Exclusive: I'm not a caricature: 'Televangelist' Pat Robertson on life of service
He’s a businessman, philanthropist and a media pioneer. Yet, if someone utters the name Pat Robertson, images of a radical televangelist shouting on daytime TV spring to mind.
On Wednesday, Robertson interviewed President Donald Trump. The interview is set to air on the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Thursday during "The 700 Club."
In an exclusive interview with FOXBusiness.com, the 86 year-old, Pat Robertson, best known as the co-founder of CBN, opened up about his past and hopes for a better future.
“I would just like to be known as the servant of the Lord. Who’s served people in His lifetime that’s all I want to be known for” Robertson says.
Growing up in a prominent family, Robertson’s father was a Senator for Virginia. “We lived in that kind of environment where you were responsible of the general welfare of the population, so there was a sense of responsibility” remembers Robertson.
As a marine, he learned discipline. “The Marine Corps is an extraordinary experience it teaches you self-control, it teaches you discipline, you obey orders and that was a very big thing for me.”
But it was in 1960 when Robertson felt like he longed for more. “I tried it all, I done all the pleasure you can have in the continent. I had education, I had this point a law degree, I had seven years of higher education and done well, there was deep inside of me the feeling of something more and that’s when the Lord put his hand out and said ‘I want you as my servant’” Robertson adds.
Often criticized for his controversial comments and bold statements, Robertson has always been fighting the mainstream. “I have really unfairly been caricatured by people who don't like conservatives and I am a conservative” says Robertson.
Now, with a booming global television network seen across 97% of the markets, a highly acclaimed Regent University and a global charity- Operation Blessing International- helping millions of people, Robertson is message is clear; “Whether it’s operation blessing, Regent university, the American Center for Law and Justice… together it’s a really substantial enterprise but I am just thrilled to be a part of it. Again, Give God the glory. I am just an agents [of His] to do what I have done.”
Watch the exclusive interview above to learn more about Pat Robertson’s past, his keys to running a successful enterprise and insight into the future.