In the 1980s, TV producer Terry Heaton was at the helm of one of the most influential media properties of the decade. As executive producer for the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN)'s Pat Robertson — one of the world's most famous televangelists — Heaton spent the 1980s and early '90s transforming the network's flagship show, The 700 Club, into a pioneer of conservative opinion journalism.
But decades after The 700 Club's massive success paved the way for an alliance between the Christian right and GOP party politics, Heaton has more mixed feelings about his role in the “culture wars.” In his new book The Gospel of the Self: How Jesus Joined the GOP, Heaton reflects on his years working alongside Robertson, and how the advertising strategies he brought to CBN helped transform and politicize a generation of Christians.
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