Oral Roberts was a preacher.
He spoke to many people on TV. He also started a big school. He wanted to help people feel well. He prayed for them. Do you like to hear stories about faith?
Oral Roberts was a famous preacher.
He spoke to millions of people on TV. He also started a big school.
This school is in Oklahoma. He wanted to help people feel well. He prayed for many sick people. He even built a large medical center. Some people liked his work. Other people had many questions about it. He lived a very busy life.
He is remembered for his many years of work.
Oral Roberts was a famous American preacher.
He was known for his work on TV and radio. He was a leader in the charismatic movement. This is a group of Christians who focus on the Holy Spirit.
Roberts grew up in Oklahoma. He was the youngest of five children. He had a hard start in life. He was very poor as a child. He almost died from a sickness called tuberculosis. Later, he became a traveling preacher. He prayed for many sick people. He said he wanted to help the body and mind. He led large meetings called crusades. He traveled to six continents to do this.
He also built many things. He started Oral Roberts University in 1963.
He also built a large medical center. He said God told him to build it. He used TV to ask for money for his work. This was often a topic of debate. Some people supported him. Others were critics of his ways.
His work reached millions of people for over sixty years.
Oral Roberts was a very famous American religious leader.
He was a leader in the charismatic movement. This movement focuses on the work of the Holy Spirit. He was one of the first to teach the prosperity gospel. This idea suggests that faith can lead to a good life. His work reached millions of people for over sixty years. He used radio and television to share his message with the world.
His life began with some very hard times in Oklahoma. He was the youngest of five children. His family lived in poverty when he was young. At age 17, he almost died from a sickness called tuberculosis. He studied at two different colleges after high school. Later, he became a traveling preacher. He used a large tent to hold meetings for 3,000 people. He often prayed for people who were feeling sick.
Roberts had a very busy career with many different steps. In 1945, he served as a pastor in Georgia. He later moved back to Oklahoma to preach. In 1947, he started a magazine called Healing Waters. He also began holding large meetings called crusades. He traveled to six continents to do this work. He personally laid hands in prayer on more than 2 million people.
He built many important things during his life. In 1963, he started Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He said he did this because God told him to. He also built the City of Faith Medical and Research Center. This large hospital opened in 1981.
At its start, it was one of the largest health centers of its kind. His large organization employed 2,300 people at its peak. This included a medical school and many large buildings.
Many people had different opinions about his work. Some people were strong supporters of his preaching. Other people were critics of his methods. He often asked for money on television to fund his work. This was sometimes a subject of much debate. In 1987, he made a famous plea for $8 million. He said he would die if he did not reach his goal. A man named Jerry Collins donated $1.3 million to help. Roberts lived until December 15, 2009.
Oral Roberts was a prominent American Charismatic Christian televangelist. He was a major figure in the charismatic movement, which emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit. Roberts was also one of the first leaders to spread Prosperity Gospel Theology. This belief system suggests that faith can lead to physical health and financial abundance. His religious ministry lasted for over six decades and reached millions of followers globally.
His early life in Oklahoma was marked by significant hardship. Born on January 24, 1918, he was the youngest of five children. His family lived in poverty during his childhood. At age 17, he nearly died from tuberculosis. After high school, he attended Oklahoma Baptist University and Phillips University for two years each. He eventually became a traveling faith healer. In his early ministry, he used a massive mobile tent that seated 3,000 people on metal folding chairs.
Roberts' career involved several distinct stages and religious affiliations. He was ordained in the Pentecostal Holiness Church in 1936. In 1945, he briefly served as a pastor in Toccoa, Georgia. This period was significant because his daughter met her future husband there. In 1947, he founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (OREA). He later transferred his membership to the United Methodist Church in 1968. This move provided more leniency regarding doctrinal and moral issues. However, his credentials with the Methodist Church were eventually revoked in 1987.
His ministry was defined by large-scale evangelistic efforts known as crusades. Roberts conducted more than 300 of these crusades across six continents. He personally laid hands in prayer on more than 2 million people. In 1947, he launched a monthly magazine called Healing Waters to promote his meetings. He also pioneered the use of media in religion. He began broadcasting via radio in 1947 and moved to television in 1954. His program, The Abundant Life, reached 80% of the United States by 1957.
Roberts founded several major institutions that expanded his influence. In 1963, he established Oral Roberts University (ORU) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He stated that he founded the school because he was obeying a command from God. The campus features the Prayer Tower, which opened in 1967.
He also founded the City of Faith Medical and Research Center. This facility opened in 1981 after Roberts claimed to have a vision of Jesus. It was intended to merge the processes of prayer and medicine.
At the height of his career in the early 1980s, Roberts led a massive organization. This organization employed 2,300 people and generated $120 million annually. His holdings in Tulsa included a medical school, a hospital, and buildings valued at $500 million. Despite his success, his fundraising methods were a source of intense controversy. In 1987, he claimed he would die if he did not raise $8 million by March. This caused fear among some observers. A donor named Jerry Collins eventually gave $1.3 million to prevent Roberts from fasting to death.
His legacy remains a subject of debate among religious scholars and the public. He is credited with bringing American Pentecostalism into the mainstream. He also laid the foundations for abundant life teachings. However, critics often contested his seed-faith appeals and his personal lifestyle. Some noted that he maintained a love of finery, including Italian silk suits and gold jewelry. While his City of Faith center closed in 1989, his impact on religious broadcasting and theology continues to be studied.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (3)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.