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Granville Oral Roberts (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009) was an American Charismatic Christian televangelist, who was one of the first to propagate Prosperity Gospel Theology. He was ordained in the Pentecostal Holiness Church from 1936 until his transfer to the United Methodist church in 1968, a controversial relationship that ended in 1987 when his credentials were revoked. He is considered one of the forerunners of the charismatic movement, and at the height of his career was one of the most recognized preachers in the US.[1] He founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University.

Key Information

One of the most well-known and controversial American religious leaders of the 20th century, his preaching emphasized seed-faith.[2] His ministries reached millions of followers worldwide spanning a period of over six decades.[3] His healing ministry and his bringing American Pentecostalism into the mainstream had the most impact,[4] but he also pioneered televangelism, and laid the foundations of the prosperity gospel[3] and abundant life teachings.[5] The breadth and style of his ministry, including his widely publicized funding appeals, made him a consistent subject of contention among critics and supporters.[3]

Early life

[edit]

Roberts was born on January 24, 1918, in Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, the fifth and youngest child of the Reverend Ellis Melvin Roberts (1881–1967) and Claudius Priscilla Roberts (née Irwin) (1885–1974).[6] In an interview on Larry King Live, Roberts claimed his mother was of Cherokee descent.[7] Roberts also claimed Choctaw heritage.[8] Roberts began life in poverty, and nearly died of tuberculosis when he was 17.[9] After finishing high school, Roberts studied for two years each at Oklahoma Baptist University and Phillips University. In 1938, he married a preacher's daughter, Evelyn Lutman Fahnestock.

Roberts became a traveling faith healer after ending his college studies without a degree. According to a TIME Magazine profile of 1972, Roberts originally made a name for himself with a large mobile tent "that sat 3,000 on metal folding chairs".[10]

Ministry and university

[edit]

In 1945, Roberts resigned from his pastorate in Shawnee, Oklahoma, to hold revivals in the area and attend Oklahoma Baptist. But in the late summer of 1945, while preaching in a North Carolina camp meeting, Roberts was asked by Robert E. "Daddy" Lee of Toccoa, Georgia, to consider becoming pastor of his small, eighty-member church. Roberts suggested they pray about it, and unexpectedly, decided to accept. By the end of the year, Roberts had resigned and moved back to Shawnee. Apparently, the Georgia conference of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church frowned on having a minister from outside its conference as a pastor. Short though it was, the Toccoa detour had a lasting effect on Roberts and his family. It was there that their daughter Rebecca, then five years old, first met her future husband, Marshall. There were also reportedly two instances of healing, which Roberts would later look back on as his first realization "that I was approaching 'my hour'."[11]

Until 1947, Roberts struggled as a part-time preacher in Oklahoma, but when he was 29, Roberts said he picked up his Bible and it fell open at the Third Epistle of John, where he read verse 2: "I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." The next day, he said, he bought a Buick and God appeared, directing him to heal the sick.[12]

Roberts resigned his pastoral ministry with the Pentecostal Holiness Church to found Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (OREA).[13] He conducted evangelistic and faith healing drives across the United States and around the world, claiming he could raise the dead.[14][15] In November 1947, he started Healing Waters, a monthly magazine as a means to promote his meetings.[16] Thousands of sick people waited in line to stand before Oral Roberts so he could pray for them. He appeared as a guest speaker for hundreds of national and international meetings and conventions. Through the years, he conducted more than 300 "crusades" on six continents, and personally laid hands in prayer on more than 2 million people.[9][17][18]

In January 1955, Oral Roberts held a "salvation and healing" campaign in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was an era of apartheid. He was bitterly assailed by the Sunday Express for the hysteria and traffic jams of 20,000 people that packed big Wembley stadium and playing field. Other newspapers reported on the healings and 25,000 people saved. Roberts left behind a residual campaign fund in South Africa of $37,000 less expenses, with the hope that "his campaign will save 100,000 during the coming year".[19] Three of the four sponsoring churches were Pentecostal, including Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) and the Assemblies of God – White Group (AG). The campaign committee consisted entirely of white Afrikaner missionaries and ministers, H.R. Carter, D.D. Freeman, A.J. Schoeman (head of AFM), and W.F. Mullan (head of AG).[20] The campaign committee had plans to use the Oral Roberts' 100,000 Souls for Africa Campaign residual fund to hold revivals in 1955 to win souls for Christ, both Afrikaners (white) and Africans (black).[21] The campaign committee sponsored a young evangelist from the U.S.A. Emanuele Cannistraci,[22] and paid for his revivals in Johannesburg at the Fairview Assemblies Hall and a portion of Bethshan Tabernacle's costs for Cannistraci's revival in Durban South Africa, a congregation of mixed race.[23][24] Cannistraci's photos, including his claims of healing two deaf and dumb brothers during the revival, were published in Oral Roberts' America's Healing Magazine.

