Oral Roberts

{{short description|American religious leader (1918–2009)}}
{{about||the university|Oral Roberts University|the university's athletic program|Oral Roberts Golden Eagles|the Pentecostal ministry|Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox clergy
| name = Oral Roberts
| image = Oral Roberts.jpg
<!--| honorific-prefix = [[The Reverend]]-->
| caption =
| birth_name = Granville Oral Roberts
| birth_date = {{birth date|1918|01|24}}
| birth_place = [[Ada, Oklahoma]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2009|12|15|1918|01|24|}}
| death_place = [[Newport Beach, California]], U.S.
| nationality = [[Choctaw Nation|Choctaw]], American
| education = [[Oklahoma Baptist University]]
| church = [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] ([[Pentecostal Holiness Church]]), [[Methodism|Methodist]] ([[United Methodist Church]]), [[Charismatic Christianity|Charismatic]]
| occupation = [[Evangelism|Evangelist]]
| years_active = 1947&ndash;1993
| congregations = 
| offices_held = Founder and President, [[Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association]];<br>Co-founder, President, and Chancellor, [[Oral Roberts University]]
| spouse = {{marriage|Evelyn Lutman|1938|2005|reason=her death}}
| children = 4, including [[Richard Roberts (evangelist)|Richard Roberts]]
| website = {{url|http://www.oralroberts.com/oralroberts/}}
}}

'''Granville Oral Roberts''' (January 24, 1918&nbsp;– December 15, 2009<ref>{{cite news|url=http://religion.lohudblogs.com/2009/12/15/oral-roberts-dead-at-91/|title=Evangelist Oral Roberts Dead At 91|last=Juozapavicius|first=Justin|agency=Associated Press|date=December 15, 2009|access-date=May 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825231402/http://religion.lohudblogs.com/2009/12/15/oral-roberts-dead-at-91/|archive-date=25 August 2011|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="AP_obit"/>) was an American [[Charismatic Christianity|Charismatic]] [[Christianity|Christian]] [[televangelist]], who was one of the first to propagate [[Word of Faith|Prosperity Gospel Theology]]. He was ordained in both the [[International Pentecostal Holiness Church|Pentecostal Holiness]] and [[United Methodist Church|United Methodist]] churches. 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Son of televangelist fights 'personal character attack' |url=https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/oct/14/son_televangelist_fights_personal_character_attack/}}</ref> He founded the [[Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association]] and [[Oral Roberts University]].

One of the most well-known and controversial American religious leaders of the 20th century, his preaching emphasized [[seed-faith]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Roberts, Oral|title=A Daily Guide to Miracles and Successful Living Through Seed-Faith|url=http://www.biblio.com/oral-roberts/a-daily-guide-to-miracles~36814857~title|isbn=978-0800783006|orig-year=1975 |year=1980 |location=Grand Rapids, MI|publisher=[[Fleming H. Revell]]|pages=228–231}}</ref> His ministries reached millions of followers worldwide spanning a period of over six decades.<ref name="NYT_obit"/> His [[Divine healing|healing]] ministry and his bringing American [[Pentecostalism]] into the mainstream had the most impact,<ref name="CT_obit">{{cite magazine |last=Olsen |first=Ted |title=Why the Oral Roberts Obituaries Are Wrong |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/decemberweb-only/151-34.0.html?start=1 |magazine=[[Christianity Today]] |date=December 16, 2009 |access-date=December 24, 2009}}</ref> but he also pioneered [[televangelism]], and laid the foundations of the [[prosperity gospel]]<ref name="NYT_obit">{{cite news |last=Schneider |first=Keith |title=Oral Roberts, Fiery Preacher, Dies at 91 |url=http://tulsaworld.com/app/oralroberts/pdf/specialsection.pdf |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 15, 2009 |access-date=December 24, 2009}}</ref> and [[abundant life]] teachings.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sherman |first=Bill |title=Oral Roberts 1918–2009: A Lasting Influence|quote=God is a good God who wants to bless people spiritually, physically and economically.|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/webextra/content/2008/oralRoberts/specialsection.pdf|newspaper=[[Tulsa World]]|page=2 |date=December 20, 2009}}</ref> The breadth and style of his ministry, including his widely publicized funding appeals, made him a consistent subject of contention among critics and supporters.<ref name="NYT_obit"/>

