First Baptist Church

Evangelist Oral Roberts died Tuesday December 15th at his California home following a fall at the age of 91. His son, and fellow televangelist Richard Roberts, said of his father, “he was the greatest man of God I have ever known.”

Roberts founded Oral Roberts University in 1963 and served as its president until retiring in 1993. Roberts also was a powerful preacher, evangelist, and author. He was said to be the only man of his generation to launch a world-wide ministry.

Oral Roberts actually attended Oklahoma Baptist University for 1 semester back in the 1930s, but was restless seeking more than the life a Baptist minister or missionary promised. Roberts was reported to have said one day, in one of his classes, to the professor and fellow students at OBU that, “you guys can preach for beans your whole life, but I’m going to make the big-time.” That account was told to me by Dr. Bob Evans the distinguished professor of New Testament whom I studied under at OBU in the early 1990s.

In the 1970s Roberts reported to having had a vision of a 900 foot Jesus which inspired him to build what would become The City of Faith hospital on the ORU campus. The massive 60 story skyscraper (the tallest building in the state) could be seen all over Tulsa in all the spender of its gold veneer. Two gigantic “praying hands” which were 3 stories tall, stood outside the massive structure. The hospital opened in 1980 but stood virtually empty for a number of years until finally being sold. At the time the hospital was open, only 3 or 4 floors of the hospital were even finished and at no time were there ever more than about 2 dozen patients in the entire facility. He had envisioned people from all over the world coming there for treatment and healing.

Roberts considered himself to possess apostolic gifts including the ability to have visions, speak words equitable with scripture, and even heal the sick. Many of his books dealt with the subjects of sickness, healing, and faith. It was always a bit unclear why he would travel to California when he needed surgery if he indeed possessed that power. Especially when he considered sickness or medical maladies to be signs of a lack of faith.

Stories abound from my childhood of knowing of widows on fixed incomes who sent in money sacrificially to help support his latest vision. One particular instance involved an elderly lady who had sent money in to his ministry for many years who had been told by the ministry that Roberts would preach her funeral when she died. Of course when that day came and her family tried to contact him, he was anything but available.

In 1987 Roberts claimed to have had a vision in which God had told him that if he did not raise 8 million dollars by a particular date, God was going to “take him home.” He went into seclusion in a prayer tower on the ORU campus during this period and became the subject of caricatures, cartoons, and even a skit on NBC’s Saturday Night Live in which Charlton Heston played the role of “God” supposedly speaking to Roberts. This came in the very midst of other scandals involving Jim Bakker and his leaving the PTL Club and Jimmy Swaggart’s dalliance with a prostitute in a hotel room involving what he termed “pornographic acts.” In the end, Roberts received the amount needed from a Florida dog racetrack owner. He took a lot of heat because the money came from someone who made his living via a profession openly criticized by Christians.

I have frequented many used bookstores over the years in Oklahoma and in other states. It has been commonplace to find many of his books, along with many others of a charismatic persuasion lining the shelves. A friend of mine once commented to me that you could never find any good religious books in used book stores because once people bought those kind, they held on to them. When people bought Roberts’ books, along with other charismatic authors, they did not find what they were looking for. They were left wanting. What my friend said made a lot of sense to me. Still to this day when I walk into a used book store I find a wide selection of books that are not doctrinally sound.

Roberts is just one of many who have operated within this “name it and claim it” framework. In 1992 when John MacArthur released his book Charismatic Chaos, he came to Tulsa to speak about the book, pointing out that the Tulsa area was the very heart and soul of the charismatic movement. MacArthur took considerable flack from Ramah Bible Institute in Broken Arrow, ORU and others for his stand, however little, if any, biblical evidence was drawn out by them to refute his claims.

Truly only God can judge a heart. Only he knows where Oral Roberts really was in his relationship with him. I have, however seen a lot of evidence which stacks up against him, but who knows. When your time on earth is over and done and someone else considers the legacy of your life what will they determine? How difficult will it be for anyone to say nice things about you? To celebrate your honesty and integrity? To bring accolades to your stewardship in all matters? We all struggle in many ways, however God’s word has placed upon us a responsibility to test what others are saying in light of the authority of scripture. I am sad to say, but from all I have seen, I have strong doubts about the ministry of Oral Roberts.

In Christ,

Pastor Allen Raynor