He also ran direct mail campaigns of seed-faith, which appealed to poor Americans, often from ethnic minorities. At its peak in the early 1980s, Roberts was the leader of a $120 million-a-year organization employing 2,300 people. This included not only a university but also a medical school and hospital as well as buildings on 50 acres (200,000 m2) south of Tulsa valued at $500 million.[3][12] Another part of the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, the Abundant Life Prayer Group (ALPG), was founded in 1958.[13]

The Praying Hands, on the ORU campus in Tulsa, Oklahoma

In 1963, he founded Oral Roberts University (ORU)[13] in Tulsa, Oklahoma, stating he was obeying a command from God. The university was chartered during 1963 and received its first students in 1965. Students were required to sign an honor code pledging not to drink, smoke, or engage in premarital sexual activities. The Prayer Tower, opened in 1967, is located at the center of the campus.

From left: Young Brown, Jack Moore, William Branham, Oral Roberts, Gordon Lindsay; photo taken at Kansas City in 1948

Roberts was a pioneer televangelist, and attracted a vast viewership. He began broadcasting by radio in 1947,[25][26] and began broadcasting his revivals by television in 1954.[3] His television ministry continued with The Abundant Life program reaching 80% of the United States by 1957, and quarterly Prime Time Specials from 1969 through 1980. In 1996, he founded Golden Eagle Broadcasting.[13]

On March 17, 1968, Roberts and his wife were received as members of the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Dr. Finis Crutchfield, its then pastor. The United Methodist Church offered more leniency in doctrinal and moral issues than the Pentecostal Holiness Church had. This granted Roberts some leeway, as it was expected that the strictness of the Pentecostal tradition may have impeded his rise in popularity.[27] Before Roberts' switch to Methodism, Crutchfield arranged a meeting between Roberts and Bishop William Angie Smith, at which the Bishop told Roberts, "We need you, but we need the Holy Spirit more than we need you and we've got to have the Holy Spirit in the Methodist Church."[28] Roberts became an elder in the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church. From 1968 through 1987, Roberts was a member of the United Methodist Church's ministry.[29][30][31]

Roberts affected the American Protestant community. According to one commentator, his ministry's influence in conservative Protestant culture was second only to that of Billy Graham.[32][33][34] His divine healing ministry called for prayer to heal the whole person—body, mind and spirit.[35] Many labeled him a faith healer, but he rejected this with the comment: "God heals—I don't."[32][4] He played a major role in bringing American Pentecostal Christianity into the mainstream.[36] Even though Roberts was often associated with the prosperity gospel and the faith movement because of his close doctrinal and personal ties with Word-Faith teachers, his abundant life teachings did not fully identify him with that movement.[37]

In 1977, Roberts claimed to have had a vision from a 900-foot-tall Jesus who told him to build City of Faith Medical and Research Center, and the hospital would be a success.[38][39][40] In 1980, Roberts said he had a vision that encouraged him to continue the construction of his City of Faith Medical and Research Center in Oklahoma, which opened in 1981. At the time, it was among the largest health facilities of its kind in the world and was intended to merge prayer and medicine in the healing process. The City of Faith operated for eight years before closing in late 1989. The Orthopedic Hospital of Oklahoma still operates on its premises. In 1983 Roberts said Jesus had appeared to him in person and commissioned him to find a cure for cancer.[41][42]

Roberts' fundraising was controversial. In January 1987, during a fundraising drive, Roberts announced to a television audience that unless he raised $8 million by that March, God would "call him home."[43][44] However, the year before on Easter he had told a gathering at the Dallas Convention Center that God had instructed him to raise the money "by the end of the year" or he would die.[45] Regardless of this new March deadline and the fact that he was still $4.5 million short of his goal,[46] some were fearful that he was referring to suicide, given the impassioned pleas and tears that accompanied his statement. Late in March 1987, while Roberts was fasting and praying in the Prayer Tower, Florida, dog track owner Jerry Collins donated $1.3 million.[47][48] Highly worried by what he perceived as Roberts threatening to starve himself, Collins said, "I did it in order to save the guy from going to heaven in a hurry. It's got nothing to do with religion. I've been a Baptist and a Methodist. I believe in religion and not just the church. You have to help one another."[49] Altogether, Roberts raised a total of $9.1 million.[50] Later that year, he announced that God had raised the dead through his ministry.[51] Some of Roberts' fundraising letters were written by Gene Ewing, who headed a business writing donation letters for other evangelicals such as Don Stewart and Robert Tilton.[52]

