This is the first professional, independent biography in twenty years of Pat Robertson: founder of both the Christian Coalition and the Christian Broadcasting Network, host of the daily TV show The 700 Club, and former presidential candidate. Robertson’s Christian Coalition led the Republican take over of Congress in 1994 and his leadership of the Christian Right helped elect George W. Bush. After the 2004 presidential election, pollsters and scholars claimed that the Republican party had become America’s first religious party. A big part of the reason that the GOP became identified with evangelical Christianity is Pat Robertson. Marley attempts to present a balanced view of his subject in which Robertson’s detractors will find reasons to appreciate some of his contributions while his fans will confront tough questions about some of his past actions. More than just a political biography, the book also explains his theology, business dealings, and personal life in a readable narrative style.

"Marley has written a solid and well-researched biography of one of America's most controversial voices, Christian Coalition founder and former presidential candidate Pat Robertson....Fascinating and often engaging." - Library Journal

"Interesting and balanced coverage.... Marley has produced a fascinating study of a very powerful man and a dangerous man... Pat Robertson is a valuable study for anyone interested in the ability of one person to make a difference, the role of the Christian Right in AMerican politics and culture, the use of financial support to protect business interests abroad, and the development of the Christian Right as an extension of the Republican Party in the 1980s." - H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews Online

"Marley has done a fine job of researching the life of a major religious figure and showing the ways Robertson has striven to blur boundaries in all his areas of influence." - Journal Of Southern Religion

"The timing is right for a biography such as this, and I suspect that Marley's analysis will be the first of several such works that explain the important role Evangelical leaders have played in setting the course of political and social discourse for the twenty-first century." - Pneuma 32

"This book evidences good research and a readable narrative style....A useful update to our understanding of an important—but underestimated—figure in recent American religion and culture." - Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture