I’ve never been a huge fan of Pat Robertson. While his political views on some issues may parallel my own, I’ve increasingly found myself cringing whenever he opens his mouth. In the wake of September 11, he said a bunch of foolish things about Muslims and even agreed with Jerry Falwell that the terrorist attacks of 9/11 happened because of the ACLU, homosexuals, and abortionists. He’s at it again.

The thing about Robertson that Christians need to understand is that like so many televangelists, he is accountable to no one. He’s the head of his own ministry, so there’s no corrective vehicle to keep him honest when he opens his mouth. He also has numerous financial investments in places all over the world that few people even know about. That’s why no one should be surprised that Robertson is defending Liberian President Charles Taylor. According to Robertson:

So we’re undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim rebels to take over the country. And how dare the president of the United States say to the duly elected president of another country, “You’ve got to step down.”

Huh? Taylor is an indicted war criminal who has harbored al Qaeda terrorists in his country. Over the last decade he has waged war, committed acts of genocide, and looted neighboring countries. Despite the image he might want to portray to Robertson and others in the West, Taylor is NOT a Christian. Numerous groups have continuously cited Liberia as one of the worst abusers of human rights abusers in the world. Oh, and the self-professed Baptist also thinks he’s a lot like Jesus.

So what’s Pat Robertson’s connection to Liberia? Well, in 1998 he formed a $15 million company called Freedom Gold Limited. The company signed a deal with the Liberian government to begin mining operations. Allegedly, the government gets ten percent of any profits from the mining operation.

It’s clear why Robertson is so quick to defend Taylor and to paint him as a Christian defending his nation against the Muslim invaders. Such a defense should be offensive to Christians. Robertson will lose the last bit of credibility he had with evangelicals if he continues down this path. He’s becoming irrelevant and downright dangerous. Maybe it’s time for him to sign-off permanently.