Roberts maintained his love of finery; one obituary claimed that even when times became economically hard, "he continued to wear his Italian silk suits, diamond rings and gold bracelets—airbrushed out by his staff on publicity pictures".[12][30]

The CityPlex office complex, originally built as Oral Roberts' City of Faith Medical and Research Center in Tulsa

He stirred up controversy when Time reported in 1987 that his son Richard Roberts claimed that he had seen his father raise a child from the dead.[44] That year, the Bloom County comic strip recast its character Bill the Cat as a satirized televangelist, "Fundamentally Oral Bill". In 1987, Time stated that he was "re-emphasizing faith healing and [is] reaching for his old-time constituency."[44] However, the income of his organization continued to decrease (from $88 million in 1980 to $55 million in 1986, according to the Tulsa Tribune) and his largely vacant City of Faith Medical Center continued to lose money.[44]

Harry McNevin said that in 1988 the ORU Board of Regents "rubber-stamped" the "use of millions in endowment money to buy a Beverly Hills property so that Oral Roberts could have a West Coast office and house."[53] In addition, he said a country club membership was purchased for the Roberts' home. The lavish expenses led to McNevin's resignation from the Board. In 1988, Oral Roberts and his son Richard were sued for $15 million in federal court by patients at City of Faith Medical Center, who claimed the two were frauds who did not visit or heal patients in the hospital.[54][55][56]

His organizations were also affected by scandals involving other televangelists[32] and the City of Faith hospital was forced to close in 1989 after losing money. Roberts was forced to respond with the sale of his holiday homes in Palm Springs and Beverly Hills as well as three of his Mercedes cars.[12]

Richard Roberts resigned from the presidency of ORU on November 23, 2007, after being named as a defendant in a lawsuit alleging improper use of university funds for political and personal purposes, and improper use of university resources.[57][58] The university was given a donation of $8 million by Hobby Lobby heir Mart Green, and although the lawsuit was still in process,[59] the school submitted to an outside audit, and with a good report an additional $62 million was given by Green.[60][61] Oral Roberts continued in his role as ORU chancellor, helping in the leadership of ORU along with Billy Joe Daugherty, who was named as the executive regent to assume administrative responsibilities of the Office of the President by the ORU Board of Regents.[62] Oral Roberts continued as the ORU chancellor until his death,[13] but in 2009, eleven months before his death, he handed over the leadership of ORU to its incoming president, Mark Rutland.[63]

The Oklahoma Senate adopted a resolution honoring the life of Oral Roberts, and he accepted this honor in 2009 at the age of 91, seven months before his death.[64] The Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters (OAB) elected Roberts to the OAB Hall of Fame one month before his death.[26][65]

Personal life

[edit]

Roberts was married to Evelyn Lutman Fahnestock (1917–2005) for 66 years from December 25, 1938, until her death from a fall, at the age of 88, on May 4, 2005.[66][67] Their daughter Rebecca Nash died with her husband, businessman Marshall Nash, in an airplane crash on February 11, 1977.[68][69] Their elder son, Ronald Roberts, died by suicide on June 10, 1982, five months after receiving a court order to undergo counseling at a drug treatment center.[70] The other two Roberts' children are son Richard, an evangelist and former president of Oral Roberts University, and daughter Roberta Potts, an attorney.

Roberts died of complications from pneumonia on December 15, 2009,[71][72][32] at the age of 91. He had been "semi-retired" and living in Newport Beach, California.[73] He was interred next to his wife at the Memorial Park Cemetery in Tulsa, Oklahoma (the same cemetery where T. L. Osborn would be interred nearly four years later).[74]

According to a 1987 article in The New York Review of Books by Martin Gardner, the "most accurate and best documented biography" is Oral Roberts: An American Life, an objective study by David Edwin Harrell Jr., a historian at Auburn University.

See also

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References

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Further reading

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Oral Roberts

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Granville Oral Roberts (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009) was an American Pentecostal evangelist renowned for his ministry and founding in , in 1963. Roberts began his evangelistic career in 1947 with healing crusades that drew large crowds, emphasizing divine healing as integral to Pentecostal theology and personal testimony of overcoming through faith. He pioneered in the 1950s, utilizing television broadcasts to extend his message globally and raise funds, which built a multimedia empire including the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association. Central to his teachings was the "seed-faith" principle, which posited that giving generously—especially to ministry—would yield multiplied returns from God, a concept derived from biblical parables and applied to personal and financial prosperity. While his innovations advanced charismatic Christianity's reach, Roberts faced controversies over prosperity-oriented fundraising tactics, including a 1987 claim of a divine vision threatening his life unless $8 million was raised for medical scholarships, reflecting tensions between faith claims and empirical scrutiny in his later ministry.