==Early life==
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).<ref>{{cite news |title=Oral Roberts's Mother Dies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/04/19/archives/oral-robertss-mother-dies.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 19, 1974 |access-date=December 15, 2009}}</ref> In an interview on ''[[Larry King Live]]'', Roberts claimed his mother was of [[Cherokee descent]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Interview With Lennox Lewis; Interview With Oral Roberts (transcript) |url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0201/31/lkl.00.html |work=[[Larry King Live]] |date=January 31, 2002 |access-date=December 18, 2009}}</ref> Roberts also claimed [[Choctaw]] heritage. However, census records indicate that Roberts and his family are listed as "white", including his mother despite her claims to be "one-quarter Cherokee."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://digitalshowcase.oru.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1085&context=spiritus |title=The Spirit of Immense Struggle |publisher=[[Oral Roberts University]] |accessdate=2023-01-24}}</ref> Roberts began life in poverty, and nearly died of tuberculosis when he was 17.<ref name="TulsaToday">{{cite news |last=Arnett |first=David |title=Oral Roberts Dies |url=http://www.tulsatoday.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1429:oral-roberts-dies&catid=58:local&Itemid=106 |work=Tulsa Today |date=December 15, 2009 |access-date=December 21, 2009}}</ref> 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".<ref name="Time1972">{{cite magazine |title=Religion: Oral's Progress |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,905738-1,00.html |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=February 7, 1972 |access-date=January 4, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070813171429/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,905738-1,00.html |archive-date=August 13, 2007}}</ref>

==Ministry and university==
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 resigned and moved back to Shawnee. Apparently, the [[International Pentecostal Holiness Church|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'."<ref>{{cite book |last=Harrell |first=David Edwin |title=Oral Roberts: an American Life |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rtz1InGWAmYC&q=oral+roberts+toccoa&pg=PA61 |publisher=[[Indiana University Press]] |location=Bloomington, IN |date=1985 |page=61 |access-date=16 May 2016 |isbn=0585104719}}</ref>

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.<ref name="guardian bit">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/dec/15/oral-roberts-obituary|title=Oral Roberts obituary|last=Christopher|first=Reed|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=December 15, 2009|access-date=December 21, 2009 |location=London}}</ref>

Roberts resigned his pastoral ministry with the [[Pentecostal Holiness Church]] to found [[Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association]] (OREA).<ref name="biography">{{cite web|title=Oral Roberts |url=http://www.oralroberts.com/oralroberts/ |publisher=[[Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association|Oral Roberts Ministries]] |year=2009 |access-date=May 27, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623041011/http://www.oralroberts.com/oralroberts/ |archive-date=June 23, 2011}}</ref> He conducted evangelistic and [[faith healing]] drives across the United States and around the world, claiming he could raise the dead.<ref>{{cite news |title=Oral Roberts Tells Conference He Has Raised People From the Dead |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/27/us/oral-roberts-tells-conference-he-has-raised-people-from-the-dead.html |work=The New York Times |date=June 27, 1987 |access-date=February 26, 2022 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>"I've Raised People from the Dead, Oral Roberts tells 5,000 in Tulsa", ''[[The Pittsburgh Press]]'', June 26, 1987</ref> In November 1947, he started ''Healing Waters'', a monthly magazine as a means to promote his meetings.<ref>Harrell, Jr., David Edwin (1985). ''Oral Roberts: An American Life''. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. p. 112. {{ISBN|0-253-15844-3}}</ref> 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.<ref name="TulsaToday"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://laist.com/2009/12/15/evangelist_dr_oral_roberts_dies_at.php|title=Evangelist Dr. Oral Roberts Dies at 91 in Newport Beach|last=Behrens|first=Zach|publisher=[[LAist]]|date=December 15, 2009|access-date=December 19, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091218081733/http://laist.com/2009/12/15/evangelist_dr_oral_roberts_dies_at.php|archive-date=December 18, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="pr_121509">{{cite web|title=Oral Roberts Dies: Funeral Arrangements Pending for Legendary Evangelist |url=http://static.ktul.com/documents/oralroberts.pdf |publisher=[[KTUL-TV]] |date=December 15, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091222070102/http://static.ktul.com/documents/oralroberts.pdf |archive-date=December 22, 2009}}</ref>

