Legendary TV Evangelist Oral Roberts Dead At 91

Legendary televangelist Oral Roberts 91, died today, a day after he fell at his California home and was hospitalized for broken bones and pneumonia, in Newport Beach, Calif., according to his spokesman, A. Larry Ross.

A statement released Monday says Roberts fell on Saturday and was being treated for broken bones and a slight case of pneumonia. It says he was listed in stable condition at the hospital near his home in California.

Oral Roberts...dead at 91

Roberts founded Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla., in 1963 and served as its president until 1993. His son Richard followed his dad as the second president of the university, and subsequently had to step down following a financial scandal that tarnished the reputation of the school.

Richard Roberts and his wife have denied accusations that they spent university money on vacations, home remodel and other luxuries at a time ORU was $55 million in the red.

Oral Roberts returned to the campus this year to install the Universities third president Mark Ruthland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_Roberts_University

Mark Ruthland, Ph.D., President of Oral Roberts University said that “Chancellor Roberts was one of the brilliant spiritual lights of the 20th century and a giant of the Christian faith.  At the core of his legacy is a great university that bears his name.  Like millions worldwide, I am mourning his passing and am grateful for his visionary life and contributions.”

“Oral Roberts was the greatest man of God I’ve ever known,” said his son, Richard Roberts, according to Tulsa TV station KTUL. “A modern-day apostle of the healing ministry, an author, educator, evangelist, prophet, and innovator, he was the only man of his generation to build a worldwide ministry, an accredited university, and a medical school.”

Oral Roberts was the son of a preacher and started traveling the country staging charismatic revivals out of a tent, and later he did the same revival style meetings, but on TV.

I remember growing up in the 70’s, and we would watch his program every Sunday, because a family friend, Carlton Pearson,was a singer in the Oral Roberts Chorale that used to deliver rousing choreographed numbers on the series, which was one of the highlights of that show.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlton_Pearson

Carlton Pearson former protegé of Oral Roberts

Carlton Pearson was the only black male member of that group, at a time when it was rare to see black men on TV at all. Better yet, it was Carlton, who was a role model for all the kids at Jackson Memorial C.O.G.I.C. in San Diego, because he was within our peer group, and he represented to us, a path and direction that we all could possibly follow, so that we could eventually go to college and get out of San Diego.

When Oral Roberts put Carlton on his show, he definitely advanced race relations here in the US, by showing us, especially in San Diego, that we could actually get out of that city and become national figures.

He was also a good friend and confidante of the late Bishop Blake, whose work here in Southern California to elevate the black man and all of our fellow-men, has only been rivaled by his son Bishop Charles Blake of the West Angeles Church of God In Christ in Los Angeles.

Charles Blake jr. is also an alumnus of Oral Roberts University ,so the impact on our family and the whole Church of God in Christ has been significant. For many years, Carlton Pearson was on the board of trustees for ORU, and the love and support from Oral Roberts was a big reason for his past success.

Unfortunetly, a change in beliefs for Pearson, forced a falling out between the two.

The AP reports that Oral Robert’s had survived two heart attacks in the 1990s and a broken hip in 2006. Roberts was a pioneer who broadcast his spirit-filled revivals on television, a new frontier for religion when he started in the 1950s. He was also a forerunner of the controversial “prosperity gospel” that has come to dominate televangelism. The evangelist’s “Seed-Faith” theology held that those who give to God will get things in return.

On a personal note, I always respected Oral Robert’s because of his dedication to his causes. Many outside the faith may not have understood him, but really, they would not understand any preacher, simply because of his beliefs.

The legacy that I will alway’s remember Mr Robert’s for, would be the fact that he assisted black people to attain our civil rights, and for his bold move to put Carlton Pearson on TV.

When he did that, he let me know that we could do anything that we set out to do.

Our C.O.G.I.C.has been promising a college of our own in Memphis, All-Saints University, for well over 40 years now, to no avail, but Oral Roberts opened his campus in 1963, with a lot less members…and ironically, a lot of our children have gotten education from him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_God_in_Christ

Oral Roberts was in part a Native American, and he was proud of that fact, just like many African Americans. He stepped down from a pentecostal organization as a preacher, so he could grow his own ministry more effectively, and more aggressively.

Funeral services are pending at this time, and will be announced at a later date.

For more information about Oral Roberts follow this link- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_Roberts?loc=interstitialskip

I am saddened by the death of minister Roberts as I was when Reverend Ike passed away a few months ago, but I must also celebrate his life…

May he rest in peace.

Oral Roberts University

For more reports on the death of this legendary man of God, click on these trusted sources….

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/16/2773000.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/15/oral-roberts-dead-televan_n_393118.html

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g8-DEMtAE9q4i4ySQ0eV_qZefmRQD9CK058G2