Early Life

Childhood and Family

Granville Oral Roberts was born on January 24, 1918, in , near the town of Ada, as the fifth and youngest child of Ellis Melvin Roberts and Claudius Priscilla Roberts (née Irwin). His father, a farmer by trade, served as an itinerant preacher and evangelist in the Pentecostal Holiness Church, while his mother contributed to the family's religious life after their conversion in brush arbor meetings in southeastern . The Roberts family descended from modest rural stock, with heritage on the maternal side, and maintained a deeply devout household centered on Pentecostal tenets. Roberts' childhood unfolded amid the socioeconomic rigors of rural during the , marked by persistent poverty and the uncertainties of farm life in a dust-prone region. The family resided in a and faced financial hardships typical of smallholder farmers, with Ellis Roberts supplementing income through preaching while navigating crop failures and economic downturns that afflicted the area. Migrations within were common for itinerant Pentecostal families like theirs, as preaching opportunities and land prospects dictated relocations, though specific moves remained localized to sustain agrarian roots. From an early age, Roberts was immersed in Pentecostal practices through family-led prayer gatherings, where phenomena such as and expectations of divine healing were normative, shaping his initial worldview under his father's ministerial influence. These home-based devotions emphasized direct personal encounters with the , distinct from formalized church structures, and instilled a foundational commitment to faith amid material scarcity.

Health Struggles and Spiritual Awakening

At the age of 17 in 1935, Oral Roberts contracted , a condition that left him bedridden for over five months and prompted doctors to declare his case hopeless, with no effective treatments available at the time prior to the development of antibiotics like . Weighing approximately 110 pounds and unable to walk, Roberts was carried into a meeting conducted by evangelist George W. Moncey in , where he received prayer. Following the prayer, Roberts reported an immediate sensation of warmth and strength, enabling him to stand and walk out unaided, marking the onset of his physical recovery without subsequent medical intervention. Concurrently, Roberts experienced relief from a chronic stuttering impediment that had hindered his speech since childhood, which he attributed to the same prayer encounter rather than prior therapies or interventions. As he testified publicly during the service, his speech reportedly became fluent for the first time, an outcome he and witnesses interpreted as a divine , corroborated by his subsequent ability to preach without recurrence of the stutter. This event occurred amid Roberts' earlier aspirations for a secular career, including interests in , which he set aside following the experience. In the immediate aftermath, Roberts claimed a divine vision or audible commission in 1935, wherein instructed him: "Son, I am going to heal you, and you are to take My healing power to your generation." This directive, as recounted in his personal testimony, prompted his full commitment to evangelistic ministry over other pursuits, leading him to preach his first sermon in August 1935 and pursue ordination in the Pentecostal Holiness Church by 1936. The empirical basis for these claims rests on Roberts' documented recovery and lifelong preaching career, though interpretations of causation remain subjective and tied to his self-reported spiritual encounter.

Evangelistic Ministry

Tent Revivals and Healing Crusades

Oral Roberts launched his full-time itinerant ministry in May 1947 with a revival in Enid, Oklahoma, where he first incorporated demonstrations of faith healing into his evangelistic preaching. Resigning from his pastoral role in Enid that year, Roberts organized tent meetings that emphasized personal testimony of his own past illnesses and divine commissioning to pray for the sick. These early events relied on rented tents and drew initial local crowds through word-of-mouth reports of healings, aligning with the broader post-World War II healing revival movement among Pentecostal evangelists. By 1948, Roberts expanded to larger venues, conducting his first major crusade in , under a seating 3,000 people. Services featured preaching on scriptural promises of healing, followed by lines where Roberts laid hands on attendees seeking recovery from conditions such as , cancer, and , as reported in his magazine Healing Waters, launched in November 1947. Participants often testified to immediate sensations of warmth or relief during prayer, with Roberts attributing outcomes to faith rather than personal power, citing Mark 16:18 on the . Nationwide travel commenced in the late 1940s, with crusades in cities like Tulsa and Kansas City, where collaboration with figures such as William Branham amplified visibility. The ministry achieved financial independence through freewill offerings collected at each service, without reliance on denominational funding, enabling purchase of progressively larger tents as attendance swelled into the thousands per event by the end of the decade. Roberts documented over 300 such from onward, though early efforts focused on regional U.S. outreach with verifiable growth in crowd sizes from hundreds to thousands. Reported healing outcomes remained anecdotal, based on onstage testimonies, with no independent medical verification emphasized in contemporary accounts.

