Robertson's Comments: Bad Theology, Dumb Politics
Hugo Chavez is a bad man. But ruminating on the advantages of his extermination, as Pat Robertson did, is not only questionable theology from a Christian perspective, it's also not very smart.
Robertson's spokesperson attempted to explain the comments by saying, "We are at a time of war and Pat had war on his mind when he made the comments." Maybe, but last time I checked the US is not at war with Venezuela. Mr. Robertson's attempt to link Venezuela to both communism and Muslim extremism was bizarre, to say the least.
Christians believe that the Bible is the revealed Word of God. It tells the human race not to kill, although it recognizes that because of the sin that pervades our beings, there may be times when nations are forced to defend themselves. When soldiers asked Jesus' cousin and herald John the Baptist, for example, what to do in order to align their lives with the will of God, he didn't tell them to give up soldiering; he only advised them to not use their power as a pretext for treating others unjustly or to practice extortion.
But there can be no possible Biblical justification for a Christian to call for the execution of a leader of a nation with which our country is not at war.
From a political perspective, Mr. Robertson's comments were unwise. He is seen by those in other countries as being part of the ruling elite in America, although for the Bush White House he may be deemed an expedient, though potentially embarrassing, contact and among Christians I know, he has zero influence. Nonetheless, his remarks are impolitic, playing into the hands of America's enemies, giving them propaganda to prove notions that America is out to conquer others and take their oil.
As a Christian, I am far more concerned about the potential impact that Robertson's un-Biblical comments could have on the perceptions of faith in Christ. None of us is perfect, of course. We all say things that we shouldn't. The sad thing is that Mr. Robertson says these sorts of things a lot and has a powerful megaphone.
UPDATE: On Wednesday, Pat Robertson apologized for his remarks.