Well, at least this phase of his bodily existence has!

While Christian News disagrees with the more widely known positions that he affirmed, such as the prosperity gospel, evidenced in his seed-faith position, Roberts has left an indelible mark on the Christian faith, for better or for worse.

He will be remembered not only for this teaching, but also as a pioneer in the move into televangelism, which has set the context for so much more, not only that which is aberrant, but also many more ministries that have viewed this now as a legitimate context with which to minister to the faithful and faithless.  Finally, he will also be remembered long into the future as a result of the activities in bringing about the University that is named in honour of this man!

Lord only knows the gold, wood, hay, and stubble accounts that resulted from this man’s ministry, but we at Christian News express our sincerest sympathies to his family, friends, and colleagues who are reflecting on a life filled with much endeavor under the Sun/ Son!

Here is how a TVNZ article summarises the man…

As a teenager Roberts overcame tuberculosis and a stutter when his brother carried him to a revival meeting where a healing evangelist was praying for the sick. Roberts claimed he was healed and that it was then that he heard God tell him he should build a university based on the Lord’s authority and the Holy Spirit.

Roberts soon outgrew humble tent revivals to become one of the United Staes’ most famous preachers.

He entered an evangelistic ministry in Tulsa in 1947 to pray for the healing of the whole person – the body, mind and spirit. The philosophy led many to call him a “faith healer,” a label he rejected with the comment: “God heals – I don’t.”

By the 1960s and throughout the 1970s, Roberts reached millions around the world through radio, television, publications and personal appearances.

However, in a more extensive Yahoo article, here are some of the highlights…

Roberts died of complications from pneumonia in Newport Beach, Calif., according to his spokesman, A. Larry Ross. The evangelist was hospitalized after a fall on Saturday.

Roberts rose from humble tent revivals to become one of the nation’s most famous and influential preachers. Along with Billy Graham, he pioneered religious TV, and he played a major role in bringing American Pentecostalism into the mainstream.

He also laid the foundation for the “prosperity gospel,” the doctrine that has come to dominate televangelism. It holds that God rewards the faithful with material success. Its critics say it is used by preachers to enrich themselves at the expense of their followers.

“In conservative Protestant culture, he’s second only to Billy Graham,” said Grant Wacker, a professor at Duke University’s divinity school. “Jerry Falwell is important, too, but I think in the long run we’ll see that Oral Roberts had more impact.”

Roberts overcame tuberculosis at age 17, when his brother carried him to a revival meeting where a evangelist was praying for the sick. Roberts said he was healed of the illness and his stuttering.

He said that it was then that he heard God tell him he should build a university based on the Lord’s authority — a promise fulfilled in 1963, with the founding of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa…

By the 1960s and ’70s, he was reaching millions around the world through radio, television, publications and personal appearances. He remained on TV into the new century, co-hosting the program “Miracles Now” with his son, Richard. He published dozens of books and conducted hundreds of crusades.

He credited his oratorical skills to his faith, saying: “I become anointed with God’s word, and the spirit of the Lord builds up in me like a coiled spring. By the time I’m ready to go on, my mind is razor-sharp. I know exactly what I’m going to say and I’m feeling like a lion.”

While many of colleagues in healing evangelism were flamboyant in their preaching, Roberts was subdued in his delivery. His long sermons were filled with stories and anecdotes, and at the end of a service, the faithful would form a long healing line. Roberts would clasp his hands on each person’s head, shutting his eyes while he prayed.

David Edwin Harrell, a Roberts biographer and retired Auburn University history professor, said Roberts played a significant role in the rapid growth of charismatic and Pentecostal Christianity — an exuberant faith that exploded globally during the 20th century.

“Oral was a pioneer in opening this whole message up to the mainstream churches and leading a generation of Pentecostals into easier connection with the evangelical world,” Harrell said. “They had been completely estranged prior to that.”

Roberts also espoused his “Seed-Faith” theology, which held that those who give to God will get things in return.

Here are some concluding thoughts in the Yahoo article by those who were knew and were close to Roberts…

“He was not only my earthly father; he was my spiritual father and mentor,” Richard Roberts said in a statement.

Graham said: “Oral Roberts was a man of God and a great friend in ministry. I loved him as a brother.”

If you have any thoughts about the man, his ministry, impact, and legacy, then, the floor is yours…

Always Informing, For the Always Reforming, From the Land of the Long White Cloud

Man of Spin

Postscript: Al Mohler has some thoughts on the death of Oral Roberts, with Justin Taylor providing a nice quote from Mohler’s piece that summarises a good perspective of this man and his ministry.

Go check both of these out!