Pioneering Televangelism

Oral Roberts initiated his television ministry in January 1954 by producing 26 half-hour episodes titled Your Faith is Power in Hollywood, marking one of the earliest efforts to broadcast Pentecostal services . The program, later known as Oral Roberts Presents, incorporated live elements from his , such as prayer lines where viewers could call in for prayers and on-air testimonials of reported miracles, adapting dynamics to the medium's format. Initially aired locally, it quickly expanded through syndication to independent stations, reflecting Roberts' strategic use of emerging TV technology to extend his evangelistic reach beyond physical venues. By 1957, the broadcasts had grown to 135 stations out of approximately 500 nationwide, accessing roughly 80% of the potential U.S. television audience and demonstrating rapid audience expansion driven by viewer contributions that funded further production. This syndication model relied on technological adaptations like filmed segments of crusade sermons and audience interactions, which maintained the immediacy of while overcoming broadcast limitations. Into the , the program aired on over 100 stations weekly, reaching millions of households and solidifying Roberts' role in pioneering by merging charismatic worship with distribution. The rise of influenced a shift from tent-based revivals to larger indoor arenas for major events, enabling hybrid formats that combined live attendance with simultaneous or recorded broadcasts to amplify impact. This evolution allowed for enhanced production quality, including multi-camera setups and edited segments, which sustained viewer engagement amid growing competition from secular programming.

Formation of Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association

The Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (OREA) was established in 1947 to coordinate Roberts' expanding crusades and evangelistic activities following his resignation from a local pastorate in . This organization centralized the management of healing services, which drew large crowds reporting physical restorations and spiritual conversions across the . By formalizing operations, OREA enabled systematic planning for multi-city tours, logistical support for canvas tents accommodating thousands, and distribution of testimonies through printed materials. In its early years, OREA incorporated as a key outreach arm, launching the "Healing Waters" program in to extend crusade messages beyond live audiences. This initiative aired sermons and healing testimonies on local stations, reaching isolated rural communities and foreshadowing broader media expansion. By , the association pioneered television broadcasts of revival services, marking one of the first regular uses of TV for Pentecostal and amplifying visibility to national audiences. Publications, including magazines chronicling and personal accounts of , further supported these efforts, with OREA producing content that documented reported miracles and doctrinal emphases on divine intervention. Administrative growth in the late included the formation of the Prayer Group in 1958, a dedicated intercessory network handling thousands of prayer requests daily from global correspondents. This structure facilitated 24-hour prayer coverage, purportedly supporting crusade outcomes and personal testimonies of answered petitions. By the , OREA extended operations internationally, organizing missions and broadcasts that the ministry claimed resulted in millions of conversions and healings over Roberts' career, though independent verification of aggregate figures remains limited to self-reported data. Headquarters in , solidified in 1947, served as the operational hub, coordinating these multifaceted activities while emphasizing seed-faith principles in precursor teachings and literature.

Institutional Foundations

Founding Oral Roberts University

Oral Roberts announced plans for the establishment of on December 5, 1961, envisioning an institution that would educate the whole person—spirit, mind, and body—under divine instruction he attributed to God. The university was chartered as a Christian liberal arts school, emphasizing the integration of Pentecostal and charismatic faith principles with rigorous academics to produce leaders empowered by the . Land acquisition in , followed in 1961, with groundbreaking by trustees in February 1962. The university opened its campus at 7777 South Lewis Avenue on September 7, 1965, initially enrolling 303 undergraduate students in a newly constructed facility featuring seven major buildings, including a six-story learning resources center and a seven-story . Roberts outlined the "quest for wholeness" to the inaugural class, positioning Christ as the model for balanced development across physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. The curriculum focused on undergraduate programs in liberal arts, , and ministry-related fields, incorporating distinctive courses on Spirit-empowered living and biblical themes to foster charismatic renewal alongside traditional scholarship. Rapid expansion marked the early years, with enrollment surpassing 1,000 students by fall 1970, reflecting growing interest in its faith-integrated educational model. Architectural elements symbolized the institution's upward spiritual aspiration, notably the , completed in 1967 and designed by Tulsa architect Frank Wallace as a 200-foot structure shaped like a modern cross to represent continual prayer and connection to the divine. The campus design drew from futuristic Googie influences, aiming to embody innovation in Christian higher education.

