The expanding CBN empire - Christian Broadcast Network

Christian Century, July 27, 1994

Evangelical broadcaster Pat Robertson's purchase of the Ice Capades is the latest example of a theology of Christian capitalism that has helped the onetime presidential hopeful turn a rundown UHF television station into a worldwide ministry and business conglomerate. And Robertson, 64, is not finished yet. The June 8 announcement that Dorothy Hamill and her touring figure-skating show are joining Robertson's International Family Entertainment group came amid reports that the Christian Broadcasting Network, his nonprofit religious organization, plans to build a theme park in Virginia and launch a cable system in Vietnam.

Such developments have led many observers to ask if CBN is a religious ministry or a business empire. The answer is both. And this dual function has drawn criticism from business and religious observers alike who contend that Robertson should not mix the two. The Business Coalition for Fair Competition, a national group based in Alexandria, Virginia, claims that businesses bankrolled by Robertson's charity operation tilt the entrepreneurial playing field against those who don't have monthly, tax-exempt contributions to start companies.

Others attack on ethical grounds, saying donors believe they are supporting a purely religious organization. "People have given all these years to what they thought was a ministry. Now he's turned it into a business. That's what's wrong," said James M. Dunn, executive director of the Baptist joint Committee, a Washington group that frequently opposes Robertson's conservative politics.

CBN fund-raising appeals emphasize the religious work of the ministry and rarely if ever mention the business strategy. For example, in an "urgent-gram" mailed to CBN donors just before Easter, Robertson asked for a gift of "$100 or more over and above regular giving" to air an animated film. In fine print, at the bottom of the letter, is the statement made on all written CBN appeals: "All funds are. used for designated projects and for the world-wide ministry of CBN in accordance with Ezra 7:17-18." The second of the biblical verses referred to says: "Whatever seems good to you and your colleagues to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God."

Business and religion have always been inseparable for Robertson and CBN officials, who have refused to respond to detailed questions about their finances, including the meaning and application of the verses from Ezra. Robertson sees God's work as transcending the spread of the gospel and the feeding of the poor. Being a true believer means talking risks, making money and influencing the culture, he says.

Robertson's empire was born in 1960 when, with no money down, he bought a Portsmouth, Virginia, television station that had gone off the air. He gave it an ambitious name and said he was "going to trust the Lord for all the support." CBN's stated purpose was to spread the gospel and prepare the world for the second coming of Christ. That CBN has done, using tax-exempt money to bring the message of salvation to 70 countries. In the past three years alone, "over 50 million have received Jesus Christ," according to CBN. Through its outreach to the needy, Operation Blessing International Relief and Development, more than $80 million has been distributed since 1978 to help the poor.

But CBN has also grown into an umbrella organization for ten business ventures, with plans for more. The theme park, similar to that of Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, is projected to be built either in Virginia Beach or Chesapeake, Virginia. The ministry owns hundreds of undeveloped acres in both cities.

Robertson is also negotiating with the Vietnamese government for CBN to start a 28-channel cable system in that country. He says he has already shaken hands on the plan with the Vietnamese minister of communications. Other CBN-backed businesses include an airplane charter company, a travel agency, an Oklahoma radio station, a luxury hotel, a news service that claims to compete with the Associated Press, and a proposed retirement community to open in either Virginia Beach or Chesapeake.

As Robertson approaches retirement, these business ventures take on more urgency. They are expected to fund CBN after he leaves. The need for other businesses became most evident in 1988 when Robertson ran an unsuccessful bid for the presidency. In running for the Republican presidential nomination, he left The, 700 Club, The ministry's flagship television show. Donations plummeted 36 percent, according to CBN financial data. Hundreds of employees were laid off. If it weren't for the revenues produced by the for-profit Family Channel, the damage would have been significantly worse.

"It was an eye-opener of how dependent we are on money he raises for the ongoing ministry," acknowledged Harold Bredesen, a CBN board member who has been with Robertson since the beginning. "We realized our need for alternate sources of funding." Robert M. Prigmore, CBN's chief financial officer from October 1992 to March 1994, said the strategy is to reduce dependence on donations by creating businesses that will make money for the ministry. "What are they going to do when Pat Robertson is gone?" Prigmore asked rhetorically. "Pat's not going to live forever."