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".<ref>{{cite news |last=Foresman |first=Bob |title=Oral Roberts cuts a swath in South Africa |url=https://www.tulsaworld.com/archive/oral-roberts-cuts-a-swath-in-south-africa/article_fe2c648a-27a1-59e1-ba58-c8c21cc9fbea.html |work=Tulsa World |date=February 1, 1955}}</ref> Three of the four sponsoring churches were [[Pentecostal]], including [[Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa|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).<ref>{{cite journal |last=Shoeman |first=A.J.|title=The South African Campaign Report|journal=America's Healing Magazine|volume=South Africa Supplement|date=1955 |pages=8–9}}</ref> 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).<ref>{{cite book |last=Patterson |first=Sheila |title=The Last Trek: A Study of the Boer People and the Afrikaneer Nation |publisher=[[Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd]] |year=1957 |isbn=9780415329996}}</ref> The campaign committee sponsored a young evangelist from the U.S.A. Emanuele Cannistraci,<ref name=":4">{{cite news |last=Yamashiro |first=Danny |title=Insights on Decades of Fruitful Ministry – Emanuele Cannistraci |url=https://thegoodlifehawaii.com/insights-on-decades-of-fruitful-ministry-emanuele-cannistraci/ |work=The Good Life Hawaii |location=Honolulu, HI |date=2017}}</ref> 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.<ref>Lephoko, Dan S.B.. "Nicholas Bhekinkosi Hepworth Bhengu's Lasting Legacy." "World's Best Black Soul Crusader". (Dec. 1, 2018) Volume 4 of HTS Religion & Society Series. Publisher, AOSIS. Cape Town, South Africa. {{ISBN|9781928396529}}</ref><ref name=":22">Langeland-Hansen, F. Report. Salvation – Healing Services. Evangelist Emanuele Cannistraci. (1955) (received from Langeland-Hansen, F. in Gateway's Archives)</ref> 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|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 {{convert|50|acre|m2}} south of [[Tulsa]] valued at $500 million.<ref name="NYT_obit" /><ref name="guardian bit" /> Another part of the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, the [[Abundant Life Prayer Group]] (ALPG), was founded in 1958.<ref name="biography" />

[[File:Praying Hands at the main entrance to the campus of Oral Roberts University.jpg|thumb|left|The Praying Hands, on the ORU campus in [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]]]]

In 1963, he founded [[Oral Roberts University]] (ORU)<ref name="biography"/> 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 [[alcohol (drug)|drink]], [[tobacco|smoke]], or engage in premarital sexual activities. The [[Prayer Tower]], opened in 1967, is located at the center of the campus.
[[File:Young_Brown,_Jack_Moore,_William_Branham,_Oral_Roberts,_Gordon_Lindsay_Kansas_City_1948.jpg|thumb|right|From left: Young Brown, Jack Moore, [[William Branham]], Oral Roberts, [[Gordon Lindsay]]; photo taken at [[Kansas City]] in 1948]]

