How big is your mansion?
I learned of the death of Oral Roberts through a Twitter post that said: “Celebrating with Oral Roberts as he came face to face with Jesus. Your mansion is sooooo big. I’m sure of it!”
The news was jarring. Not that Oral Roberts was dead at age 91, though, I imagine for those who loved him his passing on to Glory was still very hard. What troubled me was the remark about the size of Roberts’ mansion.
Up until Roberts died and I read that stupid tweet, I never gave a second-thought to the real estate market in heaven. I just assumed we’d all get an equal share of prime property. Surely God knows me well enough by now to know that in order for me to be eternally happy I need a piece of beachfront property.
What if that peep is right, though? What if God awards us mansions according to our earthly legacy? If that’s the case, Jesus is probably stacking the cinder blocks next to some run-down singlewide that he got on trade-in from a manufacturer named Buddy, with me in mind. Dangitalltohell.
But then again, Oral Roberts may have awoken to find himself in a large holding cell, while God sorts through 70 some years of financial records, making sure there was no fiduciary misconduct, no falsifying of documents, no false testimony, no staged healings in an effort to bilk millions from the unsuspecting.
******
When Oral Roberts first started his healing ministry people were dying in those tent meetings, much like those that died recently at the hands of so-called healer James Arthur Ray in that Sedona sweat lodge.
According to Roberts’ biographer, David Harrell Jr., during the early days of Roberts’s healing ministry several people died while seeking a touch from him: In 1951, an Alabama businessman died while attending a campaign in Atlanta. In 1955, an elderly man died at tent meeting in Calgary. And in 1959 there were several deaths reported, but the saddest may have been the three-year-old who died in her parents’ arms at a tent meeting in Fayetteville, N.C.
“Such tragedies struck with some regularity during the 1950s and were generally accompanied by flurries of bad publicity,” Harrell reported.
Like a lot of sons, Roberts became a preacher because that’s what his daddy before him did. But his ministry really took off in 1947 after Roberts realized something he’d been overlooking — God called him to be prosperous. He read it right there in the B-I-B-L-E: “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” III John 1:2
It was nothing more than a salutation. A way of saying, “Hey buddy, hope all is well with you.” But Roberts took that scripture out of context and built a gilded empire on it, with the help of millions of hardworking people hoping to build an American Dream for themselves by sending in their “seed faith” money to Roberts.
The revelation that God wanted Americans to prosper was the first of many such revelations to follow. Roberts found a welcome audience among post-War Americans. Raised up capitalists with a Calvinistic-work ethic, and now abetted by a view that God really was on their side, Americans were primed for the Prosperity Gospel. Hell, yeah, baby. It’s me and you, God. Show me where to dig the hole and when I strike gold, I’ll give 10 percent to you.
Roberts reportedly responded to God’s revelation about prosperity just exactly the way one would expect any good-hearted American would – he went out and bought a Buick. Roberts later said that car represented to him what a man could do if only he had enough faith in God.
And that notion – that buying or building things, bigger and better things – as proof of a person’s faith in God marked Roberts’s entire life.
Or marred it, rather.
It was his faith in a God who favored him and all that he did, that guided Roberts to build Oral Robert Evangelistic Association, a television and radio ministry that he claimed reached a billion people. No one dared question the veracity of such a claim.
This favor of God was also the impetus for building Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Roberts claimed God told him to build it. While other students were marching in favor of Civil Rights and protesting the war in Vietnam, ORU students were abiding by a loftier calling, pledging they wouldn’t smoke or drink or engage in premarital sex and that they would go to class everyday dressed in business attire.
According to Harrell, it was the Reverend Billy Graham who ushered Oral Roberts and his Word of Faith movement into mainstream America, when Graham asked Roberts to lead a prayer at the World Congress on Evangelism in Berlin in 1950:
“Roberts friendship with Billy Graham — highlighted by Oral’s presence in Berlin and Graham’s dedication address at ORU — did much to lessen tensions between charismatics and evangelicals. The spread of the charismatic movement into the main-stream churches, bringing unexpected acceptance to the Pentecostal experience of speaking in tongues, and Oral’s discovery of the evangelical world and welcome into it.”
