In the tumultuous landscape of post-war America, a young preacher named Oral Roberts stood at a crossroads.
Barely making ends meet, Roberts was grappling with the challenges of a burgeoning ministry and the relentless demands of daily survival.
It was during this trying period that he stumbled upon three key principles in God’s Word that would change his life forever: Seed-Faith.
Reflecting on his discovery, Roberts would later share, “They have never failed me.
When I had no earthly source or person to turn to, when I was alone with nothing but big problems and challenges facing me, these principles showed me God is my Source.
They showed me how to use my giving as a seed I was planting, and to expect God to multiply it even if it took a miracle.”
The Miracle of Seed-Faith, as he would come to call it, has since revolutionized the lives of millions of people around the world.
It is a divine plan of seedtime and harvest, sowing and reaping, giving and receiving.
“Man’s economic systems may fail, but God’s plan never does,” Roberts preached with zeal.
By embracing Seed-Faith living, believers were promised access to God’s more-than-enough resources.
One of the most remarkable moments in Roberts’s early ministry occurred in 1946 when, struggling to keep his family afloat and his ministry alive, he felt a divine nudge to believe for a miracle.
It was then that God provided him with a new Buick, a tangible testament to the power of Seed-Faith.
This miracle was just one of many that would come to define his ministry and life.
Oral Roberts’s life is a tale of incredible highs and devastating lows.
From the depths of poverty during the Great Depression in Oklahoma to the heights of building an evangelistic empire worth millions, Roberts’s journey was marked by both rampant consumerist excess and sincere devotion to the gospel.
His teachings on prosperity gospel, which asserted that God intended His followers to be both spiritually and physically fulfilled, resonated deeply with a post-war American audience eager for hope and prosperity.
Roberts’s ministry saw explosive growth, propelled by the new media of radio and television.
His healing crusades, which drew thousands seeking divine intervention, became a cornerstone of his outreach.
The miracles that followed—countless testimonies of healing and provision—cemented his reputation as a man of faith and power.
Yet, Roberts’s life was not without controversy and struggle.
Critics often accused him of exploiting the vulnerable, while supporters saw him as a beacon of God’s miraculous power.
His empire, which included a medical complex and a university, eventually faced financial difficulties and accusations of mismanagement.
Despite these challenges, Roberts’s faith remained unshaken.
He emphasized the power of prayer, particularly the prayer of petition—a powerful tool against the adversaries of God’s people.
This prayer, rooted in humility and alignment with God’s will, was seen as a way to battle the forces of addiction, abuse, poverty, and spiritual bondage.
Roberts’s teachings on the prayer of petition became a cornerstone of his ministry.
Drawing from biblical examples and personal experiences of miraculous interventions, he taught believers to approach God with confidence, knowing that He would prevail.
This assurance brought peace and a sense of divine partnership in the face of life’s challenges.
In “Oral Roberts and the Rise of the Prosperity Gospel,” Jonathan Root weaves together these accounts in a balanced and engaging narrative.
The biography offers a comprehensive look at Roberts’s early life, his family’s financial struggles, the growth of his healing ministry, and the eventual collapse of his empire.
Root’s exploration is meticulous, drawing on primary sources and the mythologized stories Roberts told in his later years.
The Oral Roberts that emerges from these pages is a complex figure—deeply flawed, yet wholly earnest in his devotion to Christ.
His legacy, particularly the introduction of the prosperity gospel to American Protestants, continues to provoke discussion and debate.
For those interested in American religious history, Oral Roberts’s story is an absorbing and essential read. His life, marked by extraordinary faith and human frailty, offers a profound reflection on the intersection of faith, wealth, and the relentless pursuit of God’s promises.
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