Before there was Rush Limbaugh and Fox News, there was Pat Robertson and The 700 Club. That is this book’s thesis in a sentence.

For those unfamiliar, The 700 Club is a show on the Christian Broadcasting Network that has been on the air since 1966, serving as that network’s flagship program. It presents itself as a news program, yet often features commentary with a heavy evangelical Christian bent on many of its stories. Pat Robertson, a longtime face of the Religious Right, has always been its star. You may remember him for his statements such as blaming 9/11 on feminists, saying Haiti made a pact with the Devil, and calling Muslims Satanic.

And yet, according to The Gospel of Self: How Jesus Joined the GOP, whether these statements had any basis in fact has always been less important than how they help shape the worldview of millions of people who watch his program every day. The factual nature of these commentaries comes in second to the truth that people who identify as evangelical believe, which in turn will cause them to vote for certain people and support or oppose certain causes and issues.

Read the full review at Coffee House Contemplative.