Oral Roberts, ‘godfather’ to Sarah Palin, dies

Charismatic bible-thumper had a lot to answer for - including Palin and Michele Bachmann

LAST UPDATED 7:14 AM, DECEMBER 16, 2009

Oral Roberts, the backwoods fire-and-brimstone preacher who died yesterday at 91, was among the founding fathers of America's Christian extremism that today fuels the rise of Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann.

With fellow bible-thumpers the Revs Billy Graham and Pat Robertson, he discovered the power of the 'big tent' revival meeting after World War Two, invented the 'television ministry' in the 1950s, with its ability to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from the faithful, and forged the 'religious right' political movement.

The American media are doffing their collective hat at his death, hailing his charisma, his humble origins, and the power he wielded at the height of his career.

‘Build me a university,’ said God. ‘Build it on My Authority... Raise up your students to hear my voice’

But as a founder of the alliance between fundamentalist Christianity, big business and the Republican Party, his legacy includes the social polarisation and economic division which ultimately split the nation into its 'red' and 'blue' states. He enabled the cynical political exploitation of 'wedge issues', such as abortion, which resulted in the election of President Dubya Bush, the popularity of Sarah Palin and the beggaring of America's international standing.

Roberts's crowning achievement was founding the Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1963. He revealed that he was acting on God's command. "Build me a university," said God. "Build it on My Authority, and on the Holy Spirit. Raise up your students to hear my voice."

Oral Roberts University was opened two years later and is the largest fundamentalist university in America. Fully accredited academically, it preaches a "holistic" education of integrated mind, body and soul, with mandatory church and exercise as well as classes, much like a British public school of the Victorian era. It immediately became known for severe
dress codes, strict segregation of the sexes and a ban on homosexuality.

It is also noted for its architecture, often compared to the Jetsons cartoon, with a tower representing the Crown

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Many years ago I lived in the US and nearly applied to OR Uni to study for a PhD. Others warned me against it. What I remember most is the anti-homosexual stance of Oral Roberts!

Posted by TomNightingale at 10:55am on December 16, 2009

Good riddance, what took him so long.

Posted by foolonthehill at 11:00am on December 16, 2009

I wouldn't put Oral Robert and Billy Graham in the same sentence. the former is definitely light-years removed from the teachings of Christ who lived a simple life and mixed with the ordinary people of his day, while Graham's operation is transparent and his personal life untainted by any type of scandal.

Posted by Ian Robertson at 1:42pm on December 16, 2009

What an unfortunate forename!!! I wonder, whilst requiring his followers to swallow his proseletiing and his blatant misreading of an ancient, middle Eastern myth whether he too did the same. Or did he just spit all the way to the bank???

Posted by Roddy Steele at 3:16pm on December 16, 2009

""Oral Roberts was a man of God, and a great friend in ministry," the Rev. Billy Graham said in a statement Tuesday. "I loved him as a brother. We had many quiet conversations over the years."" (CNN). What ya talkin about Ian? They are all crackpots & nutters. That is the dominant characteristic; like the Archbishop of Canterbury and the pope etc. Nutters, the lot of 'em.

Posted by TomNightingale at 6:14pm on December 16, 2009

Alas, some irreverents referred to OR as 'Anal' Roberts. Danno In The Apple.

Posted by Primo Famiglia at 11:56pm on December 16, 2009

Actually, Ralph Reed did not run Pat Robterson's Presidential campaigns. Robertson incorporated the Christian Coalition in Virginia ((it was later reorganized out of Texas) BEFORE Robertson ran for President. However, Robertson claimed that he had to keep the momentum going after his Presidential campaign and tapped Ralph Reed to help him create the Christian Coalition from the mailing list of the Presidential campaign.

Posted by Jonathon Moseley at 5:39am on December 17, 2009

When the CBS news program 60 Minutes did a story on Oral, they asked his brother, who ran his tent shows, if anyone was healed and he said, to the best of his knowledge, no one was ever healed. I wonder why this clip isn't playing now that the con man is dead. Oral was famous for giving away his books. How could he be a crook when his ministry gave away his books? Here's how he worked the scam. He gave away his books on TV. He owned his own publishing company and he had his ministry buy the books from his other company so that he could give them away. Thus, the more books he gave away the more money he made. Think of all the poor believers over the decades that gave this creep their money.

Posted by eyebeat at 3:57pm on December 17, 2009

I may be wrong but my understanding of the bible and Christs' teaching, is that we should be tolerant of other people and their lifestyles, so long as they're not breaking any Just laws. Being civil toward one another costs us nothing whereas intolerance can and has in the past cost the lives of millions of innocent people.

Posted by William, M Swankie at 12:51am on July 20, 2010