Oral Roberts, the namesake of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has died from complications of pneumonia in Newport Beach, California, according to the Associated Press. The evangelist was hospitalized on Saturday after a fall. He was 91 and died on Tuesday.
Oral Roberts’ ministry took off from humble beginnings as tent revivals and turned into a multi-million dollar industry. His son, Richard Roberts, had taken over Oral Roberts’ ministries after the progenitor of the ministry became too old to run day-to-day operations.
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.
Oral Roberts University
The university that bears his name, Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, was founded in 1963 and accredited in 1971 alongside a School of Nursing. Healing was a large part of the ministry of Oral Roberts so the Anna Vaughn School of Nursing was a perfect addition to the whole of the university. His university was changed to honor his name in 1977.
Oral Roberts University is not just for training evangelists. A full slate of academic schools including history, business, education, nursing, and arts are also included with theology degrees. With its full slate of academia, Oral Roberts still maintains a tradition as a Christian college.