Televangelism For some,
the road to salvation is paved in gold—your gold. Televangelist Oral Roberts laid the foundation for
that road by placing a price tag on redemption and healing through the Christian faith. The man went
from humble beginnings to a self-proclaimed direct line to God. Roberts was beloved by
his devoted followers and loathed by his harsh critics—and he built an empire without shame.
Roberts carved out an industry that opened the floodgates for
theatrical preachers to spread the evangelical gospel worldwide.
So was this holy healing man a modern-day saint or just a charismatic con artist?
A Sign From God Roberts was born in the winter
of 1918 in the small but ever-growing town of Ada, Oklahoma, just 133 miles north of Dallas, Texas.
Oral's family lived in poverty. His father, a preacher, didn't make much, and with a family
of five, times were, let's say, difficult at best. Being the youngest of five children,
learning to stand out from an early age may have lent to Oral's charismatic abilities.
By the time he was 17, Oral had come down with a terrible case of tuberculosis.
He would later blame this on his mother's heritage as a Cherokee Native American.
It rendered him bedridden for months on end and clinging desperately to life.
He finally began to recuperate after a grueling five months of fighting for his life.
This wouldn't be the end of Oral's struggles, far from it indeed. Straight out of high school,
he began his college career at Oklahoma Baptist University and Phillips University.
Roberts attended each for only two years and quit before obtaining a degree from either.
Ministry Start College was no
longer part of his path. He changed course and became an ordained minister of the Pentecostal
holiness church. He'd go on to become a traveling faith healer, tent and all.
This was the beginning, and people seemed to connect with him. Some would have seen
the growing crowds of up to 3000 people at times and shied away, but not Oral. His
stage presence was undeniable; he spoke, and the congregation listened down to their very souls.
In 1938 Oral would marry his wife and partner for life, Evely, whose father was a preacher himself.
Then Roberts traveled and spread God's word all over the countryside until a brief detour
rerouted his path. Summer was in full swing in 1945 when Oral was approached by Robert E.
"Daddy" Lee while preaching in North Carolina. He asked If Oral would consider being his church's
pastor in Georgia. After praying about the request, Oral surprisingly agreed. There would be
two reported accounts of Oral's healing abilities in Georgia that would soon draw attention.
This was a short-lived arrangement, as the Georgia Church wasn't too thrilled about the
idea of an outside minister. So he was back home in Oklahoma as 1945 drew to a close.
Oral took this in stride, and it would later show to be an important detour for him and his family.
Financial Struggles Oral struggled to stay on the poverty line.
He seemed to be fighting a losing battle and at his young family's expense. Some whispered about
neighbors and friends who had spared food to the family on occasion when they were in need.
By 29, life had become a relentless struggle for Oral. He searched for hope in a time of
mounting and understandable despair. What good had he done? He had been devout and
ministered God's word, but where was it getting him? How could he do better? Then the answer came.
A moment that would come to be oral's bread and butter later in life,
his direct line to God was delivered in the form of a sign. He said this sign came from God,
as his bible fell open to a verse he'd never read before. Third Epistle of John; Verse 2: "I wish
above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." In short,
God told Oral to get rich, so he bought a Buick the very next day.
This would be Oral's first step towards full-on Prosperity Gospel,
and change was definitely coming.
OREA In 1947,
Oral dove headfirst in this newfound direction. He resigned from his former ministry, deciding it
was time to spread God's message of prosperity. For Oral, this meant he would need a platform.
The OREA, or Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, was born. Oral didn't just tiptoe
into this new ministry; he set out to make a name for himself and did just that. Tents holding
10,000 people at a time became the norm. even sick people lining up to see the self-proclaimed
"healer." We can see the hope in someone who claims he can raise the dead and heal the living.
His son, Richard Roberts, backed claims that Oral had raised the dead multiple times over
and around the world. Those claims would bring an onslaught of attention and controversy.
Prosperity Theology Prosperity theology
believes that God will financially bless his followers and give them good health. We know
this sounds a bit vain, but it's similar to basic principles of religion—have faith in God,
and he will provide. This gospel just gets more to the specifics of what those blessings may be.
You have heard of vision boards, right? There are entire "How to's" on Pinterest and across the web;
even Oprah has one. The basic idea is to put pictures, phrases, and
anything that symbolizes what you see or want to happen in your life on this board. You're
then supposed to put these goals out into the universe and allow them to manifest themselves.
In some ways, Prosperity Gospel is the original Vision board and focuses more on self-enrichment.
Instead of fire, brimstone, and humility, Prosperity Gospel preaches of a god that wants
what's best for his followers—money. To get that, God needs what's best from his followers—money.
Oral Roberts brought a much-needed change to religion, preaching positivity and hope
to a country that still wore the scars of the Great Depression.
This path would lead him to add to his ever-growing portfolio over time.