Roberts was a pioneer [[televangelism|televangelist]], and attracted a vast viewership. He began broadcasting by radio in 1947,<ref>{{cite web|title=Broadcasters Vote Three to Hall of Fame|url=http://oabok.org/documents/HOF_info_for_website.pdf|publisher=Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters|year=2010|access-date=June 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072605/http://oabok.org/documents/HOF_info_for_website.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="HOF">{{cite news|title=Chancellor Roberts Elected to Hall of Fame|url=http://www.oru.edu/news/oru_news/20091120_chancellor_roberts_elected.php|publisher=[[Oral Roberts University]]|date=November 20, 2009}}</ref> and began broadcasting his revivals by television in 1954.<ref name="NYT_obit"/> 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]].<ref name="biography"/>

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 Alonzo Crutchfield, Jr.|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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Harrell |first=David Edwin Jr. |title=Oral Roberts: An American Life |publisher=Indiana University Press |location=Bloomington, IN |year=1985 |page=298 |isbn=0-253-15844-3}}</ref> Before Roberts' switch to Methodism, Crutchfield arranged a meeting between Roberts and [[William Angie Smith|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."<ref>{{cite book |title=Oral Roberts: An American Life | last=Harrell | first=David Edwin Jr. |year=1985 |publisher=Indiana University Press |location=Bloomington |isbn=0-253-15844-3 |page=294}}</ref> Roberts became an [[Elder (Methodism)|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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Preacher's Ordination in Dispute |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/28/us/preacher-s-ordination-in-dispute.html |date=October 28, 1987 |page=A23 |access-date=February 26, 2022 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="telegraph_obit">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/religion-obituaries/6827907/Oral-Roberts.html |title=Oral Roberts |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=December 16, 2009 |access-date=December 24, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Roberts |first=Oral |title=Expect a Miracle: My Life and Ministry |url=https://archive.org/details/expectmiraclemyl00roberich |url-access=registration |publisher=[[Thomas Nelson Publishers]] |location=Nashville, TN |year=1995 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/expectmiraclemyl00roberich/page/316 316–329] |isbn=978-0-7852-7465-0}}</ref>

