Remembering Oral Roberts

Oral Roberts died Tuesday.  On Thanksgiving, he told his family he wanted to spend Christmas with his departed wife, Evelyn.  He got his wish.

Oral was a controversial figure, maligned mostly by those who didn’t know him.  My history with Oral started when I was but a lad. Standing about four feet in front of the magic black-and-white Sylvania television set, I felt a strange sense of wonder watching this energetic man as he preached the gospel in a huge tent and prayed for a long line of sick folks.  It was heady stuff for a 5-year-old boy growing up in the suburbs of steely and smoky Pittsburgh.  I must have made some connection between the petroleum industry and Tulsa, because my mom tells me that I called him Oil Roberts.

I later would attend the university he founded and after graduation work the first seven years of my career in one of the most incredible organizations you can imagine.

Many people will have diverse memories of Oral. Oral was as tough as crocodile hide.  I loved that about him. He told me one day I was pretty tough.  I kept waiting for the “But,” follow up.  Still am.  Oral was a visionary, but the thing that made him outstanding was his insistence on action.  He was a man of action.  Often times it was ready… fire… aim, but he knew the value of doing and not just dreaming and he knew how to keep momentum against the tide of opinions that usually ran against him.

Growing up in a “Grapes of Wrath” family that shunned California to stay in rural Oklahoma, his religious background was Pentecostal Holiness.  Now, the PH folks were known for their disdain of higher education.  Being too educated could actually decrease your chances of be selected for a pastorate.  Yet, from this background Oral Roberts emerged to found a university and through ORU he made it not only acceptable to be Pentecostal and educated, but desirable.

His impact on this stream of the Christian church in America and throughout the world was huge, and is part of the reason that while attendance has been decreasing in many of the staid mainline denominations, the charismatic, Pentecostal camp has continued to grow.

It has been one of my good fortunes in life to know this man and to be able to call him my friend.  Well done, Oral. 

Well done.

Comments

[Michael Cardone]

Chris, thank you for your post. Oral's influence on my family and I cannot be overstated. While a student in the second class, Oral was at his peak. What a privilege to be around him at that time. I learned more watching him and listening to him then I did in the class room. What an amazing man of God, business leader, entrepreneur,spiritual leader, and educator. My family and I have been and continue to be blessed by his life and life's work.

[Matthew Helland]

Chris,
Ready, fire, aim. That was well put. thanks for putting down your thoughts. Recently when BJ Daugherty passed away, we could see a piece of OR's legacy of raising up a students whose work will become greater than his own. BJ, Ron Luce, Chris Busch, The list could go on for a long time...and Lord willing will go on for centuries to come.

[Chris Dingess]

Chris- great post. One of the greatest things I took from my time in Tulsa was the lesson that God uses imperfect people to accomplish impossible things for His Kingdom. I'm so thankful that Oral didn't listen to the voices of his critics but embraced faith and the actions that accompany it. His life is a great example for us to remember.

[Kristin]

O-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
(How we would greet Oral when he visited chapel.)

Enjoyed your post.

One of the most memorable stories I heard him tell was the one about God asking him to "build a university". He talked about asking God why He chose him. "Why do You want ME to build this university? And God said, you weren't the first one I asked... just the first one to listen. And if you don't do it, I'll ask someone else."
I've never forgotten that.
I'm forever grateful to Oral for hearing God & choosing to obey.
I pray God never has to ask someone else to do the things He's asked of me.

[Charles Redd]

Few men have effected the lives of as many people as Oral Roberts. When I came to ORU in the fall of 1967 it was the most exciting time. We had not even graduated a full four year class. I never even thought about if ORU was accredited. When we were finally approved in the spring of 1971 it was one of the best days ever at ORU. Regardless of what others may say about Oral he accomplished more in his long life than any person I have ever known. The best words I know to describe his life are from the bible--- "Well done thou good and faithful servant."

[Ken Scrivner]

As a boy, I knew Oral Roberts as Pastor Oral at a little white frame PH church in Shawnee, OK. I well remember seeing crutches, canes and other assistive devices hanging all over the front of our church at the beginning of his healing ministry.

Later in life, I would see it in a greatly expanded way when my wife and I joined his tent crusade team. He simply believed exactly what God's Word said, and applied it boldly. Only God knows how many millions of people were impacted by his ministry.

[Jeff Geuder]

Having worked for Oral for nearly 25 years of my life I consider it to have been a great honor and priviledge. Chris hit it all right with Oral being a man of action. Driven by God's passion, power and presence, Oral touched all of us and millions more in such a positive way. His life, the teaching I received in serving under his ministry, and all that he poured into me has been and will always be a pillar of faith, strength and wisdom in my life. Thank you Oral for all you gave selflessly. To all those he touched - go where His voice is heard small and His power is not known. It's our time now.

[Don Goff]

Oral Roberts, Ph.D. - a man of vision, a man of passion, a man of reason and most of all a son of God. The Holy Spirit provided him with one of the most unique and powerful influences - equal to Billy Graham - in the 20th century.
Through the Holy Spirit his powerful influence has touched the lives of millions and will continue to do so as he is united with his Lord. May we bravely and faithfully carry the torch he lit so many years ago. The world is still in the darkeness and we have the key to light, Jesus.

[Phil Cooke]

Being a man of action is a great point. Oral was willing to accept the criticism and err on the side of getting it done. I think we all learned a lot from that. Great post.

[Dave Keesling]

I came to Christ as a Kansas kid, a denomination that gave no evidence of having heard of the Holy Spirit. Watching Oral on television was the one persistent was that HS tugged at my eyes and heart to be opened as I was growing up not just physically but spiritually. I shall forever be grateful to Oral for his demonstrations of a dimension of the Godhead that might otherwise have remained unknown. I am spiritually richers for this man's life.

[Church Marketing TV]

"But he knew the value of doing and not just dreaming."

-- That inspires and challenges me.

Recently I spoke with my wife about fulfilling ones potential vs. fulfilling one's calling.

Its seems Oral was a rare individual who did them both.

Anyway, thanks Chris for sharing your personal experiences with Oral Roberts.

Arvell Craig