To the casual observer, it certainly seemed as if Oral Roberts had indeed discovered the pipeline to God. That’s if you measure favor only in terms of hundred dollar bills. Harrell reported that tax records from 1977-1978 reveal over $38 million were donated to the ministries of Oral Roberts. That seems like a paltry sum compared to the $100 million being drawn down by the likes of Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer and others who have fashioned their footsteps after Roberts. But it was enough to put Roberts far beyond every other religious association in the nation at that time.
In 1979, former employee Jerry Sholes, wrote a book (Gimme that Prime-Time Religion) criticizing what he claimed was the hypocrisy of Oral Roberts:
“Here is a portrait of the real Oral Roberts, the man not too many of his admirers know. He dresses in Brioni suits that cost $500 to $1000; walks in $100 shoes; lives in a $250,000 house in Tulsa and has a million dollar home in Palm Springs; wears diamond rings and solid gold bracelets employees ‘airbrush’ out of his publicity photos; drives $25,000 automobiles which are replaced every 6 months; flies around the country in a $2 million fanjet falcon; has membership, as does his son Richard, in the most prestigious and elite country club in Tulsa, the Southern Hills (the membership fee alone was $18,000 for each, with $130 monthly dues) and in the ultra-posh Thunderbird Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California (both father and son joined when memberships were $20,000 each–they are now $25,000); and plays games of financial hanky-panky that have made him and his family members independently wealthy (millionaires) for life.”
Yet, Roberts was able to press on and prosper. The first hint of economic trouble didn’t surface until the mid 1980s when the City of Faith hospital, built with funds from his partners, opened to only 130 of it’s 294 beds.
Despite Roberts claims that a 900-foot Jesus had told him to build a hospital where people would be treated both the conventional way and through the healing power of prayer, the people did not come. They’d still seek healing from Roberts directly, but not from his staff of his wellness physicians. The hospital operated in the red for eight years before they had to lock the doors.
More trouble followed after Roberts announced in a January 1987 broadcast that God had told him in March 1986 that he had a year to raise $8 million or a he would be struck dead. He claimed he had raised $3.5 million but if he didn’t get the extra $4.5 million by March 31 he’d die.
What’s a follower to do with a message like that?
Apparently nobody thought Roberts had lost favor with God. I guess they just figured God was having a cash flow problem because they sent in the money right quick like and Roberts’s life was generously spared.
For awhile anyway.
Learning of Roberts recent demise makes me nervous. I’m sweating all up underneath my armpits. Up until that peep mentioned the expanse of Roberts mansion, I’ve never thought of heaven as a place where size mattered. I just assumed that heaven is like Trumanville, a place where everybody’s mansion is the same size. You don’t suppose they have Doublewides in heaven, do you? I mean Jesus never mentioned needing to go away to spruce up the trailer court.
Billy Graham, David Harrell, Oral Roberts, Oral Roberts University, Prosperity Gospel, Word of Faith
What a fantastic article!! I’m going to cross-post a reference to it on my blog. Thanks Karen, for such splendor and articulation.
Britt
So if the greeting of III John 2 is interpreted by Roberts and his ilk as universally applicable to all believers, despite its being addressed specifically to one named Gaius, what do they make of Luke 14:33? Or is the catch that if you are a “believer” you don’t have to become a disciple?
Hope my double wide is next to yours
Doesn’t the Bible also say somewhere that “the love of money is the root of all evil”?
Surely I’m destined for a doublewide considering my earthly legacy. Awesome post Karen. I’m overly hyper-anxious to read your new book!
Britt: Welcome to the blog. Checked out your site. I’m interested in hearing more of your story. Were you an adherent to the Law of Attraction and became dismayed or were you always a skeptic?