Roberts affected the American [[Protestant]] community. According to one authority in conservative Protestant culture, his ministry's influence was second only to that of [[Billy Graham]].<ref name=AP_obit/><ref>{{cite web|title=Oral Roberts|url=http://www.infoplease.com/biography/var/oralroberts.html|publisher=[[Infoplease]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Bill|last=Sherman|title=Oral Roberts 1918–2009: A Lasting Influence|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/webextra/content/2008/oralRoberts/specialsection.pdf|work=Tulsa World|date=December 20, 2009|page=2}}{{Dead link|date=July 2016}}</ref> His [[divine healing]] ministry called for prayer to heal the [[Abundant life|whole person]]—body, mind and [[soul|spirit]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Roberts, Oral |title=If You Need Healing, Do These Things |url=http://search.barnesandnoble.com/If-You-Need-Healing-Do-These-Things/Oral-Roberts/e/9780548384909#Overview |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120724090136/http://search.barnesandnoble.com/If-You-Need-Healing-Do-These-Things/Oral-Roberts/e/9780548384909%23Overview |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 24, 2012 |location=Whitefish, MT|publisher=[[Kessinger Publishing]] |edition=4th |orig-year=1947 |year=1969 |at=Section: A personal word |quote=...minister to the peoples of the world with the goal of seeing them made whole in mind, body and soul. |isbn=978-0-548-38490-9}}</ref> Many labeled him a [[faith healer]], but he rejected this with the comment: "God heals—I don't."<ref name="AP_obit">{{cite news|url=http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Evangelist-Oral-Roberts-dies-in-Calif-at-age-91-288912.php|title=Evangelist Oral Roberts dies in Calif. at age 91|last=Juozapavicius|first=Justin|agency=[[Associated Press|The Associated Press]]|date=December 15, 2009|access-date=May 27, 2011}}</ref><ref name="CT_obit"/> He played a major role in bringing American [[Pentecostal]] Christianity into the mainstream.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/12/16/evangelist-oral-roberts-leaves-complex-legacy/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120723020256/http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/12/16/evangelist-oral-roberts-leaves-complex-legacy/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 23, 2012|title=Evangelist Oral Roberts leaves a complex legacy|last=Gorski|first=Eric|work=[[Columbia Missourian]]|agency=[[Associated Press|The Associated Press]]|date=December 16, 2009|access-date=January 17, 2010}}</ref> Even though Roberts was often associated with the [[prosperity gospel]] and the [[Word of Faith|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.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Reid|first1=Daniel G.|last2=Linder|first2=Robert Dean|last3=Shelley|first3=Bruce L.|last4=Stout|first4=Harry S.|year=1990|title=Dictionary of Christianity in America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qFcUAQAAIAAJ|location=Westmont, Illinois|publisher=[[InterVarsity Press]]|isbn=978-0-8308-1776-4}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Biddle |first1=Wayne |last2=Slade |first2=Margo |title=Ideas and Trends – Oral Roberts's Word on Cancer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/30/weekinreview/ideas-and-trends-oral-roberts-s-word-on-cancer.html?scp=1&sq=Ideas%20and%20Trends:%20Oral%20Roberts's%20Word%20on%20Cancer&st=cse |work=The New York Times |date=January 30, 1983}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Anne|last=Reifenberg|title=Oral Roberts' Ministry Hits a 'Low Spot'|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3CE2C0203AD50&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|work=[[The Dallas Morning News]]|date=January 5, 1986}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleid=20080326_222_67873 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100131002012/http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleid=20080326_222_67873 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 31, 2010 |title=Oral Roberts tells of talking to 900-foot Jesus |date=October 16, 1980 |work=Tulsa World}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite magazine|first1=Richard|last1=Ostling|last2=Winbush|first2=Don|title=Religion: A Family That Prays Together|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,950927,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222005351/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,950927,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 22, 2008|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=July 4, 1983|author-link1=Richard Ostling}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Paula|last=Herbut|title=Oral Roberts Seeking Millions for Holy Mission Against Cancer|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/131157672.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS&date=Jan+22%2C+1983&author=--+Paula+Herbut&pub=The+Washington+Post++(1974-Current+file)&edition=&startpage=C11&desc=Oral+Roberts+Seeking+Millions+for+Holy+Mission+Against+Cancer|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=January 22, 1983|access-date=July 7, 2017|archive-date=July 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724223301/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/131157672.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS&date=Jan+22%2C+1983&author=--+Paula+Herbut&pub=The+Washington+Post++(1974-Current+file)&edition=&startpage=C11&desc=Oral+Roberts+Seeking+Millions+for+Holy+Mission+Against+Cancer|url-status=dead}}</ref>

