No man who publicly advocates cold-blooded murder for political reasons can claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ

Not a Christian by Charley Reese: "

Pat Robertson, host of 'The 700 Club,' is not a Christian. No man who publicly advocates cold-blooded murder for political reasons can claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Robertson did that on his television show, saying it would be cheaper to murder the president of Venezuela than to overthrow him with a war.

The president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, is a frequent critic of President George Bush and the United States. He is also democratically elected. It's funny how many people in the American elite who profess to advocate democracy tend to change their minds when the results of democracy don't suit them. Nowhere is it written that a free and democratic election will produce a leader whom we like. That should be obvious from the outcomes of our elections. Sometimes we like the winner, and sometimes we don't. The essence of a democratic society, however, is that when we don't like the winner, we put up with him until the next election.

For a long time, I've not believed that Robertson is a Christian. I have this old-fashioned idea that rich preachers are incompatible with Christianity. If you don't already know this, most of the televangelists spend an inordinate amount of their time and efforts fundraising and living in the lap of luxury. I assume darn few of them will squeeze through that eye of the needle that Christ spoke of in regard to a rich man getting into heaven.

Robertson is a politician who uses Christianity as a source of income and as a cover for his political goals. ...