City of Faith Medical Complex

The City of Faith Medical and Research Center represented Oral Roberts' vision to merge charismatic Christian with conventional medical practice in a comprehensive facility on the campus in . Groundbreaking commenced on April 26, 1978, shortly after approval by the Oklahoma Health Planning Commission, overcoming regulatory hurdles related to healthcare need and market saturation. Construction of the complex, encompassing a 60-story tower, a 21-story , and a 10-story research center, concluded in 1981 at an estimated cost of $250 million. The hospital opened on October 30, 1981, initially with 294 beds and plans to expand to 777 beds, symbolizing biblical completeness through the number seven repeated. It incorporated "prayer partners" who worked alongside physicians to provide spiritual support, with Roberts asserting this holistic approach would accelerate patient recoveries by combining with treatment. During its peak operations from 1981 to 1984, the facility admitted patients for various treatments, though specific patient volume data remains limited, and claims of empirically superior outcomes from faith integration lacked independent verification beyond anecdotal reports from the ministry. Financial overextension plagued the complex early, with a emerging by 1984 due to high operational costs, low occupancy, and insufficient revenue amid competition from established Tulsa hospitals. By 1989, accumulating debts reached $25 million, prompting Roberts to announce closure of the hospital and affiliated on September 14, 1989, with the last patient discharged on October 16. The property was subsequently sold to offset debts, repurposed as for non-medical uses, underscoring the venture's failure to achieve sustainable integration of spiritual and medical paradigms on a large scale.

Core Teachings

Faith Healing Practices

Oral Roberts centered his practices on the conviction that God heals the sick through the of believers, drawing scriptural authority from passages like Mark 16:18, which promises that those who believe "shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." He taught that healing was not automatic but required the recipient's active, "released" to appropriate God's power, distinguishing it from passive expectation or mere ritual. This approach stemmed from Roberts' own reported healing from in 1935 at age 17, after evangelist George W. Moncey laid hands on him during a service, an event he recounted as marking his entry into belief in present-day miracles. During his tent crusades from onward, Roberts implemented specific techniques to engage participants' faith, including public at altar calls where he prayed directly for individuals who came forward. He incorporated anointing with oil, referencing James 5:14–15 as a biblical to symbolize consecration and release faith, applying it during for the infirm. cloths, handkerchiefs prayed over and distributed to attendees or mailed to viewers, served as tangible aids modeled after Acts 19:12, intended to extend ministry beyond physical presence by prompting recipients to hold them while confessing faith. These elements were framed not as magical but as obedient responses to scripture, with Roberts preaching the Word beforehand to build expectancy and instructing participants to hear God's voice for personalized direction in receiving . Roberts emphasized verifiable outcomes through collected testimonies, often requiring affidavits or medical confirmations before publicizing cases, such as recoveries from or cancer reported in crusade follow-ups. For instance, he cited instances where pre-healing physician diagnoses were contrasted with post-healing improvements, though independent scientific scrutiny frequently contested these as insufficiently controlled. Proponents, including Roberts, argued that sustained personal accounts of restored health—numbering in the thousands from his meetings—provided empirical weight, critiquing skeptics for prioritizing absence of negative proof over positive, life-altering data from healed individuals. This focus on faith-activated results underscored his view that healing manifested God's causal reality in the physical realm, accessible today as in biblical times.

Seed-Faith and Prosperity Principles

Roberts articulated the seed-faith principle as a biblical framework for giving, wherein financial or material contributions to ministry efforts represent "seeds" sown in expectation of divine multiplication, yielding returns in areas such as provision, , and opportunity. This concept emerged from his earlier "Blessing Pact" initiative launched in 1954, which encouraged partners to commit regular support while anticipating reciprocal blessings, and was formalized as seed-faith by the amid his expanding media outreach. Central to the doctrine is the scriptural analogy of sowing and reaping, drawn from passages like 2 Corinthians 9:6-10, which describe supplying to the sower and bread for , promising that bountiful leads to bountiful reaping through His enrichment. Roberts emphasized three operational steps: identifying as the primary source of all needs rather than human means; actively planting the via specific acts of giving; and maintaining expectancy for a tailored to the individual's circumstances. Proponents within Pentecostal circles, including Roberts' successors, maintain this fosters disciplined obedience, positing a causal link where faithful giving aligns with divine , potentially manifesting as resolved debts, advancements, or restored vitality, as reported in ministry correspondence. In practice, seed-faith was integrated into Roberts' television broadcasts and through public pledges, where viewers committed funds—often framed as targeted seeds for particular needs—and shared subsequent testimonies of correlated blessings, such as unexpected business windfalls or financial breakthroughs following donations. These accounts, disseminated via newsletters and programs, reinforced the principle's efficacy among adherents, with Roberts citing instances where modest gifts purportedly catalyzed disproportionate returns, underscoring a of proactive over passive waiting. Defenders of the teaching counter accusations of materialism by stressing its roots in covenantal obedience rather than mechanistic wealth generation, arguing that any harvest serves God's purposes first, with material outcomes as incidental to spiritual alignment and not universally guaranteed. Critics, including theological observers, associate it with broader prosperity emphases, viewing the emphasis on multiplied returns as incentivizing donations through implied quid pro quo, potentially prioritizing fiscal inflows over gospel proclamation, though empirical validation remains largely testimonial rather than systematically verifiable.