Roger: Yeah. Not too many sermons preached on giving up all your possessions. I like Rich Mullins take on these prosperity preachers — They are not bad, they are just wrong.
Synthia: I think what these folks are saying is that they love God more than money but they are hopeful that because of their devotion they expect God to open the floodgates of heaven. Meyer says who would want to follow somebody who is poor and ugly? Mmm..maybe Jesus.
Gary & Debbie: You’re welcome to the trailer park but I got dibs on the corner lot.
You double-wide people indeed have high-on-the-hog aspirations. The 60’s vintage single-wide we lived in down in Texas had walls about 1.5 inches thick. Carpenter ants were eating up the styrofoam insulation and about to come through the pressed paper and vinyl interior paneling. I spent one whole Saturday taking out every third sheet metal screw and squirting in diluted Diazinon with a hypodermic my wife brought home St. Paul Hospital where she worked. Fixed ‘em. I was never so glad to “give up that possession” when we moved in ‘78. But it had A/C which we don’t have now. Oh, the times!
I’ll be happy just to be there….I don’t care where I have to “abide.” These comments remind me of that old time gospel song, Mansion Over the Hilltop…is your trailer park going to have cement slabs of pure gold??? LOL
One thing I always remember when I hear the name Oral Roberts is a humorous column that used to run in the Stars & Stripes when we lived in Germany. It was written by a guy named Joe Bob and usually was a humorous review of chain saw massacre type movies playing at drive in theaters. But one time he had a column on the hearings for Supreme Court Justice nominee Clarence Thomas, especially with regard to testimony from Anita Hill, who apparently went to law school at ORU. He thought the scariest thing of all, from the hearings, was that Oral Roberts University HAD A LAW SCHOOL.
Jane: That’s hilarious.
I have often wondered about that word – mansion, in the Bible.
My NASB has it “dwelling places” and it seems to me, in context, it is a much better interpretation.
As far as Oral’s ministry, I do know it was his books that led me to Christ, even though I had been a rather faithful church “goer” for the first, almost 45 years of my life. As I discovered there really is a God and that He really does care about my every move, I have stopped listening to men (and ladies) who would have me believe they speak for Him.
I was blessed to have known Oral’s wife, Evelyn, and it was through her that I learned to tolerate him and pray for him and his ministries. Given the experiences within ORU in recent years, it appears that God has answered my prayers.
Sherwood, no one better to help a person tolerate a man than through that man’s wife.
I once worked with a man who was saved while he was a member of a very well-known cult. Really. He lived in the communion, followed the cult leader’s every direction, did all that jazz. But somewhere in the midst o that, the Holy Spirit moved in this man’s life and Jesus made himself known to him.
I think that when we go in search of Christ, he does not hide from us. He meets us in our darkness and in broad daylight.
I think Oral was a confused man, one torn between his love for God and his love for the Big Life under the Jesus Tent.
I’m glad you stopped by, Sherwood. I bet there were thousands like you, praying for Oral Roberts and his ministries.
While I won’t remark on whether or not Roberts’ reward in heaven will be greater than average, but I do think there is ample evidence in the Bible for unequal rewards among the saints. When we are in heaven I don’t think there will be the feelings of remorse or desiring of what others have, but I do think that some will receive a greater reward for their work on earth.
Mmm.. Tyler… that’s such a foreign idea to me. What about others, do you think Tyler is right? If that’s the case, if it’s true that others will have bigger rewards, then will we be aware of it? Because what would be the point otherwise? I mean the whole purpose of having bigger and better is to prove to others that we achieved something they didn’t right? Otherwise, what’s the point? Why give someone more rubies in their crown if nobody cares? Why give rubies at all?
