Oh dear…it’s happening again.
First it was Paula and Randy White. Now it’s Richard and Lindsay Roberts, the president and “first lady” of Oral Roberts University (ORU). The Charismatic world apparently is rife with “celebrity” pastors who view their ministries as their own personal piggy banks. Read the New York Times article, or click here to go to the website of Tulsa’s local newspaper, where they have a special page devoted to the story.
I don’t have firsthand knowledge of the Robertses or any of the goings-on at ORU, but reading the PDF of the ORU professors’ lawsuit was more eye-opening than anything else, as it mentioned documentation for some of the various allegations of the Robertses’ extravagances billed to the university. If even HALF of that documentation exists, it would be evidence of some severe mismanagement of university and ministry funds, at the very least.
I really don’t understand what makes these Charismaniac ministers grow so brazen about how they spend the money they get from their people’s donations. Why do they think it’s OK to live like the rich and famous? Even the world knows better…even the world has a better sense of what’s appropriate for a (supposed) minister of the Gospel.
We as the Church need to pray. We need to pray for pastors and those in visible leadership positions (such as Richard and Lindsay Roberts). Then we need to stand up and demand accountability from them. The cause of Christ has been dealt enough black eyes from ministers who are too fond of money and the things of this world!
Are we really surprised? If we want to give all the glory to God, why are we naming colleges after ourselves? This organization started going south a LOOOOONG time ago in my opinion. I somehow got on their mailing list about 20-some years ago. I was getting paper napkins in the mail with Oral Roberts hand traced on it (which incidentally didn’t work when I laid it on my broken toilet, LOL) We used to have a ball laughing at the garbage he would send. My in-laws-to-be laughed their derrieres off when they came over one night and I had laid the sacred “prayer hanky” over the hood of my car which was near death at the time.
Whenever it becomes about a person rather than the Lord, we’re in trouble. Whenever we look up to a person as being God’s oracle instead of the Father himself in our lives, we’re in trouble. When these guys who become popular in Christian circles don’t put a lid on it and have checks & balances and accountability in their lives, anything can and will happen. What a shame. I believe these guys all start out with sincere hearts.
You know, I went to ORU for 3 years in the 90s, and I found it most upsetting. Many of the professors would waste 1/2 of their class time asking for prayer requests and praying–and it wasn’t even a theology class–it was broadcasting! I felt like the professors who were in this group (it certainly was not all of the professors) were too lazy to develop a lesson plan. To fill their hour-long class period they did the prayer request/prayer thing for an hour. Don’t get me wrong, I think that prayer is a wonderful thing. However, ORU graduates need to be competitive out in the real world when it comes time to get a job… To add additional insult to injury, there was another little embarrassing event that occurred every semester, right around the third week or so. Students who had financial hardships and were not able to pay that last $100 or so were publicly humiliated in class. The professor would read out their name and tell them they owed $100 and would not be allowed to attend the class until they paid. On one occasion this happened to a girl in my class. She was just about in tears, as she was leaving, so I immediately offered and paid her $125 or whatever it was for her from my hard-earned summer employment money. How pathetic to embarrass the girl like that!
Then when the twice-weekly chapel times would roll around all the students would be begged for money from RR or LR. And they had fancy ars and clothes… It made me sick to my stomach. I wish that Jesus could have come down there to the chapel, like he did in the synagogue in the Bible, and turn the tables on the whole thing.
I have been shocked to read comments on the Tulsa World site from ORU students who have mentioned being asked for money in chapel. That’s unbelievable. Not only are you PAYING to be there, but then you are then begged for MORE money, at a service where your attendance is required?
That’s why, even if that lawsuit ultimately goes nowhere and turns out to mean nothing, Richard and Lindsay have MUCH explaining to do. After all, they’ve never denied the stories about their excesses. All they’ve claimed is that they reimbursed the university for these excesses. The fact that they have such a taste for the “high life” should be more of a concern than anything else. How could they have such a focus while at the same time continue to hit up college students, most of whom are having to finance their tuition through student loans?
I’ve been reading the forums too (kinda like looking at an accident that you just can’t seem to turn your head away from, isn’t it?)
From what I understand there, the students are actually required to attend chapel. I’m sure they justify putting the money squeeze on the kids as ‘teaching them about seed faith’ principles.
I agree that the ridiculous excesses in the Robertses’ personal life is a serious issue. Unfortunately, it is very common among Word of Faith ministers, both high profile and local ‘wannabe-s’.
I’m not against having a good life, but a gold and platinum plated luxury ‘donald trump’ style life is too much. Especially when you’re constantly asking your congregation for more money. I want to ask them, “If you’re so concerned about missions, the orphanage, t.v. ministry, etc. Why don’t you sell a few of those cars, jets, whatever? Why ask people who are barely making ends meet to fund your legacy project? Even worse, why TRICK them into sending you their hard earned living?”
I am out of the loop, what happend to Randy and Paula White?
Paula and Randy White announced their divorce recently (August 2007). A few months before that, the local newspaper published articles about their lavish lifestyles. Links to those articles are at the top of our post entitled, “How Did Paula White Lose Her Way?”