Controversies

Fundraising Appeals and Financial Scrutiny

In January 1987, Oral Roberts publicly stated that had directed him to raise $8 million within three months to fund medical missionaries associated with the City of Faith Medical and Research Center, claiming that failure to meet the goal would result in "calling him home," interpreted by Roberts as his own . This appeal, disseminated via television broadcasts and letters to supporters, generated over $8 million in donations by the March 31 deadline, which Roberts attributed to divine intervention sparing his life. Critics, including religious commentators, condemned the campaign as manipulative , arguing that linking personal survival to donor response exerted undue pressure on followers and deviated from standard charitable solicitation practices. Roberts defended the urgency as a direct divine mandate tied to the financial strains of the City of Faith, which had already consumed tens of millions from ministry funds since opening in 1981, with annual operating losses reaching $30–40 million by the mid-1980s. The Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (OREA) faced broader financial scrutiny in the amid national investigations into televangelists' tax-exempt operations, though Roberts's ministry retained its status without revocation, unlike some peers. Monthly contributions hovered around $3 million by 1988, supporting operational costs estimated at $5 million per month for , institutions, and , with funds allocated to mission work despite reports of donor fatigue and project shortfalls. Media outlets highlighted perceived extravagance in ministry expenditures, yet OREA issued periodic financial disclosures emphasizing allocations to and institutional maintenance over personal enrichment.

Institutional Setbacks and Leadership Transitions

The City of Faith Medical and Research Center, established by Oral Roberts in 1981 as part of his vision to integrate with conventional medicine, encountered severe financial difficulties leading to its closure in 1989. Facing a reported $25 million deficit, Roberts announced the shutdown of both the hospital and affiliated , attributing the challenges to insufficient funds and broader economic pressures in healthcare. State and local authorities had warned as early as that the project was economically unfeasible due to high construction costs and anticipated low occupancy rates. The closure stemmed from overambitious expansion amid shifting market dynamics, including increased competition from established medical facilities and regulatory hurdles, rather than isolated fraudulent activities. Subsequent repurposing of the City of Faith facilities, such as the , allowed for continued use in educational and ministry functions under (ORU), mitigating total loss of infrastructure. This transition highlighted causal factors like mismatched demand for specialized services and debt accumulation from rapid scaling, common in nonprofit expansions reliant on donor funding. In 2007, ORU faced its own acute financial strain under the presidency of Richard Roberts, Oral's son, with the institution carrying over $50 million in debt amid allegations of mismanagement raised in a by three former professors. The suit claimed misuse of funds for personal luxuries, including a $39,000 shopping spree and a $29,411 trip, prompting an and Richard Roberts' resignation on November 23, 2007. Empirical issues, such as inadequate oversight in a donor-driven model emphasizing principles, contributed to unchecked expenditures during enrollment stagnation. Subsequent lawsuits, including those for wrongful termination, were either settled out of court or dismissed, with no criminal convictions resulting from the probes. Leadership transitioned to a board-appointed , enabling fiscal reforms that stabilized ORU. Despite critiques linking prosperity gospel teachings to patterns of aggressive growth without proportional revenue safeguards, the university demonstrated resilience, achieving record enrollment exceeding 7,000 students by the 2024-25 academic year and marking 17 consecutive years of growth as of 2025. This recovery underscores adaptive amid inherent risks of charismatic-led institutions.