Without going into too much depth…
The Bible speaks a lot about faith and that a relationship with Christ is not a works-oriented relationship. Yet it also talks about how true faith shows itself through works (and I mean “works” here about as loosely as possible). In a way we aren’t saved by our works, but we are judged by them (”faith without works is dead”).
1st Corinthians 3/Matthew 16/Revelation 22 are kind of the launching points for me between earthly works and heavenly blessings.
But like I said before, in heaven we aren’t the same. Our humanly sinful struggles with jealously and such are gone. Our sanctification is complete.
What is the purpose for the reward then if nobody cares? Well I think we will each care about our reward because it will come from God. I would hope we care about that, but we won’t have the desire to care about wanting someone else’s reward more. In some ways it should motivate us toward good works during our earthly lives.
(sorry that was too in depth…)
Joe Wall wrote a book called “Reward and Loss at the Judgment of Believers: Going for the Gold”. It’s discontinued, but it’s a decent read for this conversation. It’s all about the “Bema seat judgment” that will take place after Christ returns. It’s a judgment as to rewards, not salvation. It’s for believers. 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 talks about the judgment (bema) seat of God. Romans 14:10 says the same thing pretty much. Romans 14 addresses the competition we’re so quick to take part in amongst each other (big mansions, little mansions). 1 Cor 3:10-15 lays out the process of the judgment and disbursement of rewards among the saints.
I think the crowns are metaphors. Oh, and the streets of gold too.
Tyler, not too long or in-depth at all. Thanks for this insight.
Ryan: not familiar with the book. Sounds interesting though. I really have not heard this sort of talk since I left the SBC some 20 years ago. Maybe it’s just me but I simply can’t crossover to the reward-based approach to God. It takes away the point of it all to me. Shouldn’t my sole desire be a hungering for God, for his abiding presence? And if that’s the case, then wouldn’t my racking up good deeds put all the focus right where I’m trying to get it away from — me?
Not to say I don’t agree with “faith without works is dead” because I do wholeheartedly believe that. It’s just that I don’t think I ought to be concerning myself with whether I’m putting up points in the scoreboard of Heaven.
Which brings me to another question, then. If there are these “rewards” then does that mean there are levels of hell? Ovens where the temperatures vary — slow burn, broil, toasty warm?
Because if we are going to be judge by our good works then shouldn’t the reverse hold true as well?
rewards in heaven . . . again, would churches be so quick to fill up and get wealthy if we only proclaimed the words of Jesus to leave everything, follow the way of sacrifice, and be willing to lose our lives?
Nope. What sells is “here’s what you get” — whether glory and riches in eternity or glory and riches now (or both), the dark side of Christianity has always been a sales scheme: here’s what we’re selling, do you want to buy it?
There’s a very good reason why the great sociologist/historian Max Weber is known for his work called “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.”
Kris Kristofferson’s right. I “reckon we’d just nail Him up if He came down again.”
Actually the word “mansion” is translated from a word meaning “realms”. In other words I read Jn. 14:2 as: “In my Father’s dwelling place there are many realms…”
As for Oral, his realm must be inside a giant silo because so much seed faith has been dumped there! Sorta like a giant aluminum Winnebago trailer standing on end!
I live about a mile from Oral’s name-sake silo…um, I mean, university. Please pray for my sanity, as this land of Charismania has certainly caused me to pull out more than one hair from my lumpy head in frustration. (Of course all the lumps are from beating my head against a wall by trying to bring some hint of theological accuracy to this odd place called Tulsarusalem.)
I think it is hard for us to grasp ‘rewards’ with a sinless mindset as we will be in the new creation.
I, like Karen, have balked at the reward system the bible speaks of but I balk because I am still on this side of Glory.
If I am to stretch myself and think about life in the new creation I can imagine there would be no hint of jealousy, or snickering at someone who obviously made it by the skin of their teeth because of the small reward they have, I think there will just be a continual celebration of God and what He gives in the eternal lives of us all.
For whatever good work we did here is ultimately because He gave.