In the mid-1980s, Roberts was raking in 120
million dollars at the peak of his pioneering career between his church,
college, and medical center. Yes, you heard that right; he had his own college and hospital.
TV Life Oral had
been broadcasting his ministry by radio since 1947, but it was time to step into
the little box that would bring his message to the masses—Television. So in 1954, Oral did just that,
laying the foundation of televangelism with every broadcast in America.
Oral's charismatic presence translated well on the screen, keeping his tele-ministry ratings high and
the donations rolling in on an even larger scale than before. In line with the gospel he preached,
Oral had no shame in outlandishly harvesting donations from his viewers.
Good advertising is geared to draw on the want, need, or hope of the viewer,
and the emotions connected to those are the key.
Remember those Animal Abuse commercials with Sarah McLachlan? Her hauntingly
soulful song "Angel" plays behind the sad eyes of animals in desperate need.
Unless you're legally dead, those commercials made you feel something.
Oral Roberts played the same game, but for far greedier purposes.
Oral got off the phone with God and said he wanted you to be healthy, wealthy, and prosperous. Sounds
like a pretty sweet deal, right? Send in those donations and receive God's blessings?
Is this a request to pay it forward or an ad to buy something that can't be sold—God's blessings?
Many Visions For Oral, his ministry,
healing abilities, and hefty financial portfolio all came by way of his direct line to Jesus and
God almighty. He's made many outlandish claims of having visions and receiving signs from God. One
example is when his bible fell open to the verse that started it all.
Another involves conversations with a 900 ft tall Jesus urging him to get followers to fund
the construction of The City of Faith Medical and Research Hospital. Perhaps the most absurd
example is when God told him to raise $8 Million or die. Was Oral pedaling delusional fairy tales
as a means of financial prosperity? We won't jump to conclusions, but you can.
Oral Roberts University Oral Roberts University is
the culmination of Oral's dreams, brought to life.
Another call on his direct line from God inspired the University that sits on 50 acres of land
shared by his Hospital and Medical School. The value of the land? About $500 Million.
Founded in 1963, ORU boasts a recognizable list of alumni. Included are several Major
League Baseball players, TV personality Kathie Lee Gifford, and, not surprisingly,
modern-day televangelist Joel Osteen.
One student, who was once Oral's private pilot, is worth mentioning, Kenneth Copeland.
Unlike his former employer, Copeland has been involved in a handful of scandals
regarding his televangelist career. Copeland has recently caused a great deal of controversy
by urging his followers who lost employment due to COVID-19 to continue sending donations
to him. He then claimed he could cure Covid through the TV and told his followers to
touch his hand through the screen. Wonder where he learned that trick from?
You would think coming from a University with some pretty strict rules and guidelines like ORU,
Copeland would have shown more discipline. Students aren't allowed to partake in any
of the vices associated with everyday college life. The student handbook also has some pretty
strict rules on swearing—it's not allowed. You can imagine what else ORU frowns upon.
Coup Controversy Though Oral Robert's showboat style,
theatrical healing displays, and "Blessings for sale" fundraising tactics may not have
sat well with some, he stayed clear of scandal. Unfortunately, the apple fell pretty far from
the tree when Richard Roberts, Oral's son, tarnished Oral's legacy by bringing scandal
right to the steps of ORU. Richard, the sitting President of ORU for 15 years,
and his wife, Lindsey, were at the center of a lawsuit with allegations that shocked many.
The suit was brought by three former ORU professors and was comparable to a university-wide
coup, including help from students, other professors, and some unnamed sources. The
accusers claim Richard misused university funds for his own personal expenses, gave scholarships
out like they were free candy, and used the ministry's private jet for non-ministry work.
The couple made the media rounds, even pleading their case to the public on Larry King Live. But,
unfortunately, this seemed to fall on deaf ears,
as it became apparent that Oral and the board's main focus was to protect ORU.
It's usually the parent that passes the family business to their children. But in the case of
Richard Roberts, he handed it right back to his 89-year-old dad and stepped down in disgrace.
Money Demands The only time Oral ever
publicly caused a scandal, if you could even call it that, was his "Death Ultimatum" in
1987. Though his tactics were unsavory and a bit alarming with this particular message from God,
Oral implored donations of at least eight million dollars, or the Lord would call him home.
A bit far out in the left-field, but was this really out of character for Roberts? You know,
theatrical, charming, and hard to believe public displays?
Roberts came from a time when freedom and opportunity were minimal, especially for the
poverty-stricken. This affected the minister because he never wanted to do without again,
bringing about some big spending on occasion. Did Greed drive oral Roberts? Did he care about
religion or his followers, or were they just dollar signs? Oral Roberts brought the world
a more loving God when it was in such need of hope; was it his genuine belief or to make a buck?
In 2009 Oral Roberts didn't have to pick up the proverbial phone, as God finally brought him home.
He passed away due to complications from phenomena at the age of 91. Oral
Roberts University is still open and running, keeping his legacy alive.
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