What Hath Pat Robertson Wrought?
From a missionary friend:
Before I copy the excerpts, I wanted to give you a little background on what possibly started this situation in Venezuela. A comment was made on national television by Pat Roberson against the President of Venezuela. This got back to President Chaves and of course did not set well with him. Later, in an interview with CNN, Pat Roberson made a statement about the President Chaves’ alleged support of Ben Ladin (sic)…On national television at approximately 3PM on October 12, President Chavez declared during an act to distribute land grants to indigenous peoples in Venezuela that “New Tribes” will be expelled from the country in an order that he will be signing in the next time period not clearly defined. He stated, “We do not want New Tribes here . . . we are going to give them a time table, so they can gather their things, we aren’t going to rudely trample them, but we want them out . . . of the country.”
Now…it is certainly possible that Pat’s irresponsible and reprehensible comments are not a factor in this decision, but it’s hard not to put 2 and 2 together here and figure that maybe the answer is 4. Why, why, why, can’t we ever learn to weigh our words more carefully, particularly given the damage that can so easily be done—not just by unthinking televangelists, but by us ordinary folk who are too quick to open our own mouths?
“See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell…no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.” James 3
This phrase comes from the 1978 "Jonestown massacre" in which most members of the Peoples Temple cult, blindly following their leader Jim Jones, committed suicide by drinking cyanide-laced Kool-Aid.
Osborne: A Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God
Schlossberg: Idols For Destruction
6 Responses to “What Hath Pat Robertson Wrought?”
Good point and reminder, Byron. Its too bad some evangelists give Christians a bad name. We would all do well to learn all the facts before we open our mouths and think twice before we speak or ask ourselves would we say this to so and so if Jesus were physically stand right next to us.
Billy ~ Oct 17, 2005 at 5:18 pm
Yeah, that is a good point. OOOOOOOOOOOOOn the other hand, life gets pretty wishy-washy when we tiptoe around and don’t say what we really think. I don’t have strong opinions on the Pat Robertson thing, but there are times when Christians are all apologies and PC. We don’t HAVE TO be nice ALL the time. So there. GRRRRRRR. lol
cwv warrior ~ Oct 17, 2005 at 7:56 pm
I agree, there is a time to speak and a time to shut up. There is no point pretending to be someone else, just shows how much a coward and people pleaser you may be. No apologies here… Stand up for the Truth not apologize for offending them.
Billy ~ Oct 17, 2005 at 9:09 pm
I would hate to be in a position where every word I say is under constant public scrutiny. Who knows? Maybe Robertson zigged when he should have zagged. Had he known the fallout his words would cause, I’m sure he might have thought twice before saying them. I know this much. He didn’t say anything that many of us haven’t at least inwardly pondered.
I am truly sorry for the consequences, but I must say that I’m having a little difficulty connecting the dots on this one. What does Pat Robertson have to do with “New Tribes†anyway? If Chaves has declared war on evangelical missionaries in Venezuela because of something a noisy opinionated evangelist said on American television, then that sounds way too easy to me. I’m wondering if Chaves is merely using Robertson as an excuse to do what he already wanted to do in the first place.
Be that as it may, let not your heart be troubled. I’m glad I serve a God that is neither dependent on nor hindered by the actions of man. What appears to us to be a major setback for the cause of the Kingdom is barely a blip on God’s radar. God is at work in Venezuela and His plans, purposes and ways WILL be accomplished with or without our help. Certainly we must pray for the people of Venezuela, and do our dead level best not to be a hindrance to the gospel, but as the old hymn says, “Ponder anew what the Almighty can do.â€
Don ~ Oct 18, 2005 at 11:57 am
I don’t have a problem with apologizing and/or not apologizing either. I would publicly apologize for publicly condoning the assassination of a nation’s president whether I was a Christian or not. I will not apologize for my faith in Christ, the exclusivity of Christ and the gospel, or anything else that is a matter of personal conviction.
Mark Merritt ~ Oct 19, 2005 at 1:40 pm
Hard to know what this Chavez clown is thinking, but not hard to know that Pat did more than “maybe zig where he should have zagged”. Methinks you underplay the utter inappropriateness of shooting off the mouth on national TV. Sure, we all sin with our speech, but a person in that position has got to exercise better judgment than that. Some of the things that the media pounces on to criticize are pretty silly, but there’s just no excuse for Pat on this one, and on a host of other ones. Pat Robertson is exhibit number next in my contention that the state of “Christian TV” today constitutes, despite some good and worthwhile broadcasts, a net negative for the cause of Christ. Yes, we serve a God Who is bigger—and for that, we can be surely grateful—but that doesn’t ever excuse sin of any kind.
But you know that…
Byron ~ Oct 20, 2005 at 8:14 am