Congressional Leaders Sponsor Birthday Gala For Pat Robertson.

Top leaders of Congress helped cosponsor a birthday celebration for TV preacher Pat Robertson in March, despite the religious broadcaster's record of religious and political extremism.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) were among the "Inner Circle Sponsors" on the invitations for the Pat Robertson 70th Birthday Celebration, which took place March 24 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.

Other "Inner Circle Sponsors" included U.S. Sen. John Ashcroft (R-Mo.), House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas), U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) and U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.).

Ironically, although the officials' names were listed prominently on invitations for the $50 per person event, observers who attended didn't see any of them there. However, top officials from Robertson's home state were well represented at the five-hour celebration. They included Gov. Jim Gilmore, Lieutenant Gov. John Hager and Attorney General Mark Earley. (Gilmore sat beside Robertson at the head table during the dinner.)

Americans United criticized the congressional endorsement of the TV preacher. Said AU's Executive Director Barry W. Lynn, "Pat Robertson makes Bob Jones III look tolerant, yet major leaders of Congress still sign up to kiss his ring and toss him flowers. What a disgrace!"

Lynn charged that Robertson's power in Congress and in national political circles has reached new heights even though his Christian Coalition has waned in influence.

Lynn also said that Robertson's rhetoric has remained extreme. The day before the event, Americans United released a document to the media pointing out Robertson's long track record of extremism (see www.au.org).

Although members of Congress were in short supply, a number of Religious Right personalities turned out. Among those in attendance were the Rev. Jerry Falwell (who gave the invocation), evangelist Benny Hinn, former Christian Coalition Executive Director Ralph Reed, school prayer activist William Murray and the Rev. Lou Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition.

The birthday celebration was held under the aegis of the "Pat Robertson 70th Birthday Committee, Inc.," a separate group set up for the occasion. Observers believe the Christian Coalition and Robertson's religious ministries were kept at arm's length so that nervous donors could claim they were not supporting Robertson's extreme political and religious agenda.

Among the "Gold Sponsors" of the evening was First Virginia Bank. Price Waterhouse Coopers took a full-page ad in the program, as did Bogart Holland, a senior vice president at Paine Webber.

In other news about Robertson:

* Although he has not been a minister since 1988, when he voluntarily gave up his Southern Baptist ordination while running for president, Robertson has continued to preach and practice faith healing on television. But now the religious broadcaster claims to be a minister once again. Days after his 70th birthday, the Virginia Beach evangelist was "re-ordained" at a ceremony at his Regent University.

During the March 27 event, six religious leaders formed a semi-circle around Robertson and laid hands on him, proclaiming him ordained anew. The six were evangelist D.G.S. Dhinakaran of India; Jack Hayford of The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, Calif.; John Howe, a Florida bishop in the Episcopal Church; Frank Hughes, a retired Baptist pastor in Virginia; Vinson Synan, Regent's divinity school dean and Thomas Trask, chief executive of the Assemblies of God, a Pentecostal denomination.

Robertson's action was not without controversy. The Rev. Donald Dunlap, who was pastor of Freemason Street Baptist Church in Norfolk, where Robertson was originally ordained in 1960, told reporters only his church could re-ordain Robertson and said the ceremony at Regent was meaningless. "You cannot reaffirm what no longer exists," he said.

* Death penalty foes were surprised recently when Robertson, a long-time supporter of capital punishment, called for a temporary ban on executions. During a symposium at the College of William and Mary April 7, Robertson told a questioner in the audience he still believes the death penalty is morally justified in some cases but that it is being applied in a discriminatory manner. He called for a moratorium to study the issue.

A few days later fellow Virginia TV preacher Jerry Falwell took issue. "Pat and I do not disagree on many things, but on this one we do," he told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "While courts do make mistakes, I do not believe the mistake level is at the point where we need to rethink our whole system, and I personally believe that we need to reduce the time between conviction and execution."