Oral Roberts was an influential American Pentecostal-Holiness televangelist and faith healer who founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University. He was a pioneer in the use of television to spread the Gospel and is credited with helping to shape the modern prosperity gospel movement. His life and work have had a lasting impact on the religious and cultural landscape of the United States.
Early Life
Oral Roberts was born Granville Oral Roberts on January 24, 1918, in Ada, Oklahoma. He was the fifth of six children born to Ellis Roberts and Clara Roberts. His father was a preacher and farmer, and his mother was a homemaker. Growing up, Roberts helped his family farm, and he was an avid reader, especially of the Bible. He was deeply inspired by the Pentecostal-Holiness church and began preaching at a young age.
Professional Career
In 1947, Roberts founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association. He began preaching on television in 1954, and his ministry rapidly grew in popularity. He was a pioneer in the use of television to spread the Gospel and is credited with helping to shape the modern prosperity gospel movement. Roberts also founded Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1963. He continued to preach and expand his ministry until his death in 2009.
Oral Roberts was a highly influential figure in the American Pentecostal-Holiness movement and his life and work have had a lasting impact on the religious and cultural landscape of the United States. His ministry was a groundbreaking force in the use of television to spread the Gospel, and his founding of Oral Roberts University continues to influence generations of students.
