Oral Roberts, 1918-2009
Prayer line in Columbus, Ohio in 1965
The big news in the religious world today was the passing or famous televangelist Oral Roberts, the founder of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla. Roberts was 91 years old and living in Newport Beach, Calif. at the time of his death.
There will be many opinions voiced about Roberts in the coming days, but one thing is undeniable: he made an indelible impact on American Christendom, particularly the modern Pentecostal/Charismatic Movement.
Like many Pentecostal ministers, Roberts was of humble origins. The Tulsa World describes how Roberts got his start in the ministry:
At the age of 17, Roberts was told he had tuberculosis. He was bedridden for months, and doctors gave no hope for his life.
On the way to a healing revival in a nearby town, Roberts said God told him that he was going to be healed and that he would take God’s healing power to his generation.
Roberts said the TB left him at the revival that night. The healing was later confirmed by a clinic in Ada. In addition, a stuttering problem was gone, and two months later he gave his first sermon.
Oral Roberts in 1948
Roberts was soon ministering to the masses using the newest forms of technology, including television. His name eventually became nearly synonymous with the term “televangelist.”
My devoutly Pentecostal family were not Roberts’ adherents: in fact, the only time I recall his name coming up in conversation was when my mother spoke disapprovingly of his famous January 1987 declaration that, unless he raised $8 million by March, God would “call him home.” Regardless of my mother’s disgust, Roberts’ plea worked: he raised over $9 million.
Besides his theatrical fundraising effort, Roberts was especially noted for conducting healing crusades. The following is a video clip of Roberts praying for a boy who has been crippled by polio. According to the on-screen text, the incident takes place in Florence, S.C. in 1955. The clip gives the viewer a bit of the flavor of Roberts’ ministry.
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