Heard an interview this morning on NPR about a man who says he was healed by Brother Roberts. He and his sister both are ministers, now. What troubles me is the quote by the sister that It wasn’t Brother Roberts’ who healed her brother. It was the faith of her parents. They believed if they could just get their son to Brother Roberts he would be healed, she said.
Why does that bother me so much?
First, it becomes about the charismatic individual not the Great I Am.
And because it says to those who aren’t healed, those like my dear friend Connie who died this year, that her faith wasn’t big enough to heal her. As she said to me earlier this year, that’s a heap of guilt to put on another person.
I’m uncomfortable with this idea of performance for God. That’s not to say I don’t believe in healing I do. So did Connie. She prayed for it right up until she had no breath to pray.
I think we ought to pray for healing because we are commanded to do that. And because Jesus is our hope in all things.
I don’t think, however, that we ought to go around claiming that if we just have enough faith we’ll be healed.
Or that if we can just touch the hem of the robe of another human that healing will come.
We have such wonky ideas about performance,entitlement and faith.
We aren’t the only ones though… take a look at this:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymBzhmaou7U]
Heard an interview this morning on NPR about a man who says he was healed by Brother Roberts. He and his sister both are ministers, now. What troubles me is the quote by the sister that It wasn’t Brother Roberts’ who healed her brother. It was the faith of her parents. They believed if they could just get their son to Brother Roberts he would be healed, she said.
Why does that bother me so much?
First, it becomes about the charismatic individual not the Great I Am.
And because it says to those who aren’t healed, those like my dear friend Connie who died this year, that her faith wasn’t big enough to heal her. As she said to me earlier this year, that’s a heap of guilt to put on another person.
I’m uncomfortable with this idea of performance for God. That’s not to say I don’t believe in healing I do. So did Connie. She prayed for it right up until she had no breath to pray.
I think we ought to pray for healing because we are commanded to do that. And because Jesus is our hope in all things.
I don’t think, however, that we ought to go around claiming that if we just have enough faith we’ll be healed.
Or that if we can just touch the hem of the robe of another human that healing will come.
We have such wonky ideas about performance,entitlement and faith.
We aren’t the only ones though… take a look at this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymBzhmaou7U
Heard an interview this morning on NPR about a man who says he was healed by Brother Roberts. He and his sister both are ministers, now. What troubles me is the quote by the sister that It wasn’t Brother Roberts’ who healed her brother. It was the faith of her parents. They believed if they could just get their son to Brother Roberts he would be healed, she said.
Why does that bother me so much?
First, it becomes about the charismatic individual not the Great I Am.
And because it says to those who aren’t healed, those like my dear friend Connie who died this year, that her faith wasn’t big enough to heal her. As she said to me earlier this year, that’s a heap of guilt to put on another person.
I’m uncomfortable with this idea of performance for God. That’s not to say I don’t believe in healing I do. So did Connie. She prayed for it right up until she had no breath to pray.
I think we ought to pray for healing because we are commanded to do that. And because Jesus is our hope in all things.
I don’t think, however, that we ought to go around claiming that if we just have enough faith we’ll be healed.
Or that if we can just touch the hem of the robe of another human that healing will come.
We have such wonky ideas about performance,entitlement and faith.
We aren’t the only ones though.
[...] an alternative treatment of Oral Robert’s death I strongly recommend Karen Spears Zacharias‘ take on it. She, herself a faithful believer in a teleology a bit more specific and full [...]
Thank you! Well and importantly said. The “mainstream media” refuses to speak ill of the dead in this particular case for some reason. I linked to you from my NPR-critiquing blog after they had the bad taste to air a fawning tribute to Roberts this morning.
This idea that you “create your own reality”, weirdly a feature of both 19th century heresies like Christian Science and much New Age neo-pagan thought and such books as The Secret, is really hurtful. Blame those with disease doesn’t seems more like a form of narcissism than it does like Christian doctrine.