Pat Robertson, Christian Coalition founder and influential religious conservative, dies at 93

Pat Robertson, a conservative religious broadcaster and founder of the Christian Coalition, has died. He was 93.

Robertson was one of the most prominent and influential Christian broadcasters in the U.S. He is largely credited with helping make religion central to Republican Party politics through his Christian Coalition.

His death was announced by the Christian Broadcasting Network, which Robertson founded in 1960.

His other enterprises included Regent University, a private Christian university in Virginia Beach; the American Center for Law and Justice, and Operation Blessing, an international humanitarian organization.

Robertson started the Christian Coalition in Chesapeake in 1989, saying it would further his campaign’s ideals. The coalition became a major political force in the 1990s, mobilizing conservative voters through grass-roots activities.

By the time of his resignation as the coalition’s president in 2001 — Robertson said he wanted to concentrate on ministerial work — his impact on both religion and politics in the U.S. was “enormous,” according to John C. Green, an emeritus political science professor at The University of Akron.

Includes information from the Associated Press

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