Broadcast Network realize that as well.
Shane Vander Hart
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I agree that something is wrong with Pat, not thinking before he speaks. My mother had Alzheimer’s and I know that the people close to them are the last to realize that something is wrong or out of character. I have watched and listened to Pat through the years and I haven’t always agreed with his theology but this is different. There is something definitely wrong with him. I wonder have you or anyone else gone to him privately (the Biblical practice Matthew 18:15-17) or maybe to his family or others at CBN to share your concern? and try to resolve this before blogging about it on the internet? Especially, when as you point out, it has happened several times recently. James 5:19-20
Cheryl, you make some good points, but how would anyone ever contact Robertson directly? CBN is a huge organization. And even if one could, how likely is it that he or his associates would take the concerns seriously? Since he’s an inaccessible, well-known public figure, I don’t think a public rebuke is at all inappropriate, especially a rather mild one as this one was.
Cheryl, I see you point… and to piggy back on what SJ said. I don’t have a personal relationship with Pat Robertson and have no way of contacting him. Also if this was something he said privately instead of in such a public manner I would also handle it differently. If this were a private figure instead of a respected (I use that word loosely) Christian leader I would take a different approach.
In most circumstances yes Matthew 18 does and should apply. After reading your comment I thought of 1 Timothy 5, in particular verses 19-20. They read, “Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.”
This post I did on Robertson was also meant to be instructive. We are to guard our tongues and be watchful of what we say. We represent Christ and the world is watching. I believe to allow nonbelievers mock and point this out turning it back on Christians would be irresponsible. We need to let others know that this kind of teaching and speech is not representative of Christians in general and it shouldn’t be tolerated.
Anyway, I also have doubts that any type of private rebuke by somebody like me or others would even be effective. With public figures like Robertson who are placed in situations where there is little or no accountability there tends to be an echo chamber – private rebukes are rarely heard and easily dismissed.
Also remember that Jesus had no problems publicly rebuking the religious leaders during his earthly ministry. The Apostle Paul called out several in his epistles as well.
Excellent article. I believe Robertson’s kind of speech falls under the biblical label “idle words.” Overall, he seems to have very loose lips. Of course, every one of us struggles with that temptation from time to time, some more than others, but how many of us are on TV and watched by millions of people? The Bible says that teachers will be judged a lot more strictly than your regular Christian.
Yes, there are a ton of problems with Robertson, and I agree that he should retire–or at least go into seclusion. 😉
Thanks SJ.