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."<ref>{{cite book|last=Randi|first=James|author-link1=James Randi|year=1989|title=[[The Faith Healers]]| publisher=[[Prometheus Books]]|isbn=0-87975-535-0|page=186}}</ref><ref name="Time1987"/> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://articles.latimes.com/1987-02-25/news/mn-5759_1_oral-roberts |date=February 25, 1987 |title=Oral Roberts Also Predicted Death in 1986, Paper Reveals |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=September 1, 2013}}</ref> Regardless of this new March deadline and the fact that he was still $4.5 million short of his goal,<ref>{{cite web |work=NewsOK |url=http://newsok.com/oral-roberts-missionary-fund-raising-wont-end-with-first-8-million/article/2177594 |author=Kay Morgan Atkins |date=March 1, 1987 |title=Oral Roberts' Missionary Fund-Raising Won't End With First $8 Million |access-date=2013-09-01}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dog-Track Owner Gives $1.3 Million to Oral Roberts |url=http://articles.latimes.com/1987-03-23/news/mn-9007_1_oral-roberts |date=March 23, 1987 |access-date=2022-02-26 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] via Associated Press |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Tracy |first=Dan |title=Florida Track Owner 'Saves' Oral Robert |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1987-03-22-8701220115-story.html |date=March 22, 1987 |access-date=February 26, 2022 |website=[[Sun Sentinel]]}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite news |last=Morrow |first=David J. |date=August 6, 1997 |title=Jerry Collins, 89; Built an Empire of Race Tracks|language=en-US|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/06/business/jerry-collins-89-built-an-empire-of-race-tracks.html |access-date=February 26, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |quote="… A founder of New College in Sarasota, Mr. Collins gave the institution a $1.2 million motel he owned in Bradenton, Fla., and raised another $7 million for a library. He also gave $600,000 for a new veterinary school at the University of Florida.…"}}</ref> Altogether, Roberts raised a total of $9.1 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=Oral Roberts |url=http://www.ondoctrine.com/10robero.htm |first=Gary A. |last=Hand |publisher=On Doctrine |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070510055144/http://www.ondoctrine.com/10robero.htm |archive-date=May 10, 2007}}</ref> Later that year, he announced that God had raised the dead through his ministry.<ref>{{cite book |last=Randi |first=James |author-link=James Randi |year=1989 |title=[[The Faith Healers]] |publisher=[[Prometheus Books]] |isbn=0-87975-535-0 |page=192}}</ref> Some of Roberts' fundraising letters were written by [[Gene Ewing]], who headed a business writing donation letters for other evangelicals such as [[Don Stewart (preacher)|Don Stewart]] and [[Robert Tilton]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/DM/lib00376,0ED3D68534F95845.html |title=Direct-market evangelist brings in millions lawyer says it all goes |work=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |date=March 10, 1996 |first=Howard |last=Swindle |access-date=May 17, 2007}}</ref>

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".<ref name="guardian bit" /><ref name="telegraph_obit"/>

[[File:CityPlex Towers in Tulsa, Oklahoma.jpg|thumb|right|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 (evangelist)|Richard Roberts]] claimed that he had seen his father raise a child from the dead.<ref name="Time1987">{{cite magazine|url=http://jcgi.pathfinder.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,964970,00.html|title=Raising Eyebrows and the Dead|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=July 13, 1987|first=Richard|last=Ostling|access-date=January 4, 2007|author-link=Richard Ostling}}{{dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> 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."<ref name="Time1987"/> 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.<ref name="Time1987"/>

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."<ref>{{cite news |last=Juozapavicius |first=Justin|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/08/AR2007110801341_pf.html|title=Oral Roberts' Son Accused of Misspending|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|agency=Associated Press|date=November 8, 2007|access-date=December 18, 2009}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=799&dat=19880804&id=qvY0AAAAIBAJ&pg=4094,3044868 |title=Roberts Disputes Allegations In Suit | newspaper=Bryan Times |date=August 4, 1988 |access-date=2013-09-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2318&dat=19880731&id=OhcpAAAAIBAJ&pg=2983,6178946 |title=Faith Healer Fails To Win Delay |publisher=Saturday Morning Deseret News |date=July 31, 1988 |access-date=2013-09-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2209&dat=19871017&id=1JdKAAAAIBAJ&pg=1141,5374202 |title=Oral Roberts Sued For Failing To Cure Woman Of Hernia |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=October 17, 1987 |access-date=September 1, 2013}}</ref>

His organizations were also affected by scandals involving other [[televangelists]]<ref name="AP_obit"/> 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, California|Palm Springs]] and [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]] as well as three of his [[Mercedes-Benz|Mercedes]] cars.<ref name="guardian bit" />

