美国国家公共电台 NPR--Televangelist Pat Robertson dies at 93

Televangelist Pat Robertson dies at 93

Transcript¹

Pat Robertson, a controversial televangelist and a leader of the religious right, has died. He was 93.

ASMA KHALID, HOST:

The controversial televangelist and former Republican politician Pat Robertson has died. He was 93 years old. Robertson founded the Christian² Broadcasting Network and for decades hosted the network's flagship show, "The 700 Club." He used it for his ministry³ and to boost right-wing political causes. Here he is in 2017 with then-President Donald Trump⁴.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PAT ROBERTSON: There seems to be a visceral hatred⁵ of you in the part of the left, and they won't quit.

KHALID: Robertson made an unsuccessful run for the Republican presidential nomination⁶ in 1988 before going on to found the Christian Coalition⁷. We're joined now by NPR's Sarah McCammon, who has covered his life and has a good sense of what this all means.

And let's start, Sarah, with who Pat Robertson was. What is he most known for?

SARAH MCCAMMON, BYLINE⁸: Well, he started out as a pastor⁹ who became a pioneer in the religious right, as we've said. You know, he founded the Christian Broadcasting Network, or CBN, as it's known, as well as Regent University in Virginia Beach, an influential¹⁰ evangelical university. He ran for the GOP presidential nomination in '88, as you mentioned, and he used that, Asma, as a launching point for further political activism on behalf of right-wing causes. He had a reputation, we should say, for making racist¹¹ and anti-gay remarks. And in the late '80s, he founded the Christian Coalition, which became one of the most important groups involved in organizing conservative Christians¹² to vote for Republican politicians. According to CBN, Robertson died today surrounded by his family. He was 93.

KHALID: So how was it that Robertson became perhaps the trailblazer for the political activities of the Christian evangelical movement?

MCCAMMON: Well, it's important to understand he was the son of a prominent conservative U.S. senator, Absalom Willis Robertson, so Pat Robertson grew up with an awareness¹³ of politics and watching his father. I spoke¹⁴ this morning with Ralph Reed, who is today still a leader in the Christian right. Reid was the director of the Christian Coalition after Robertson founded it, and he said Robertson's father was an important influence. Reed also told me that Robertson, you know, was very skillful at building up the political muscle of the Christian right and at rallying voters around the kinds of issues that he cared about.

RALPH REED: It is undeniable, whatever one thinks of his politics - and I was, you know, fortunate and privileged to be at his side - that he transformed the Republican Party, and with it, American politics.

MCCAMMON: And, Asma, one of the key ways that Robertson did that was through broadcasting. You know, he harnessed the power of TV. His show, "The 700 Club," was almost like a mix of variety show and arguably a precursor¹⁵ to Fox News. It was entertaining, featured a mix of the news of the day and influential leaders in religion and politics. And in many ways, like Donald Trump, Pat Robertson knew how to entertain and how to hold an audience, and he used that very effectively as a political tool.

KHALID: So that's a really, I think, helpful sense of what Robertson's history was. But what do you see as his long-term legacy¹⁶ now going forward?

MCCAMMON: You know, I also talked this morning with the Reverend Rob Schenck. He's an evangelical pastor who for many years worked alongside Pat Robertson and other key white evangelical leaders. Schenck has since broken ranks with many of them and is now largely critical of the movement. But Pat Robertson was a mentor¹⁷ for him, and he noted¹⁸, you know, that less talked about was the charitable work Robertson did through an organization called Operation Blessing¹⁹, which deploys²⁰ teams to help with emergencies like natural disasters. That said, Asma, Schenck says he's sad to say that he believes Robertson bears a lot of responsibility for the politicization of his faith and for the impact on the culture in a way that was largely damaging.

ROB SCHENCK: In fact, it was at Pat's 80 birthday party that I first encountered Donald Trump - other than in the media, in person - when he was Pat's guest of honor for that festive²¹ occasion. And it shocked me because I thought Donald Trump stood for everything opposite of what a Christian should support.

MCCAMMON: And that was, of course, more than a dozen years ago. So by all accounts, Robertson was responsible for much of the current state of politics, the power of the Christian right. And that's a legacy we're seeing today in many areas, not just in the rise of Trumpism, but in the overturning of Roe²² v. Wade²³. Many of these political trends are arguably traceable to the work of Pat Robertson.

KHALID: NPR's Sarah McCammon. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

MCCAMMON: Thank you.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

5 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

6 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

7 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

8 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

9 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

10 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

11 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

12 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

13 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

14 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

15 precursor   

n.先驱者；前辈；前任；预兆；先兆

参考例句：

• Error is often the precursor of what is correct.错误常常是正确的先导。
• He said that the deal should not be seen as a precursor to a merger.他说该笔交易不应该被看作是合并的前兆。

16 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

17 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

18 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

19 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

20 deploys   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的第三人称单数 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• It then deploys "decoy" programs designed to attract the virus. 然后，它释放“诱饵”去吸引病毒。
• But when that doesn't work, he deploys his secret defense mechanism. 但没有效果，它要施展绝密自卫武器了。

21 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。

22 roe   

n.鱼卵；獐鹿

参考例句：

• We will serve smoked cod's roe at the dinner.宴会上我们将上一道熏鳕鱼子。
• I'll scramble some eggs with roe?我用鱼籽炒几个鸡蛋好吗？

23 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。