TULSA (AP) — Twenty years ago, televangelist Oral Roberts said he was reading a spy novel when God appeared to him and told him to raise $8 million for Roberts' university, or else he would be "called home."
Now, his son, Oral Roberts University President Richard Roberts, says God is speaking again, telling him to deny lurid allegations in a lawsuit that threatens to engulf this 44-year-old Bible Belt college in scandal.
Richard Roberts is accused of illegal involvement in a local political campaign and lavish spending at donors' expense, including numerous home remodeling projects, use of the university jet for his daughter's senior trip to the Bahamas, and a red Mercedes convertible and a Lexus SUV for his wife, Lindsay.
She is accused of dropping tens of thousands of dollars on clothes, awarding non-academic scholarships to friends of her children and sending scores of text messages on...
chuck from oak ridge wrote: I have always tended to stay away from ministries that have "family members" on the board. No accountability! They could learn a few things from Bill Brights ministry or Billy Grahams. Pay yourself a salary with listed benefits and nothing more.
Chuck Is that Oak Ridge Tennessee?
You are right they could learn a few things from Bill Bright's and Billy Graham's ministries - How to water down the gospel and be ecumenical.
Now let me ask you do you even know what I am writting of? Do you realize both Graham and Bright essentially betrayed Biblical Christianity with their ties to Roman Catholicism. Do you even know that Catholicism is not Christianity but a counterfeit with a different gospel and different Christ and blasphemous idolatry. Or does that make any difference to you?
If we really want to talk about scandal how about beginning with the ecumenism that has been destroying evangelical Christianity from the inside out and from the pulpits to the pews.
Whosoever is wise knows WHO this word is speaking of.......
Ezekiel 21:21 "For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the TWO ways, TO USE DIVINATION: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver."
I recall Rich Roberts describing his conversion experience: he said that when he was first filled with the Holy Spirit he began to speak in tongues with his head in his mother's lap.
Kenny, To me it's both a failure of the management of property, money, fame and employees and also exploitation as you pointed out. The Bible says the love of money is the root of evil and that's evident in what has happened at ORU. Just read the list of allegations. When people get their eyes set on the creature instead of Creator, things go amiss. It has apparently happened at ORU and has happened elsewhere too.
"Just one example of the mess people get into when they can't manage their property and employees or money and fame."
What?
This is not a case of mismanagement. This is another example of sinful covetousness and covetousness is idolotry. Worst of all, they are exploiting God and Scripture to accomplish their selfish goals.
It is absolutely frightening what goes on in the name of 'ministry'. No wonder the world looks on Christians with such contempt and disgust.
To many people, all they know of Christ is the falsehood and buffoonery that they see on TV. Then if they do somehow end up in a church somewhere, they are met with silly 'drama teams' that mimic the world's foolishness and inane 'praise bands' that sing me-centered rock songs that make women shake and wiggle. Then a sermon about self-esteem and/or 'having a love affair with Jesus'. What a mess.
I have always tended to stay away from ministries that have "family members" on the board. No accountability! They could learn a few things from Bill Brights ministry or Billy Grahams. Pay yourself a salary with listed benefits and nothing more.
I would suggest everyone read the excellent article, a quotation from it,"Colleagues fear for the reputation of the university and the future of the Roberts' ministry, which grew from Southern tent revivals to one of the most successful evangelical empires in the country, hauling in tens of millions of dollars in contributions a year. The university reported nearly $76 million in revenue in 2005, according to the IRS."
The above word "evangelical" should be changed to "pentecostal", however.
Much evil comes from the poor biblical scholarship of charismatics/pentecostals.
Sad case. Just deplorable. Just one example of the mess people get into when they can't manage their property and employees or money and fame. In time however, we'll know who's being honest in the matter.
1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
"Many sorrows" means eternal damnation if they do not repent!!
All that have followed him and all like him deserve exactly what they get. Of course they will defend him just as they have defended crooks and hirelings in the past..
His dad never fooled me even when I was a child fifty years ago and as 'John from San Jose, Ca' said, we who know the truth by the power of the Holy Spirit will never be fooled by these antichrists.....
Dr. Alan Cairns | 12/29/2008
Denis Lyle | 11/7/2006
COMMENTS | 
canadian from blame canada why not: "
mike
wish we american people didn't have..."