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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Roberts resigns as ORU president |url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=071123_1__Richa47602&archive=yes |work=Tulsa World |date=November 23, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Branstetter |first=Ziva |title=Roberts resigns |url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=071124_1_A1_hMove11578&archive=yes |work=Tulsa World |date=November 24, 2007}}</ref> The university was given a donation of $8 million by [[Hobby Lobby]] heir [[Mart Green]], and although the lawsuit was still in process,<ref>{{cite web|title=ORU Lawsuit|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/webextra/content/2007/oru-lawsuit/default.html|work=Tulsa World|access-date=2010-01-09}}</ref> the school submitted to an outside audit, and with a good report an additional $62 million was given by Green.<ref>{{cite news |title=Oral Roberts University takes $62M gift |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-01-14-oralroberts-gift_N.htm |work=[[USA Today]] |date=January 15, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Marciszewski |first=April |title=ORU moves to trim its debt |url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080214_1_A1_hTrus02181 |work=Tulsa World |date=February 14, 2008 |access-date=January 9, 2010}}</ref> Richard 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.<ref>{{cite news |last=Marciszewski |first=April |title=Roberts takes ORU leave |url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=071018_1_A1_hTheO62814 |work=Tulsa World |date=October 18, 2007 |access-date=October 18, 2007}}</ref> Richard Roberts continued as the ORU chancellor until his death,<ref name="biography"/> but in 2009, eleven months before his death, handed over the leadership of ORU to its incoming president, [[Mark Rutland]].<ref>{{cite news|title=New ORU president says he has founder's blessing|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090130_11_A8_Oaoetn993404&archive=yes|work=Tulsa World|author1=Sherman, Bill |author2=Muchmore, Shannon |name-list-style=amp |date=January 30, 2009|access-date=January 9, 2010}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Oklahoma Senate Honors Oral Roberts|url=http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=10325475|agency=Associated Press|date=May 7, 2009|access-date=January 7, 2010|archive-date=June 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607013316/http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=10325475|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters (OAB) elected Roberts to the OAB Hall of Fame one month before his death.<ref name="HOF"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Oral Roberts, OAB Hall of Fame, Inducted 2010 |url=http://oabok.org/Awards/HOF-Roberts.htm |publisher=Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters (OAB) |date=November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727135115/http://oabok.org/Awards/HOF-Roberts.htm |archive-date=July 27, 2011 |df=mdy}}</ref>

==Personal life==
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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Evelyn Roberts, wife of Oral Roberts, dies|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=050504_Br_Robertsdeath|newspaper=Tulsa World|date=May 4, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Oral Roberts 1918-2009: Legacy|url=http://tulsaworld.com/app/oralroberts/pdf/specialsection.pdf|newspaper=Tulsa World|date=December 20, 2009|page=6}}</ref> Their daughter Rebecca Nash died with her husband, businessman Marshall Nash, in an airplane crash on February 11, 1977.<ref>{{cite web|title=The "Heaven Has a Floor" Crash: February 11, 1977|url=http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/Roberts-N59838.htm|publisher=Check Six|location=[http://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Anthony,_Kansas&params=37_04_00_N_98_02_17_W_region:US_type:city Location: about 6 miles south of Anthony, KS]|date=2002|at=Updated December 7, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Stefanic |first=Vern |title=Oral Roberts daughter, 5 others die |url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleid=20080325_222_84228 |newspaper=Tulsa World |date=February 11, 1977 |at=Last modified March 25, 2008}}</ref> 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 and six months after [[coming out]] as gay.<ref>{{cite news |title=Oral Roberts's Son, 37, Found Shot Dead in Car |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9503E3D61F38F933A25755C0A964948260 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 10, 1982 |access-date=April 1, 2007}}</ref><ref name="talk">{{cite web |title=Oral Roberts' Gay Grandson: "It Gets Better." |url=http://talkaboutequality.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/oral-roberts-gay-grandson-it-gets-better/ |publisher=Talk About Equality |date=October 25, 2010}}</ref><ref name="out">{{cite news |last=Taffet |first=David |title=Oral Roberts' gay grandson speaks out |url=http://www.dallasvoice.com/oral-roberts’-gay-grandson-speaks-out-1032465.html |url-status=dead |publisher=dallasvoice.com |date=July 8, 2010|access-date=5 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830113803/http://www.dallasvoice.com/oral-roberts%E2%80%99-gay-grandson-speaks-out-1032465.html|archive-date=30 August 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The other two Roberts children are son [[Richard Roberts (evangelist)|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,<ref name="KTUL">{{cite news |title=Oral Roberts Dies at Age 91 |url=http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/1209/687732.html |publisher=[[KTUL-TV]] |date=December 15, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091218043126/http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/1209/687732.html |archive-date=December 18, 2009 |df=mdy }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Bill|last=Sherman|title=Oral Roberts dies|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20091215_18_0_OralRo862074|newspaper=Tulsa World|date=December 15, 2009}}</ref> at the age of 91. He had been "semi-retired" and living in [[Newport Beach, California]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Lobdell |first=William |title=Oral Roberts dies at 91; televangelist was pioneering preacher of the 'prosperity gospel' |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-oral-roberts16-2009dec16,0,3407978.story |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=December 16, 2009}}</ref> 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).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.charismamag.com/site-archives/570-news/featured-news/8415-thousands-gather-to-remember-oral-roberts|title=Thousands Gather to Remember Oral Roberts|publisher=Charisma Magazine|date=December 21, 2009|access-date=February 19, 2016|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304194926/http://www.charismamag.com/site-archives/570-news/featured-news/8415-thousands-gather-to-remember-oral-roberts|url-status=dead}}</ref>