Personal Life and Later Years

Family Dynamics

Oral Roberts married Evelyn Lutman on December 25, 1938, in Westville, Oklahoma, in a union that lasted 66 years until her death in 2005. The couple had four children: sons Ronald and Richard, and daughters Rebecca and Roberta. Evelyn Roberts contributed significantly to her husband's evangelistic efforts, supporting the ministry from its inception in 1947 and assisting in the development of its television outreach and Oral Roberts University. She authored several books on faith and family life, including His Darling Wife, Evelyn and Heaven Has a Floor, often drawing from their shared experiences in ministry. Family members participated in crusades and university activities, with son Richard eventually taking a prominent role in the organization as an evangelist and successor. The family faced private difficulties, including the struggles of eldest son with drug addiction, which culminated in his by gunshot on June 9, 1982, at age 37; Oral Roberts publicly acknowledged his son's prolonged personal battles in a statement. The Roberts approached such challenges through and adherence to biblical teachings on family and redemption, emphasizing and spiritual guidance amid public scrutiny of their ministry.

Retirement, Death, and Succession

Roberts gradually reduced his active involvement in institutional leadership during the 1980s and 1990s, transitioning the presidency of (ORU) to his son Richard Roberts in 1993 after serving in the role since 1965. He retained influence as chancellor and through the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (OREA), but by the early 2000s, declining health prompted semi-retirement, with Roberts relocating to . Roberts died on December 15, 2009, at age 91 from complications of at a in Newport Beach. Following Roberts' death, OREA continued operations under Roberts' direction as part of Oral Roberts Ministries, preserving the evangelistic and prosperity gospel emphases of the original vision. ORU experienced upheaval after 's resignation as president in November 2007 amid financial and ethical allegations, but the board appointed as president in 2009, who focused on debt reduction and institutional stabilization before handing off to William M. Wilson in 2013; both successors emphasized continuity with Roberts' charismatic educational charter.

Legacy

Impact on Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements

Oral Roberts played a pivotal role in transitioning classical toward the broader Charismatic renewal by leveraging television evangelism, which exposed Pentecostal practices like and Spirit baptism to audiences beyond traditional denominational boundaries. Beginning in 1954, his telecasts reached millions, facilitating charismatic experiences in churches, including his own United Methodist denomination, where he served for 19 years and promoted glossolalia and healing among clergy and laity. This media innovation helped catalyze the Charismatic Movement's emergence in the , drawing an estimated initial following of several million adherents who integrated charismatic gifts into non-Pentecostal settings. Roberts' doctrinal emphases, particularly seed-faith giving and prosperity principles, influenced key figures such as , who served as Roberts' personal pilot in the late and regarded him as a spiritual mentor, adapting and amplifying these teachings through his own ministry. These ideas contributed to shifts in Pentecostal theology toward viewing material blessings as evidence of faith, a framework that proliferated globally as prosperity gospel variants took root in regions like and , where Pentecostal churches grew rapidly amid economic aspirations. The empirical expansion of Pentecostal and Charismatic adherents underscores Roberts' media-driven model's partial attribution to broader growth patterns: from roughly 10 million worldwide in the early to over 600 million by the early , with annual conversions estimated at 35,000 daily in recent decades. This surge, outpacing global by nearly fourfold since 1900, reflects causal links to accessible broadcast that democratized charismatic practices, fostering doctrinal uniformity in expectations across independent churches.

Cultural and Institutional Influence

Oral Roberts University (ORU), founded in 1963, endures as a regionally accredited institution by the , offering over 150 majors and pre-professional programs that emphasize charismatic Christian principles. Its persistence is evidenced by operational metrics, including an 85% freshman retention rate and a 59% six-year graduation rate for undergraduates, alongside a 99.87% postgraduate placement rate encompassing employment and further education among 2024 graduates. Programs in science and engineering yield strong outcomes, such as 86% acceptance for students with GPAs above 3.4 and 75% for , underscoring tangible educational impacts over subjective perceptions of institutional culture. The campus, featuring symbolic elements like the 60-foot Praying Hands sculpture, functions as a hub for and initiatives, attracting visitors and sustaining a focus on spiritual wholeness. ORU alumni have extended influence into ministry and , with many graduates entering pastoral roles and contributing to global charismatic networks, as recognized through awards like the university's Lifetime Global Achievement honors for impactful figures. While some anecdotal critiques portray elements of authoritarian control or cult-like dynamics, these lack substantiation in verifiable data such as continuity or enrollment stability, which instead highlight resilience amid leadership transitions and financial scrutiny. Roberts' media endeavors, initiating radio broadcasts in and television revivals in , established precedents for Christian broadcasting by integrating with , influencing subsequent networks and televangelists. The Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (OREA), operational since , continues producing resources including teachings, materials, and healing-focused content under successor leadership, maintaining output through television and digital platforms. This legacy manifests in expanded charismatic media ecosystems, prioritizing empirical reach via ongoing programming over unverified claims of innovation's uniformity.

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