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==
* [[Healing revival]]
* [[List of television evangelists]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
; By Roberts
* ''The call: an autobiography''. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1972. {{ISBN?}}
* ''Expect a miracle: my life and ministry''. Nashville: T. Nelson, 1995. {{ISBN|0-7852-7752-8}}
* ''Oral Roberts' life story, as told by himself''. Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1952. {{ISBN?}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links}}
* {{Find a Grave|45468872}}
* [https://archive.today/20110608165555/http://memorial.oru.edu/ Webcast of Chancellor Oral Roberts' Memorial Service]
* [http://www.oralroberts.com Oral Roberts Ministries]
* [http://www.oru.edu Oral Roberts University]
* [http://www.tulsaworld.com/oralroberts ''Oral Roberts: The Man. The Mission. The Ministry.''], online archive at ''[[Tulsa World]]''
* [http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/37922/life-with-oral-roberts Life With Oral Roberts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091220053125/http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/37922/life-with-oral-roberts |date=December 20, 2009 }} slideshow by ''[[Life magazine]]''
*[http://www.voicesofoklahoma.com/interview/roberts-oral/ Voices of Oklahoma interview with Oral Roberts.] First person interview conducted on August 11, 2009, with Oral Roberts.
*[https://archive.today/20130416012305/http://umportal.org/article.asp?id=6255 UM Portal: Q&A: Evangelist Roberts was comfortable with Methodism]

{{1950s Healing Revival|expanded=}}
{{Authority control}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Oral}}
[[Category:1918 births]]
[[Category:2009 deaths]]
[[Category:American evangelists]]
[[Category:American Pentecostal pastors]]
[[Category:American television evangelists]]
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[[Category:Christians from Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Deaths from pneumonia in California]]
[[Category:Oklahoma Baptist University alumni]]
[[Category:Oklahoma Republicans]]
[[Category:Pentecostals from Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Presidents of Oral Roberts University]]
[[Category:Native Americans' rights activists]]
[[Category:People from Ada, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:People from Toccoa, Georgia]]
[[Category:Religious controversies in the United States]]
[[Category:American United Methodist clergy]]
[[Category:20th-century American clergy]]
[[Category:20th-century American academics]]
[[Category:American people who self-identify as being of Cherokee descent]]
[[Category:American people of Choctaw descent]]